Among fatal auto accidents in Louisiana in 2012, large trucks accounted for 10.7 percent of the vehicles involved in them. This is a little above the average rate of large truck involvement, which is 8.3 percent nationwide. Concerns about the dangers posed by big rigs and delivery trucks have been validated with data collected across the United States.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines a large truck as having a gross weight above 10,000 pounds. In this category, 333,000 trucks were in crashes in the United States in 2012. These accidents caused 3,921 people to die. Additionally, 104,000 injuries occurred. The data represented a 4 percent increase in deaths from the year before.
Many factors contribute to large truck accidents. Sometimes smaller passenger vehicles are to blame because their drivers are not aware of the speeds, stopping ranges or maneuverability of large trucks. However, errors by truck drivers result in crashes as well. Inexperience, poor training and demanding schedules that lead to driver fatigue are often documented as causes of accidents.
Due to the size of commercial trucks, they can inflict serious damage upon smaller vehicles and their passengers. When someone is badly injured or even killed, many difficulties can arise when attempting to make a personal injury claim. Big trucking companies and their employees have an interest in avoiding liability.
Sometimes legal representation helps victims get fair compensation for medical expenses and lost income. A personal injury attorney may be able help a person injured in a large truck accident navigate the process. As a representative of the injured person, the attorney might be able to obtain access to detailed records from the trucking company such as driver logs and schedules.
