Fatal crashes involving large trucks
Georgia motorists should be aware that the number of trucks weighing in excess of 10,000 pounds that were involved in fatal traffic accidents around the country in 2015 rose by 8 percent over the previous year. This is according to a report that was issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The FMCSA reported that there were 4,050 large trucks that were in fatal crashes in 2015. The large trucks were a factor in 3,598 fatal vehicle crashes in that year. There was also an increase in the fatal accident involvement rate for every 100 million vehicle miles that were traveled by large trucks. The rate increased to 1.45 from 1.34, another 8 percent increase.
The FMCSA report also noted that in 2015, there was a total of around 415,000 crashes that were reported to law enforcement and that involved large trucks. Fatalities occurred in 1 percent of the crashes. Twenty percent of the crashes resulted in some form of injuries.
When the types of crashes were examined, it was found that single-vehicle crashes that involved contact between a truck and a pedestrian, bicyclist or non-motorized vehicle accounted for 20 percent of all of the fatal crashes. Sixty-four percent of the fatal crashes in which large trucks were a factor were two-vehicle crashes. In 2015, 206 of the 3,996 truck drivers that were involved in deadly crashes were no more than 25 years of age, while 211 were at least 66 years old. Also, 89 percent of the 667 truck occupant fatalities were the drivers of the trucks.
Semi truck accidents can often be devastating to occupants of smaller vehicles. If it can be determined that the collision was due to truck driver negligence or improper truck maintenance, a personal injury attorney could assist a victim in seeking compensation for medical expenses and other losses.