Commercial Truck and Passenger Vehicle Accidents

Large commercial truck accidents accounted for an outstanding 4,995 fatalities in 2006, despite how safe truck drivers tend to be. Some people wonder why it seems like truck accidents are happening at an alarming rate and the answer is simple – commercial trucks are much larger than the vehicles that share the roadways. This means that they can do more damage. Truck accidents can also be made worse by the freight being carried, such as hazardous or flammable materials catching fire from an accident.

You may have heard about trucking accidents that took a terrible turn for the worst in the news. For instance, in New Jersey this past year, a driver was killed when he drove his tanker truck into another vehicle and it caught fire. The accident was caused by slowing traffic due to a mattress in the roadway. Not only did the traffic cease for miles, but also the fatality was enough to open the eyes of many on how brutal trucking accidents can become.

Those who operate commercial trucks have special training to prevent these accidents from taking place. However, sometimes a few will slip through the system who have not had the proper training necessary to prevent accidents. For instance, sometimes truck drivers are found to be at fault when they have had inadequate training, bad systems of compensation that encourage faster vehicle speeds, and unrealistic schedules thrown into the mix by employers.

When a commercial truck accident occurs, you can usually expect various damages to result. For instance, somebody in a motor vehicle may need medical care, rehabilitation, or help from emotional suffering. Monetary and punitive damages may come into play to pay for these things. Loaded semi trucks can weigh 80,000 pounds or more so usually very serious injures will result and not just your typical “scratches and abrasions.” This is why truckers are required to carry insurance with higher liability limits to cover the damages that may occur.