Commercial trucks make a significant contribution to the country’s economy by transporting goods by way of the major interstate highways. Sharing the road with other drivers is important for everyone – those in passenger vehicles and truck drivers.
If a truck driver speeds, falls asleep, or doesn’t properly maintain their vehicle, the results may be catastrophic for other drivers on the road. If you, or another person in your family has experienced a serious injury due to of the reckless actions of commercial truck drivers, you need to contact our legal team at Fetterman & Associates today.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
There are several reasons truck accidents may occur, and usually, it doesn’t matter how defensively you drive. Some of the most common types of accidents that occur are found here.
Underride Semi-Truck Accidents
These are often referred to as PCI (passenger compartment intrusion) crashes. An underride crash is just as the name implies – a crash where the passenger vehicle goes under a semi-trailer.
It’s estimated that 219 fatalities due to underride crashes occur each year.
Distracted Driving
While there are new technologies being used that are helpful for truck drivers, while also causing distracted driving. In-cab fleet communication and management systems, navigational devices, and personal phones can cause the driver to divert their attention from the rod.
The CDC has reported there are three main elements in distracted driving:
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Cognitive
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Manual
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Visual
If you engage in any activity that takes your eyes off of the road, your mind off driving, or your hands off the wheel, the results may be deadly. Distracted truck drivers can significantly change your life in an instant.
Rear-End Truck Accidents
A semi-truck that is completely loaded, traveling in ideal conditions at a speed of 65 miles per hour, requires 525 feet of space to fully stop. That’s the same as two football fields. This is twice the distance required for an average passenger vehicle to come to a stop at the same speed.
Passenger vehicles use hydraulic brakes, which are able to stop a vehicle faster than the air brakes used by semi-trucks. When the driver pushes on their brakes, the air has to build up and move throughout the truck, which creates a lag time. If the truck driver hasn’t maintained their brakes, it can cause total brake failure, causing a rear-end crash.
Speeding and Truck Accidents
The speed a truck is moving when it hit your vehicle determines the severity and impact of your injuries. An 80,000-pound semi-truck that is traveling at a speed of 7 miles per hour has the same amount of force as a car that is traveling 361 miles per hour. The violent and sudden impact that occurs can result in devastating injuries and potentially death.
Contact Fetterman & Associates to Protect Your Rights
If you or someone you love is injured because of a truck accident, you need to protect your rights by contacting our legal team at Fetterman & Associates. You can reach our staff by calling us at 561-845-2510.