Understanding large truck accidents

Motorists in Tennessee may benefit from learning more about statistics related to large trucks, as described by U.S. Department of Transportation. Large trucks accounted for a larger proportion of multi-vehicle accidents. Approximately 81 percent of the large truck accidents involve multiple vehicle. In comparison, only 58 percent of the fatal accidents involving passenger vehicles are multi-car crashes. When a larger truck is involved in a crash with one other vehicle, both vehicles sustain damage on the front end about a third of the time.

In these two-vehicle accidents, large trucks are three times more likely to be struck in the rear than the other automobile. More than 45 percent of the two-vehicle collisions with large trucks involve both vehicles traveling straight-ahead when the crash occurs. Approximately 12 percent of the crashes occurred as the large truck was negotiating a turn. About 7 percent of the accidents involved either a large truck or another vehicle being parked in a traffic lane at the time of the incident.

During 2012, large trucks accounted for 4 percent of all registered vehicles, 3 percent of all accidents involving injury or property damage and 8 percent of all fatal crashes. There were more than 3,900 people killed and about 104,000 injured in accidents involving large trucks during 2012. More than 70 percent of the injuries and deaths involved occupants in other vehicles.

People who are injured in truck accidents typically benefit from consulting legal counsel. Plaintiffs in these cases are typically entitled to recover restitution that can help account for repair expenses, medical costs and loss of income resulting from the incident. In order to obtain compensation, the plaintiffs’ lawyers may need to prove that the defendant was culpable for the resulting damages. In cases involving truck accidents, lawyers usually focus on driver negligence or that the employer was negligent.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation , “Large Trucks”, November 21, 2014