Truck Accidents / Tractor Trailer Injury Lawyers & Attorneys

Legal Links http://www.atlanet.org/ http://www.bestlawyers.com/ http...

2006-11-07T14:31:18.560Z

Legal Links

http://www.atlanet.org/
http://www.bestlawyers.com/
http://www.tlpj.org/
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/index.jsp

http://www.lawsource.com/also/

http://www.ilrg.com/

Truck Accident Attorneys http://www.truckinjuries.com/index.html http://www...

2006-11-07T13:47:34.118Z

Truck Accident Attorneys

http://www.truckinjuries.com/index.html
http://www.munley.com/
http://www.paulhoganllc.com/tractor_trailer_accidents.html
http://www.consultwebs.com/california-personal-injury-lawyers/auto_accidents.html

http://www.hardisonandleone.com/truck_accident_lawyers.html
http://www.kraftlaw.com/PracticeAreasNew.htm#AutomobileCollisions
http://www.brownandcrouppen.com/truck_accidents.html
http://www.thetruckaccidentattorneys.com/index.html
http://www.zifflaw.com/accidents.html
http://www.syracuseinjurylaw.com/motor_vehicle_accidents.html

Additional Resources http://www.cvsa.org/ http://www.safersys.org/ http://w...

2006-11-07T14:02:31.886Z

Additional Resources

http://www.cvsa.org/
http://www.safersys.org/
http://www.asse.org/
http://www.cvsa.org/
http://www.trucksafety.org/
http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/main.cfm
http://www.underridenetwork.org/
http://ai.volpe.dot.gov/
http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/index.cfm?button=cartruck
http://transportation1.org/aashtonew/
http://www.nhtsa.gov/
http://www.consultwebs.com/truck-accidents-lawyers.html

Truck Accident Statistics Every 16 minutes, a person is killed or s...

2006-11-07T14:14:25.706Z

Truck Accident Statistics

Every 16 minutes, a person is killed or sustains injuries in accidents involving 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers or semi-trucks.

Large truck statistics for 2004 in the United States:

4,862 Large Trucks Involved in Fatal Crashes
5,190 Fatalities in Crashes Involving Large Trucks
134,142 Large Trucks Involved in Non-Fatal Crashes
60,622 Large Trucks Involved in Injury Crashes
91,502 Injuries in Crashes Involving Large Trucks
73,520 Large Trucks Involved in Towaway Crashes
2,510 Large Trucks Involved in Hazmat (HM) Placard Crashes

Large trucks are more likely to be involved in a fatal multi-vehicle crash than are passenger vehicles.

In 2003, Texas witnessed 5040 fatal traffic accidents, of which 438 were fatal truck accidents. This number has risen from 5039 total traffic accidents and 401 fatal truck accidents for the previous year 2002.

Similarly, in Pennsylvania, there were 2233 fatal traffic accidents in 2003, of which 213 were fatal truck accidents, as opposed to corresponding numbers of 2198 and 174 for the year 2002.

Florida had 4432 fatal traffic accidents in 2003, with 343 of them involving trucks, which was higher than 4431 total traffic accidents for 2002 but lower than the 351 fatal truck accidents in the same period.

The highest number of fatal traffic accidents happened in California, with the number being a staggering 5725 fatal auto accidents in 2003. But at 332, the number of fatal truck accidents was not the highest among all states in the US.

Trucking revenues totaled $610 billion last year and revenues are forecasted to nearly double by 2015.

The majority of fatal truck accidents occur in rural areas (68 percent) during the daytime (66 percent) and on weekdays (78 percent).

In 2002, the majority of large truck crashes occurred in good weather (71 percent), on dry roads (71 percent), during the daytime (75 percent), and on weekdays (88 percent).

About 27 percent of all large truck drivers involved in fatal truck accidents throughout the United States had at least one prior speeding conviction compared to 19 percent of the passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes.

From 1992 to 2002, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes has increased by up to 10% due to driver fatigue, unsafe vehicle operation, large, unstable loads or defective equipment.

Defects contribute to the number of large truck accidents each year. Some of these defects include:

Tires or wheels: 80 crashes
Brake-related: 76 crashes
Engine/Transmission: 52 crashes
Steering Wheel: 13 crashes

About 700 heavy truck drivers and passengers in truck cabs die each year. In addition, almost 3,700 persons in cars and other passenger vehicles die annually in collisions with heavy trucks.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that in crashes involving large trucks and other vehicles, 98% of the fatalities occur to the people in passenger vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has warned groups using 15-seat passenger vans about the dangers of fully loading the vans and then putting an inexperienced driver behind the wheel. The NHTSA also stated that 15-passenger vans are large trucks and should only be driven by people with experience driving large trucks.

The FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) classifies a truck as large if its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) exceeds 10,000 pounds.

The majority of fatal crashes involving tractor-trailer trucks include trucks that are pulling one trailer. A recent survey showed that 64% of fatal truck crashes had one trailer. Thirty-two percent of those involved single-unit trucks (no trailer) and fewer than 4% of the those involved multi-trailer vehicles (more than one trailer).

Tractor Trailer Accident Information There are an estimated 500,000 tractor...

2006-11-07T13:47:06.057Z

Tractor Trailer Accident Information

There are an estimated 500,000 tractor trailer accidents each year nationwide. In 2002, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported 130,000 injuries and nearly 5,000 deaths related to large truck accidents. One in every eight traffic fatalities is attributed to collisions with tractor trailers, also known as eighteen wheelers. When the average passenger vehicle weighing 3,596 pounds confronts a commercial tractor trailer weighing as much as 80,000 pounds, the outcome is inevitable. The truck driver usually escapes with minor injuries while the occupants of the passenger vehicle are seldom as lucky - they are either seriously injured or die. Even with these frightening scenarios and statistics, powerful trucking industry lobbyists continue to call for the weakening of truck safety rules and regulations to reap a higher profit.

Although commercial trucking growth is good news for the trucking companies and the nation’s economy, it is bad news for the cars, vans and SUVs that share the road with these potentially lethal giants. There are many different reasons for accidents involving large trucks, and commercial vehicles including:

- Unrealistic delivery schedules
- Long hours
- Jackknifing
- Inspection failures
- Improper loading
- Drug and alcohol use
- Repeated driving violations

Driver fatigue and drowsiness are conditions that result in reckless behavior such as failure to keep in the proper lane and running off the road. Often a truck driver's fatigue is caused by inadequate daily sleep, rather than a complete absence of sleep. A truck driver's extended hours of operation can create a scenario of continuous sleep deprivation by limiting a driver's daily sleep.

When truck accidents do occur, trucking companies involved in the accident often send representatives to the accident scene to confront accident victims immediately following the event, when they are most vulnerable.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a tractor trailer accident, you need an experienced lawyer to protect your rights. Trucking companies involved in the accident often send representatives to the accident scene to confront accident victims immediately following the event, when they are most vulnerable. Since these companies have attorneys fighting for them, you need someone on your side.