Common Causes for Commercial Truck Accidents

 Posted on March 27, 2019 in Car Accidents

Driving a large truck, such as a semi-truck, is a different experience than driving a small passenger vehicle. The drivers of a semi-truck are often hauling around thousands of pounds of cargo and traveling long distances. The truck drivers may also have to deal with any manner of mechanical failures on the truck, which is increased by the number of miles the trucks are driving. Accidents do happen, whether they be passenger vehicles or large trucks, and injuries or fatalities from large truck accidents are likely. The cause of large truck crashes was studied by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and some common causes were identified.

What Are the Causes?

The FMCSA was looking to determine why large trucks were involved in serious crashes. The total sample of the study was 963 crashes involving 1,123 large trucks and 959 vehicles that were not trucks. Out of those crashes, there were 249 fatalities and 1,654 injuries. 77 percent of the trucks included were single semi-trailer trucks and 5 percent were hauling hazardous materials. Crashes involving at least one other vehicle occurred in 73 percent of the crashes sampled.

The FMCSA study used two main definitions in their data. The critical event is the “action or event that put the vehicle or vehicles on a course that made the collision unavoidable” and the critical reason is the reason for that critical event. The critical events in the data the FMCSA observed were as follows:

• Thirty-two percent of the trucks ran out of the lane they were in, meaning they either went into a different lane or off the road.
• Twenty-nine percent of the trucks observed lost control because they were going too fast for the conditions, the cargo moved around, the vehicle had a mechanical problem, poor road conditions, or other
• Twenty-two percent of the trucks crashed into the back of a vehicle in the same lane the truck was in.

Contact a Wheaton Large Truck Accident Attorney

Truck accidents can be even scarier than passenger vehicle accidents due to the large vehicles and weight involved. If you have been injured in a large truck accident and believe negligence may have led to your crash, you will need a caring DuPage County personal injury lawyer for your case. The lawyers at The Law Offices of David W. Clark, P.C. know how to handle the complex details of a large truck collision personal injury case and will be able to help you pursue the compensation you desire. If you would like a free initial consultation, you can contact us at 630-665-5678.

Source:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/research-and-analysis/large-truck-crash-causation-study-analysis-brief