Any traffic accident has the potential to cause significant damage and life-altering injuries. However, crashes involving commercial trucks can be particularly catastrophic due in part to their massive size and weight compared to other vehicles. Truck drivers who drive too fast for traffic conditions or drive when dangerously fatigued put everyone on the road at risk.
Commercial truck drivers are involved in a disproportionate share of fatal crashes. Most of those killed in semi-truck accidents are occupants of smaller vehicles.
What Percentage of Crashes Are Truck Accidents?
Commercial trucks, such as semis, account for about four percent of the total number of registered vehicles on the road, according to George Washington University.
However, semi-trucks are involved in nearly ten percent of fatal collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The statistics mean that the number of deadly crashes involving large commercial vehicles is more than double what you might expect, considering the proportion of registered vehicles they represent.
What Are Some Contributing Factors to Trucking Accidents?
Truck accidents are complicated and may have several contributing causes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has determined the following three are the most common:
Poor Maintenance
FMCSA statistics indicate that maintenance problems contributed to approximately 40 percent of truck accidents. These issues often result from a trucking company or repair service failing to inspect, diagnose, or repair issues with the truck.
Driver Negligence
The requirements to acquire a Commercial Driver’s License are less stringent today than at the beginning of 2020, with truckers needing only 30 hours of truck driving experience to take their practical exams. Many truckers entering the workforce lack the experience or training necessary to make safe decisions behind the wheel.
Furthermore, truck drivers often work long, exhausting shifts that can cause them to feel drowsy or fatigued behind the wheel, increasing the risk of an avoidable accident. Trucking companies may bear at least as much liability as the drivers in these situations since managerial pressure to meet unreasonable delivery deadlines often leads to unsafe work practices.
Speeding
A fully loaded tractor-trailer may weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When a truck driver drives too fast in a large truck, especially in traffic, the big rig’s momentum makes it difficult to stop in the event of sudden traffic slowdowns or a road hazard. A speeding truck imparts extreme force when it collides with a smaller vehicle, putting the smaller vehicle’s occupants at risk of severe or fatal injuries.
Fatal Crashes Involving Large Trucks
Truck accidents are dangerous for everyone involved. They can be particularly devastating for those in smaller vehicles or on foot. The National Safety Council’s statistics indicate that nearly 70 percent of people injured in accidents involving trucks are drivers or passengers of the other vehicle.
Truck accidents are slightly more likely to take place on rural roads than on urban roads. They are three times more likely to happen on a non-interstate road than on an interstate highway.
How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer Help Me?
Dealing with an insurance company and seeking compensation after a serious truck accident can be difficult on your own. In the weeks and months after a collision, you may feel overwhelmed and need to focus on the healing. However, you only have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Indiana, and a lot needs to happen for a claim to be successful.
When you are represented by an experienced Indianapolis truck accident attorney, you have a trained legal professional handling every aspect of your claim, including:
- Investigating the accident to determine how it occurred
- Identifying who was at fault for the accident and who can be held financially liable
- Calculating the value of your compensable losses
- Gathering evidence, such as medical bills, accident reports, and expert testimony
- Sending letters of spoliation to truck companies, preventing them from discarding truck maintenance records and other valuable evidence
- Negotiating with the insurance company for full compensation
Trucking companies often have lawyers and insurance companies defending their interests. If you try to negotiate with them on your own, they may try to shift the blame and say the accident was your fault. An insurer may pressure you to accept a lowball settlement that lets them off the hook and leaves you without the financial compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Our experienced Indiana truck accident attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are familiar with these tactics. A seasoned truck accident lawyer can push back against the pressure tactics trucking companies and their insurers use.
Our attorneys are successful in settling most truck accident cases without going to trial. However, if the insurance company refuses to agree to a fair settlement, our attorneys will be prepared to file a truck accident lawsuit and present your case in court. Our reputation as skilled trial attorneys gives us more ability to reach settlements because insurance companies don’t want to go to court.
Get in Touch with Our Indianapolis Truck Accident Attorneys
If you have suffered injuries in a truck accident in Indiana and someone else is to blame, you may be entitled to claim compensation for your losses. You should not be responsible for medical expenses, missed time at work, property damage, or the pain and suffering you have had to endure. The skilled truck accident attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC can fight to secure you this money.
Our legal team has been fighting for injured people for almost a quarter-century. We treat everyone who retains our services with dignity and respect, as our past clients will attest. Our attorneys will give you and your case the individual attention you deserve. We will be with you every step of the way. Call us toll-free at (800) 746-0226 or contact us online for a free case consultation to learn more about your legal options.
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