How Many Accidents Are Caused by Semi Trucks?

Collisions of any kind can be serious and cause injuries and other damages. When it comes to accidents caused by semi trucks, those injuries could be even more dangerous, and could be deadly for those in a passenger vehicle if they’re involved in the collision as well.

Knowing the severity of semi truck accidents could make you wonder how many of these types of crashes occur. Let’s take a look at the statistics surrounding large truck wrecks so you can get a better idea of how often they occur, what causes them, and what are some of the common injuries and other damages that these wrecks cause.

Semi Truck Accident Statistics

Understanding just how many accidents are caused by semi trucks can help you evaluate how to more effectively share the road with larger vehicles. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), over 500,000 accidents with large trucks were caused by that truck, whether they collided with another vehicle, a fixed object, pedestrian, or had a truck malfunction of some kind.

It’s important to note that fatalities are high among large truck crashes as well. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 4,119 people total were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2019. Here are more of the statistics listed by the IIHS about fatal semi truck crashes in 2019:

• 2,757 passenger vehicle occupants killed
• 679 large truck occupants killed
• 633 motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians killed
• 11% of all fatal crashes that year were involving large trucks
• 3,034 fatalities caused by tractor trailers
• 1,141 fatalities caused by single unit trucks

When more than one large truck is involved in the wreck, the fatalities of occupants of the semi truck double. Otherwise, the occupants of passenger vehicles are in more danger of being killed in those accidents. This is because the tractor trailers are so much larger than passenger vehicles.

The IIHS states that large trucks can weigh up to 30 times more than regular vehicles, which is why the collisions between trucks and passenger vehicles can be so dangerous. When you add in how the accidents happen and where the two vehicle types collide, like the car going under the truck, the wrecks get even more dangerous.

Let’s take a closer look into what causes collisions with tractor trailers so we can better understand the statistics above.

Causes of Large Truck Wrecks

There are many differences between semi trucks and regular-sized vehicles that lead to a collision between the two. For example, large trucks take up to 40 times longer to stop because of their weight and size, and this also depends on the condition of the road, according to the IIHS. This can easily cause a truck to not have enough room to stop before crashing into a smaller car.

That’s just one way that a truck wreck can happen. Here are some of the other causes of wrecks that make truck accidents so common in Illinois and the rest of the United States:

• Speeding
• Distracted driver, truck or car
• Truck driver fatigue
• Poorly trained trucker
• Drunk drivers
• Blind spots
• Brake failure
• Tire blowouts
• Trailer hitch failure
• Other part defects
• Overloaded trailer
• Improperly loaded trailer
• Wet or icy roads
• Bad weather
• Poor road conditions
• Failure to pull entirely out of an active lane of traffic during an emergency
• Failure to put out warning devices/reflectors

These are just some of the most common causes of truck wrecks. Any kind of small error made by a trucker, another driver, the trucking company, or a part manufacturer could lead to a crash, which is why vigilance is so important for everyone on the road.

When the tractor trailer wreck you were involved in wasn’t caused by you, you could use the help of our truck accident lawyer. We will work to prove your injuries and damages so you can financially recover. Let’s take a look at the types of damages you could suffer in a collision with a semi.

Common Injuries and Damages from Semi Truck Crashes

As mentioned above, truck wrecks can be far more devastating than regular crashes. Of course, car accidents can cause serious injuries and death as well, but in truck crashes, since they’re typically between a large truck and a smaller vehicle, the passengers in the small vehicle could suffer from catastrophic injuries.

Here are some of the injuries that truck accident victims commonly suffer:

• Cuts and lacerations
• Burns
• Soft tissue injuries
• Broken bones
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Neck and back injuries
• Paralysis
• Amputation
• Death

Some of these injuries are considered catastrophic, meaning they completely change the course of your life. They could alter your abilities and make your everyday life harder. You could need multiple surgeries, prolonged treatment, and medical equipment for the rest of your life because of a truck accident injury.  You may also lose substantial time from work or be unable to return to work.

Additionally, these accidents often cause serious property damage. When a car gets stuck under a tractor trailer, it could completely crush the vehicle. While this is more of a threat to the occupants inside, the car will also suffer serious damages.

This means that while you could incur serious injuries, you could also have to deal with severe property damage after a crash. This could lead to even more bills and damages that you need to financially recover from. Which is why you could use the help of a truck accident lawyer/ car accident lawyer.

Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP Will Represent You

A semi truck accident could leave you with injuries and damages that you don’t know how to recover from. A doctor can help you physically and emotionally recover from some of the hurt the crash caused you, and a truck accident lawyer can help you financially recover.

At Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP, we’re dedicated to fighting for the victims of truck accidents so they can get the full and fair compensation they deserve. We’ll use our experience to represent you and get you justice and help you recover for your past and future medical bills, lost wages, past and future pain and suffering and loss of a normal life or disability.

Reach out to our firm today so we can get started on your claim as soon as possible.  Make an appointment for a free, no obligation initial consultation.