Massive 18-wheel trucks can cause serious injuries when they are involved in collisions on the road. There are an average of 500,000 truck accidents in the United States each year. Approximately 5,000 of these collisions are fatal to at least one person involved, and over 100,000 result in a serious injury. 

In fact, over the last two decades, the number of truck accidents that have occurred in the United States has increased by 20 percent. Tragically, a truck accident is the cause for one in every eight traffic fatalities.

In many cases, the driver of the truck escapes from a truck accident unharmed, while the driver and passengers in opposing vehicles experience severe injuries or fatalities because the large 18 wheeler provides much more protection than other vehicles, and can do much more damage.  In fact, 98 percent of fatalities in truck accidents are passengers and drivers of smaller, opposing vehicles.

In cases in which a clear argument can be made that an opposing driver was at fault in a collision, a compelling legal case can be made. Truck accident cases can help people recover damages for the following:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and lost future earning potential
• Past and future pain and suffering
• Damage to a vehicle involved in the collision

An experienced semi truck accident lawyer can help you determine what kind of claim will be most successful to make.

Depending on the circumstance of the accident, people injured in a truck accident can pursue legal action against the opposing driver, the owner of the truck, the manufacturer of the truck’s parts, the driver’s insurance company, or the trucking company that employs the opposing driver.

A number of factors can result in a truck accident, including:

• alcohol or drug use
• brake problems
• cell phone usage/distracted driving
• driver fatigue
• high driving speeds
• lack of maintenance
• road and weather conditions
• undertrained or under experienced drivers
• unsafe equipment
• violation of federal trucking laws and regulations
• weight, load or size imbalances

Many laws regulate the number of hours a truck driver can drive consecutively, to decrease the number of truck accidents caused by over-tired drivers. Drug testing is also often required for drivers, to help protect the public from collisions caused by intoxicated drivers. Nonetheless, many truck accidents are still caused by these factors.

Federal law provides protections for people injured in truck accidents, in part by making any company owning a trucking permit responsible for any accident involving a truck that bears the company’s name. This law was a response to many companies’ attempts to distance themselves from accidents and avoid liability.

The current law affords victims of a truck accident to hold companies accountable for truck accidents and to possibly gain compensation for an injury they suffered in a collision. Contacting an experienced semi truck accident lawyer can help you gain the highest compensation possible.
If you or a loved one were injured in a truck accident, you may have a legal claim. Contacting a semi truck accident lawyer and filing a valid legal claim could help you gain compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial injury you suffered as the result of a truck accident.