When vehicles collide, anyone involved in the accident may be hurt or killed. This may be true whether the vehicle is a small car, a motorcycle, or a commercial truck. However, accidents involving large trucks tend to be deadlier than accidents involving passenger vehicles. Here are five reasons that explain why this is the case.
1. Commercial Trucks Are Larger
Commercial trucks tend to be two or three times larger than a typical car or SUV. Therefore, they can generate more force as the collide with a median or with any other vehicle that happens to be in its way. Furthermore, since a truck tends to be longer and wider, it may be a threat to a greater number of vehicles if it spins out of control. Their size also creates a bigger blind spot for the driver as well as for the vehicles that surround it.
2. Commercial Trucks Are Heavier
Because it may carry loads of up to 25,000 pounds, a truck is generally far heavier than a passenger car or SUV. The heavy load creates an often unstoppable inertia and is all but impossible to stop quickly. As such, it can barrel through a concrete median into oncoming traffic. When a car collides with a stalled truck, the smaller vehicle is more likely to suffer damage far in excess of the truck.
3. Trucks May Be Travelling at Higher Speeds
While trucks must obey the same speed limit as other drivers, they may have an incentive to reach their destinations quicker. The faster that they drive, the faster they can deliver a load and get paid for it. In states where the speed limit is as high as 80 miles per hour, trucks may be going faster than the tires safely allow. This can lead to tire blowouts that cause a truck to spin out of control on a highway and put others in danger.
4. Truck Drivers May Fail to Adapt to Road Conditions
If a truck driver isn’t paying attention, he or she may fail to account for changing road conditions. This can result in the truck going too fast on slick roads or being unable to slow down or stop at a red light or stop sign. This can lead to an accident involving multiple cars, which increases the odds that people will be seriously or fatally injured.
5. Truck Drivers May Be Drunk or Otherwise Impaired
A driver who is drunk or falls asleep while driving is at a significantly higher risk of getting into an accident. Furthermore, those who aren’t paying attention prior to an accident may not have time to slow down or get out of the way. As the driver is drunk or otherwise not aware of the impending accident, there is no time for the body to stiffen up in anticipation for impact. Therefore, the driver may be fine while others are severely injured or killed.
Any accident can result in injuries or deaths. However, truck accidents tend to result in a higher number of deaths because of the size and weight of the vehicle. The results of a truck accident may be even greater if a driver fails to slow down or otherwise makes a direct hit with another car or highway median.
If you were seriously injured in a truck accident, contact a trucking accident lawyer can count on immediately for a consultation to find out how you may be able to recover your damages.