Many American drivers unfortunately experience accidents each year on the road. A great deal of those drivers are involved in trucking accidents.

Semi-trucks are large, and if caught in a trucking accident with a regular passenger car, the result can be devastating and in many cases, deadly. On average, 500,000 trucking accidents occur in the United States annually. One-fifth of those are accompanied by a serious injury and 5,000 of these trucking accidents are fatal.

Many fatalities and serious injuries in a trucking accident occur with the driver or passenger of the smaller car. Drivers in large trucks are often in a safer position than the smaller vehicles with which they collide. Nearly all fatalities in accidents classified as a trucking accident happen to those who are drivers of or passengers in small cars.

In fact, over the last two decades, the incidence of accidents involving large semi trucks has increased by 20 percent, and one out of every eight traffic fatalities are associated with a trucking accident.

There are many possible contributing factors to a trucking accident. These include driver fatigue, alcohol or drug use, lack of driver training or experience, equipment that is unsafe, vehicles that have not been maintained correctly, imbalances in weight, load or size, high speeds, road or weather conditions, problems with truck brakes, distracted driving and violation of federal trucking laws and regulations.

Truck drivers are held to a higher standard than drivers of regular cars, so trucking companies may reimburse a victim of a trucking accident for their injuries.

Filing a Trucking Accident Lawsuit

Nearly all drivers of large eighteen-wheeled trucks work for commercial trucking companies. These companies insure their driver and a trucking accident lawsuit can pursue the driver, the insurance company and the company the driver works for.

Federal laws have been put in place to protect both drivers involved in a trucking accident as well as the drivers of smaller vehicles.

Federal law prohibits drivers from driving more than 70 hours in a week or more than 11 hours in a day. If they do drive more than that, they have to rest for 34 hours and then return to driving. This protects both drivers of trucks and drivers of smaller cars from drivers that are too tired to drive.

Additionally, drivers are tested for mind altering substances including marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and phencyclidine.

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a trucking accident, you may be eligible for legal action. Speaking with an experienced attorney can help you determine your options. While financial compensation cannot take away pain or suffering or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the costs associated with lost wages and medical bills.

A trucking accident lawsuit can help recover medical expenses (both from the past and for the future), loss of wages and loss of earning potential in the future, past and future pain and suffering and damage to a vehicle.