According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (Traffic Safety Facts, 2011 Data), vehicle registrations for SUVs, vans and pickup trucks increased by 27 percent between 2002 and 2011. Individuals and families often believe these vehicles to be safer in accidents. However, the much larger trucks used by commercial enterprises can be 10 times larger and pose a threat to even the largest SUVs.
Any traffic accident can injure someone, but trucking accidents tend to be catastrophic. While the greater potential for devastation in a trucking accident may seem obvious, the facts make it frighteningly clear:
- Truck accidents are more serious because of physics. Delivery trucks, dump trucks, tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers are exceptionally heavy. They take longer to brake and when they collide with smaller vehicles, they cause more destruction. The difference in weight between an 80,000-pound truck and a 3,000-pound SUV illustrates the danger present for all passenger vehicles.
- Truck drivers do make mistakes. Compared to all motorists, truck drivers have safer driving records. But they are not perfect and, in fact, some are reckless or negligent and prone to fatigue or substance abuse.
- Large companies have experienced legal teams. Most trucking firms are large enterprises accustomed to litigation. For the most part, they wage their fights through their even larger insurance providers.
Considering these facts, you need to hire your own legal counsel when involved in an accident with a large commercial vehicle. An experienced truck accident attorney can hire qualified accident investigators to build a strong lawsuit, sufficient to win judgments to cover costs related to healthcare, long-term absence from work, and pain and suffering.
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