Commercial truck accidents are often some of the most catastrophic experiences victims can endure. Other motorists, including pedestrians and bicyclists, do not have enough protection to go up against a big rig and come out unscathed. It is not unusual for victims to suffer traumatic brain injuries, concussion, spinal cord injuries, amputation, and other debilitating injuries.
Understanding and analyzing how these tractor-trailer accidents occur is one of the most proactive ways of reducing the number of collisions and injuries. If you are critically injured in a collision, your Okemos truck accident lawyer with White Law PLLC may be able to offer further insight into how your collision occurred and who may be responsible. These notable truck accident statistics may provide additional clarity that could help you take control of your personal injury claim.
Commercial Truck Accident Stats
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were more than 6,104,000 commercial truck accidents across the country in 2021. Of these, approximately 22% involved some type of injury, and approximately 1% resulted in death, according to SOURCE. Analyzing the data can help us better understand how commercial truck accidents happen, who is responsible, and how to potentially reduce the number of injuries and fatalities.
There are multiple types of commercial trucks. Large trucks are typically those that weigh more than 10,000 pounds according to the National Safety Council. In 2022, there were 494,000 truck accidents, 5,788 of which involved fatalities and 117,300 involved injuries. Of these deaths, commercial truck occupants accounted for approximately 27%.
The FMCSA states that approximately 66% of truck drivers killed in large truck accidents were not wearing seatbelts at the moment of impact. 2.4% of all fatal truck accidents involve drugs or alcohol. Pedestrians or bicyclists accounted for approximately 11% of all fatal truck accidents.
Truck vs Car Accident Statistics
Data obtained from NHTSA CrashStats states that there were 5.25 million motor vehicle accidents in 2020. However, less than 3% of these involved large commercial trucks. The first half of 2023 also saw 19,515 fatal motor vehicle accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Michigan also saw a significant number of motor vehicle wrecks. There were 15,802 commercial truck accidents, 105 of which were fatal in 2022, according to the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Summary. More than 70,000 of Michigan’s motor vehicle accidents resulted in injuries that same year.
Semi-Truck Accident Statistics
Semi-truck accidents involve any type of commercial vehicle that weighs under 10,000 pounds. According to the FMCSA Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts for 2021, there were 116,353 semi-truck accidents, with the most accidents occurring in Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and California. Approximately 66% of all long-haul truck drivers will be injured in a serious commercial truck wreck at some point in their career, according to the NIOSH National Survey of Long-Haul Truck Drivers: Injury and Safety.
In Michigan, there were 14,293 commercial truck accidents involving trucks in 2021. We do not know how many of these accidents resulted in injuries, but there were 103 involved fatalities. Data obtained from the National Safety Council states that around 30% of all semi-truck accidents result in injuries, while 3% of collisions involving trucks weighing less than 100,000 pounds result in death according to the FMCSA.
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Cost of Truck Accidents & Lawsuits
Your personal injury attorney in Okemos will be responsible for evaluating the impact of your collision to accurately calculate the value of your claim. Some of these damages can be recovered by filing a claim with the insurance company, which may be in your best interests if you are hoping to avoid going to your trial. approximately 3% of all reported accident claims result in litigation according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
Data obtained from the FMCSA Unit Costs of Medium and Heavy Truck Crashes suggest that the average truck accident settlement was approximately $95,000 back in 2005. This would be approximately $153,000 in 2023 according to Amortization.org. Most commercial truck accident personal injury lawsuits resulted in payments of under $2 million or more than $5 million according to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI).
Top Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents
Understanding the cause of these accidents is essential if we hope to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities. In commercial truck accidents that yielded a verdict of more than $1 million, certain factors were found to have caused the collision or been involved in some way, according to the ATRI for 2022. These include:
- 66 big rig accidents were rear-end collision
- 36 commercial truck accidents involved drowsy driving
- 26 commercial truck accidents involved hours of service violations or logging issues
- 24 big rig accidents involved unfavorable hiring practices
- 18 tractor-trailer accidents happened in construction or work zones
- 14 truck accidents involved driver history problems
- 13 tractor-trailer accidents involved the use of drugs or alcohol
- EightCommercial truck accidents involved a failure to call emergency responders or leave the scene of the accident
- 12 commercial truck accident involved a driver being on their cell phone
This is not an exhaustive list of the potential causes of commercial truck wrecks. Our team will need to carefully evaluate the circumstances of your case to figure out how the accident occurred and who is liable. Do not hesitate to connect with a legal advocate when you need help recovering the compensation you deserve after a car accident.
We know how to get our clients the results they need in the toughest legal arenas.
Turn to a Trusted Commercial Truck Accident Lawyer to Demand Justice After a Devastating Injury
Commercial truck accident injuries can turn your life upside down. In addition to suffering from critical injuries, the psychological trauma and severe financial damages can make it impossible for you to live your life normally. Fortunately, the at-fault party can be brought to justice when you get help from an experienced commercial truck accident attorney with White Law PLLC.
Our firm has unique insight into how these collisions occur and has successfully recovered over $1.4 billion for our personal injury clients in our 20+ years of legal service to the community. Do not let the liable party get away with it. Make them pay by calling our office or filling out our quick contact form to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation today.
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