In one recent year, nearly 5,000 people died, and 147,000 more suffered injuries in large truck crashes nationally. That’s according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which annually collects and reports crash data on commercial vehicle accidents.
There are many types of truck accidents, but all of them can cause catastrophic injuries and devastate lives. At Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, our legal team focuses exclusively on helping people who’ve suffered injuries in accidents like commercial truck crashes. We understand the tremendous physical, emotional, and financial pain truck wrecks inflict on victims and their families. That is why we are committed to fighting for maximum compensation for injured people.
Want to talk to a Phoenix truck accident lawyer about your case for free? Contact Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer today to find out how we can ease your personal injury pain.
Rollovers
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 52 percent of large truck occupant fatalities occurred in crashes involving a rollover – a particular type of collision involving a truck that overturns onto its side or roof.
Several factors contribute to the occurrence of truck rollover accidents. One primary cause is the instability of the truck’s high center of gravity. Any experienced truck driver should understand how to manage this dynamic safely. However, careless or aggressive drivers exacerbate the truck’s inherent instability by driving too fast, taking sharp turns at unsafe speeds, making sudden lane changes, or overcorrecting. Additionally, improperly secured or imbalanced cargo can shift during transit, dramatically affecting the truck’s balance and increasing the likelihood of a rollover.
Rear-End Collisions
The sheer size and weight disparity between trucks and passenger vehicles means that rear-end collisions involving commercial trucks can result in devastating consequences. Truck driver negligence like driving while overly tired, distracted driving, speeding, leaving inadequate following distances, and sudden lane changes can all play a role in causing rear-end collisions. Other causal factors include poor weather conditions, such as rain or fog, and bad road design or repair.
In addition to the severe injuries associated with any type of truck accident, rear-end collisions have a high rate of whiplash. This hard-to-diagnose type of injury occurs when the head and neck snap violently back and forth, resulting in painful soft-tissue damage.
Head-On Collisions
Head-on collisions involving commercial trucks are among the most catastrophic and deadly traffic accidents. According to the IIHS, head-on collisions accounted for 31 percent of deaths involving a passenger vehicle and a commercial truck – more than any other type of collision. Victims who survive often suffer catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple fractures, and internal organ damage.
