Issues Surrounding Truck Accidents And Injuries
Issues Surrounding Truck Accidents And Injuries
There are approximately 251 million registered vehicles in the United States alone and in 2004 there were 198.8 million registered drivers with an estimated 6.6 million driver’s licenses likely to be issued in 20072008 according to information obtained from programs under the U.S. Department of Transportation USDOT and the Department of Motor Vehicles DMV.
In 2005 there were nearly 6.4 million auto accidents resulting in approximately 40000 fatalities according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA. In 2007 the USDOT reported that:
* There were 236468 nonfatal large truck accidents
* 54961 injuryrelated large truck accidents
* 80752 injuries due to large truck accidents
Large truck accidents account for a significant portion of vehicle accidents every year and also account for a portion of crashrelated injuries and fatalities among drivers passengers and pedestrians.
According to research conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute UMTRI fatalities caused by truck accidents are rising and have steadily risen 5.8 percent over a the previous tenyear period. Causes of Truck Accidents There are a plethora of reasons that an individual can become involved in a truck accident but there are a list of common reoccurring truck accident scenarios that have been identified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA which conducts research on highway collisions involving an array of motor vehicles.
The following are some of the primary causes for a fatality or injury because of a truck crash:
* Trucks hitting pedestrians
* The force of the collision between a large truck and a smaller passenger vehicle/vehicles
* Trucks hitting fixed objects
* Loss of control tire blow out vehicle failure weather conditions etc.
* Animal in roadway
* Physical driver factor including falling asleep heart attack etc.
Another study conducted by the FMCSA also found that truck accidents will vary based on roadway type weight of vehicle and cargo body type. The study found that of the three main categories of roadway types rural urban and unknown urban roadways interstate freeways expressways etc. accounted for 63 percent of all large truck accidents. Additionally weight factored into the equation of truck accidents and truck fatalities/injuries.
The study measured truck weight by single unit trucks two axles threes axles etc. and combination trucks tractor trucks truck pulling trailers etc.. Of these 62 percent of accidents were made up by combination trucks specifically the tractor truck pulling a trailer.
The study also detailed the different varieties of truck types involved in accidents:
* Van trucks including closed van refrigerated van and open top van
* Dump trucks rear dump trucks and bottom dump/hopper bottom
* Tankers tankliquid tankdry bulk and tankcompressed gas
* Garbage refuse trucks
* Cement mixers
* Pole/logging trucks
* Auto carriers
* Livestock carriers
* Bobtail units with no cargo body
* Other category which includes tow trucks etc.
* Unknown category meaning uninspected vehicles
Of these trucks the van trucks accounted for 46 percent of large truck crashes with dump trucks accounting for 16 percent of accidents and flatbed trucks accounting for 15 percent.
Truck Accident Costs While the percentage of truck accidents varies each year the UMTRI has noted that there is a steady increase of truck accident fatalities and injuries among passengers.
Accompanying this increase is the rising costs per crash. The USDOT funded a study through the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation PIRE to determine the average costs of medium and heavy truck crashes.
The study found that: An average truck accident cost 91112 in 2005.
* Crashes involving trucktractors with two or three trailers accounted for the most costly crashes averaging 289549 per crash.
* Truck crashes involving trucks with no trailers and straight trucks cost an average of 56296 per crash.
* Truck crashes that involved a fatality cost nearly 3604518 per crash.
* Whereas truck crashes involving injuryonly crashes averaged at 195258 per crash.
While the costs of fatal and nonfatal accidents have been considered shockingly high by some the study noted that these cost estimates excluded additional factors such as:
* mental health costs
* roadside furniture repair costs
* cargo delays
* earnings lost by family and friends involved in or caring for truck accident victims
* the value of schoolwork lost was also not factored
Because of these exclusions the estimated truck accident costs may even be considerable higher than estimated by the USDOT.
Seeking Assistance after a Truck Accident
It is often difficult for an individual to gauge the devastation that has just occurred after a truck collision. It is important that an individual who has suffered from a truck accident seeks medical attention immediately.
While an individual may feel no pain after an accident their injuries may be internal and an examination by a medical professional immediately following an accident can ensure that the appropriate safety precautions are taken.
Additionally it may be necessary for a truck accident victim to consult an experienced truck accident attorney for legal purposes which may include a legal consultation for a potential truck accident lawsuit.
Developing a truck accident lawsuit may seem to be a drastic measure by some but when considering the costs associated with a truck accident whether fatal or nonfatal it can be deemed a necessary step one that may provide monetary compensation in return for damages following a truck collision.
About the writer: Learn more about a growing trend among automobile accidents at http://truck.legalview.com/. Or use the LegalView homepage at http://www.LegalView.com and navigate to other personal injury sites including the automobile accident homepage. Also visit the most recently updated sites including the Cipro information portal.
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