What Happens Following a Trucking Accident?

There are nearly half a million collisions involving large commercial trucks each year; as many as 5000 of those involve fatalities with the state of Texas having between 250 and 450 trucking fatalities annually. In fact, the fatal crash rate for large trucks is 2.4 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled which is fifty percent higher than the rate for other vehicles on the road. Because of the great disparity in size between a loaded commercial truck and a passenger vehicle 98 percent of these trucking fatalities are occupants of the smaller vehicle. A normally loaded 18-wheeler can take up to 350 feet to come to a stop while an overloaded truck will take an even longer distance.

Factors in Trucking Accidents

Trucking accidents are the result of a variety of factors including truck driver error, distraction or fatigue, mistakes on the part of the driver of the passenger vehicle, and mechanical failures which are common to 18-wheelers. The scores of victims of trucking accidents may wonder how the system which is meant to keep us safe has failed time after time. Those who survive a trucking accident likely find themselves totally immersed in the health of those involved in the accident, particularly in instances where injuries are extremely serious. The focus is on medical care and the ongoing treatments required leaving little time or energy to contemplate the medical bills stacking up, the lost wages which are resulting in regular bills going unpaid and the long-term effects resulting from the trucking accident. Those involved in a trucking accident may have wondered what the “other side” was doing in the days and weeks following the collision. 

When Trucking Accidents Occur in the State of Texas

The City of Houston is well-known for the number of large commercial trucks which share the roadways with other vehicles. Because the Houston area is a primary shipping route, with over three million residents in Houston and outlying areas, it is considered one of the busiest thoroughfares in America. There is also considerable truck traffic resulting from the surrounding petroleum-transport areas as well as the many 18-wheelers from out of state which continuously travel through the Houston area. When you factor in the amount of truck traffic in the area you can see that accidents are much more likely to happen simply due to the sheer volume of truck traffic.  In 2008 Houston saw 421 fatalities involving large commercial trucks and although that number was down to 284 fatalities by 2010, the numbers are still sobering.

Why 18-Wheelers are Dangerous to Smaller Vehicles

The Houston area accounted for approximately 8 percent of all fatalities associated with trucking accidents in the entire United States. Considering the sheer size of an 18-wheeler—particularly when it is fully loaded—in the event a truck crashes into a passenger vehicle, those in the smaller vehicle are obviously at a clear disadvantage. Even though trucks are now required to have under-ride bars at the rear, when a passenger car runs into the back of an 18-wheeler the impact is four times as likely to cause death than when the reverse is true (when the 18-wheeler rear-ends a passenger vehicle). A loaded truck easily weighs 20-30 times as much as a passenger vehicle meaning it takes a good forty percent longer distance to come to a complete stop. In the end, when an 18-wheeler collides with a smaller vehicle it is highly likely there will be serious injuries or death.

When Truckers Take to the Road Do They Look Out for Your Safety?

You’ve probably noticed drivers who are texting, talking on their phones, applying makeup, eating, or any number of other activities which distract them from driving and put other drivers and passengers at risk. Now, imagine that person who is not paying attention to the road is a truck driver. When you consider that a fully loaded truck needs the length of a football field to come to a complete stop—assuming it is traveling 60 mph on a totally dry road--you can see that when a truck driver is distracted, even for a moment, a tragic accident can result. The most recent federal regulations mandate shorter braking distances for commercial trucks however don’t affect existing 18-wheelers, only newly manufactured trucks.

While all drivers should avoid distractions which can lead to accidents, there is a large disparity between a crash between passenger vehicles and a crash involving a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle. A fully loaded truck is 20-30 times as heavy as a passenger vehicle and in a collision between the two the passengers in the smaller vehicle rarely fare well. Of the half a million trucking accidents in the United States each year approximately 5,000 of those will result in fatalities and a large percentage of the remainder will result in very serious injury to those in the passenger vehicle. Truck drivers are constantly under pressure to get their loads delivered; both from their employers and even from their own family members as their paycheck depends on the time they spend behind the wheel of the truck.