Tractor Trailer Accidents

Tractor-trailers, also known as semi trucks or big rigs, are an essential part of the transport of a vast array of commercial, industrial, and consumer products in the United States.  In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of tractor-trailers on US roadways.  Over this same time period, there has also been a significant increase in accidents and fatalities related to these tractor-trailers.

Tractor-trailers can also be involved in rollover or jackknife accidents.  These types of accidents are not as common as other types of truck accidents, but they can result in injuries that are more critical to the driver or other motor vehicle operators as well as significantly more damage to the vehicle.

Some reasons for tractor-trailer accidents include:

• Poorly maintained brakes
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Dangerous or reckless truck drivers
• Failure to have install an under-ride protection under-guard
• Bad weather conditions
• Poor road conditions

Given the dramatic increase in tractor-trailers use as well as the large number of accidents and fatalities every year involving semi trucks, increased attention has been given to tractor-trailer safety.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) conducted a study of the cause of accidents involving large trucks.    The Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) is based on data collected from an assortment of accidents involving large trucks. The study concluded that there are three main critical events that cause most truck accidents.

According to LTCCS, the three major critical events that lead to large trucks accidents include:

• Running out of the travel lane, either into another lane or off the road (32 percent)
• Vehicle loss of control due to speeding, cargo shift, vehicle systems failure, poor road conditions, or other reasons (29 percent)
• Rear-end collision with another vehicle in the truck’s travel lane (22 percent).

Have you or someone you know been involved in a tractor- trailer accident? If so, contact one of our experienced truck accident attorneys in your area today!

Updated: LW

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Have you or someone you know been involved in a tractor trailer accident? If so, contact one of our experienced truck accident attorneys in your area today!