Tractor Trailer Accidents
Tractor-trailer trucks, also known as semi-tractor-trailers, semis, 18-wheelers and big rigs, are nearly as common to U.S. roadways as passenger cars. It is estimated that nearly 11 million tractor-trailers accumulate over 288 billion miles each year and those numbers are only rising. Faced with mounting pressure to make more deliveries in less time, tractor-trailer drivers often drive in undesirable conditions and under unfavorable circumstances to get the job done. This push to drive more not only saves road time, but it also serves to maximize the trucking company’s profits and in many cases, qualifies the truck driver for company bonuses.
With so many trucks traveling each day, the probability that accidents will occur is extremely high. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2013, an estimated 342,000 large truck accidents were reported to police. Of these reported accidents, there were 3,964 people killed and another 95,000 people injured.
2013 Truck Accident Fatality Statistics:
- Roughly 70% of the victims killed were occupants of other vehicles
- 17% of the victims killed were occupants of large trucks
- 11% of the victims killed were non-occupants or pedestrians standing by or outside of another vehicle- a 13% increase from 2012
2013 Truck Accident Injury Statistics:
- An estimated 95,000 victims were injured in large truck related accidents- a 9% decrease from 2012
- About 72% of the injured victims were occupants of other vehicles
- 25% of injuries occurred to either the driver or occupant(s) of the truck
- 2% of those injured were pedestrians, independent of a truck or other vehicle
A large commercial 18-wheeler can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds and pose serious and sometimes deadly risks for any vehicle traveling along the same course. A truck accident’s consequences are rarely “minor” when compared to smaller vehicle accidents. Larger trucks tend to travel at high rates of speed and on crowded or congested highways, so when an accident occurs, it can often involve more than one vehicle. In many cases, a collision with a truck can set off a chain reaction with multiple vehicles creating what is known as a “pileup.”
While every truck accident occurs under a unique set of circumstances, there are certain similarities or characteristics that allow truck accidents to be categorized by general type.
Types of Truck Accidents:
- Jackknife Accidents: Jackknifing happens when the drive axle brakes jam or lock up sending the rig into an uncontrolled skid-like trajectory. The trailer, which is being pulled by the tractor, will only come to a full stop when it forms a 90 degree angle with the tractor. Jackknifing is especially dangerous since the truck’s driver has no direct control over what unfolds next, which in many instances, is a complete truck rollover.
- Rollover Accidents: Rollovers aren’t unique to trucks. Any vehicle will roll over if road conditions allow for it. However, because of their size, trucks are more susceptible to rollovers while traveling at high speeds, steep inclines and descents, sharp curves or sudden moves to avoid objects or debris on the road.
- Rear-End Collisions: While rear-end collisions aren’t unique to trucks, they are much more severe when they involve a large truck hitting the back of a smaller vehicle. Just one miscalculated or ill-timed stop can easily cause a truck to rear-end another vehicle.
- Underride Collisions: Underride collisions are accidents that are specific to large rigs and 18-wheelers. These accidents occur when a smaller vehicle veers underneath the trailer of the much larger truck. Underride accidents have the highest fatality rate of all truck accidents.
- Road Construction Accidents: Construction zones can be difficult or hazardous for any vehicle to navigate through. However, it becomes all the more tedious when you have a large tractor-trailer driving through an already compromised area. When large trucks travel through construction zones, the risk of construction workers becoming injured or killed increases. This makes it crucial for truck drivers to exercise extra caution any time they are traveling through a construction zone.
- Runaway Trailer Accidents: We’ve all seen the runaway truck ramps located directly off interstate or highway declines and hope they go unused. Unfortunately, this is not the case as malfunctioning brakes often cause runaway truck accidents. As momentum builds from speed and brakes give out, a truck can too easily be sent careening off the road. Once a truck loses braking capabilities, it can be a major hazard to any vehicle traveling the same path.
- Lost Load Accidents: It is estimated that over 36 million tons of cargo are transported in the U.S. each year. Obviously, not all of that cargo reaches the intended destinations. This missing cargo is known as “lost load,” and is responsible for some of the most dangerous accidents on the road for anyone traveling near or behind the trailer. It is the responsibility of the truck driver to ensure that cargo is properly stored and secured, so it is the truck driver who is held accountable for any lost or damaged cargo. The same responsibility extends to any injuries that occur as a result of the lost load.
There are many other factors that can cause truck accidents. These factors take both the responsibility of the truck driver as well as the responsibility of other drivers into account.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents (At-Fault Truck Driver):
- Aggressive driving behaviors / road rage
- Driver fatigue
- Drug and alcohol use / abuse (especially methamphetamine use)
- Lack of or inadequate safety and procedure training
- Inadequate experience dealing with emergency maneuvers to avoid accidents or collisions
- Improperly securing / overloading cargo
- Attempting to fulfill unrealistic delivery estimates set by trucking companies by speeding or driving beyond maximum allowable weekly driving hours
- Distracted driving
- Attempting illegal traffic maneuvers or abruptly changing lanes without the proper signals
Common Causes of Truck Accidents (Truck Driver Not At-Fault):
- Leaving an unattended vehicle in a travel lane or failing to properly remove a disabled vehicle from a travel lane to the shoulder of the road
- Not allowing a turning truck adequate room to negotiate the turn
- Abruptly switching lanes in front of a truck or failing to signal the lane change
- Failing to allow ample room for truck’s lane changes and mergers
- Driving in between two large 18 wheelers for extended periods of time
- Allowing the vehicle to be caught in the truck’s massive blind spot
- Attempting to “outrun” or pass a large truck only to be pushed around by the cross wind created by the truck’s speed
- Miscalculating a truck’s speed and then making a turn into the truck’s path
- Miscalculating your own speed and carelessly pulling out in front of an oncoming truck’s path
Maintaining safe driving practices can help prevent many truck accidents, but even the most conscientious truck driver or another driver can find themselves the victim of a truck accident.
Common Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accidents can cause a variety of injuries that range in severity. In most cases, the extent of injuries depends largely on the type of accident that occurred as well as the speeds at which the truck or any other vehicles involved were traveling. Because of a truck’s oversized body and typical high speed tendencies, injuries can be major and oftentimes permanent.
- Head Injuries: Head injuries can be minor such as concussions or dermal abrasions, or they can be more severe and cause permanent brain damage.
- Brain Injuries: Brain injuries are the most commonly reported truck accident injury. Brain injury typically means that there is some form of damage to the brain that is significant enough to cause neuropsychological performance issues including contrecoup injuries. Other common truck accident brain injuries include brain stem bruising, brain hemorrhage, coma, subdural hematoma, brain concussions and bleeding in the brain lining.
- Internal Injuries: Internal injuries are among the most serious truck accident injuries. Any time there is direct bodily trauma, the risk of internal injuries exists. In some cases, internal bleeding can occur after less severe trauma with the onset being delayed for hours or even days. Some of the more common internal truck accident injuries include: internal bleeding, kidney injury, spleen injury, liver injury and abdominal injury.
- Back Injuries: Back injuries are extremely common in truck accidents and, like any other injury, can vary in severity. Trauma can cause an injury as minor as a sprained muscle or as major as severed or compromised spinal cord rendering the victim temporarily or permanently paralyzed. Other injuries can be lasting and interrupt basic life functions including performing basic job duties, exercising or sleeping.
- Neck Injuries: High speeds and forceful impacts make neck injuries like whiplash especially common. Neck injuries can be quite complex, extremely painful and many times, permanent.
- Knee Injuries: Knee injuries are common in truck accidents and can affect a victim’s basic ability to walk, run and exercise. In severe cases, total knee replacement surgeries are required and can permanently alter the victim’s life.
- Fractures/Breaks: Fractures and breaks are extremely common in truck accidents. In many cases, a victim can suffer multiple breaks or fractures simultaneously resulting in costly surgeries and lengthy recovery times. Even after recovery, the victim is often left with permanent damage.
- Burns: Depending on the type of truck accident and the cargo being transported, chemical spills can occur and victims may be exposed to dangerous and caustic substances or fumes. A victim may also suffer internal burns on the throat and lungs from direct inhalation of a dangerous gas that was released as a result of a truck accident.
- Loss of Limb: Some truck accidents claim the victim’s limb(s) either upon impact or a result of an amputation brought on by infection. This can also include the loss of an eye, hand, foot, leg, fingers or toes. The loss of a limb often accompanies lasting physical and emotional scars. Psychological stress, emotional trauma, deformity and severe scarring can last a lifetime.
- Wrongful Death: Wrongful death directly affects the deceased victims’ loved ones. In cases where a family’s breadwinner was killed, the family is left with both the pain of grieving as well as the financial burden of final expenses.
What to Do If You Are the Victim of a Truck Accident
Being involved in a truck accident, regardless of the severity, is traumatic and frightening. Initial reactions can vary by person and can range from experiencing an urge to flee, to becoming overwhelmed with life threatening shock. No matter what you experience, it’s important to stay as calm as possible so you can think clearly while remembering key details of the accident. These details may become important later on should you decide to contact a Pennsylvania truck accident attorney to pursue legal action against any at-fault parties.
In the chaos of post-truck accident moments, you should always operate with your safety being your biggest priority. If you find that you are unable to move following the accident, remain as still as possible until emergency medical help arrives. If you are fortunate enough to move about freely and don’t need any emergency or immediate medical care, you may find the following tips helpful.
- Never Leave the Scene of an Accident: In Pennsylvania, it is a legal requirement to remain on the scene of an accident any time there is property or bodily damage. This requirement also applies when there are no other vehicles involved in the accident. You should remain at the scene until police have arrived so officers can fill out a proper accident report that you may later present to your own insurance company. Keep in mind that many injuries are delayed, so you will want to be as detailed as possible when recounting the accident sequence.
- Get to Safety: In many accident scenarios, you may find yourself or your vehicle in the middle of the highway, median zone or on the roadway to some extent. If you can safely remove yourself, do so. The same applies for your removing your vehicle, if possible, out of the path of incoming traffic. Only if you can safely do so, you may also take a few cell phone photos of the accident scene including the landing position of the truck or vehicles involved as well as any tell-tale accident signs like skid marks and broken glass or vehicle debris. It is also helpful to photograph any applicable traffic signs or details.
- Call 911 to Report the Accident as Quickly as Possible: Even if the other driver insists he or she wants to settle the matter privately, you still need to file a police report to simply prove the accident happened.
- Avoid Speaking to the Other Driver: As a general rule, you should limit your conversation with both the other driver as well as his or her passengers. You should focus strictly on exchanging insurance information. While it’s generally considered acceptable to ask if everyone is immediately unharmed, try to limit the conversation to that and never engage in a conversation attempting to assign blame or attempt to determine who was at fault. Leave those details to the attorneys and the insurance companies.
- Survey the Scene for Any Potential Eye Witnesses: If possible, ask around to see if there were any witnesses who can potentially offer an account of the accident. Obtaining a simple name and phone number can prove very helpful down the road, should you pursue legal action.
- Seek Medical Attention: It is always wiser to be safe rather than sorry. Even if you feel fine after the truck accident, the risk of shock or any delayed injury exists and you should notify your doctor or visit your local emergency room for a thorough examination of any injury you may not be aware of presently.
- Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney: Injuries sustained from truck accidents can be painful and expensive. Before you begin communication with any insurance company, you should consult with an experienced Pennsylvania truck accident attorney who understands how to effectively prove liability and negotiate the type of settlement you deserve.