The “Other” Type of Car Accident

Crashes Caused by Commercial Trucks

In 1896, there were a scant four cars registered in the entire United States. Two of those vehicles collided with each other in St. Louis. Yes, motor vehicle accidents are that likely. One of the leading causes of injury in the United States is car accidents. Car accidents can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. One of the largest packages a car accident can come wrapped in is one in which a commercial truck was involved. Commercial trucks can be semi trucks, tractor trailers, flatbed trucks, box trucks and more.

There are an estimated 15.5 million trucks on the road in the United States. That is a lot of potential for accidents. Trucks are just like any other motor vehicle on the road, except for the fact that they are larger and more things could go wrong. About 45,000 traffic accidents happen every year in the U.S. Nine percent of those deaths involve commercial vehicles such as large trucks, totaling about 4,000 truck accident deaths. Another four percent of accidents resulting in death were caused by truck driver fatigue.

Truck driver fatigue is actually a huge issue in the trucking industry and a bit of a hot topic right now. Unlike regular drivers, truck drivers are under the intense pressure of looming deadlines. These deadlines often are an excuse to ignore mandatory resting breaks. The Obama administration is attempting to pass new regulations for truck drivers in order to cut back on accidents caused by truck driver fatigue. The bill has many provisions in it, some of them include cutting back the number of hours drivers are allowed to be on the road per week and the amount of resting breaks they have to take.

Fatigue isn't the only cause of truck accidents. Typical car accidents can be caused by driver blind spots. Blind spots on passenger vehicles are relatively small in comparison to the blind spots for commercial truck drivers. Trucks also require a lot more maintenance of parts in order to make sure that they are running efficiently. Defective equipment can also be a factor that causes truck accidents, while defective equipment is only a small factor for passenger vehicle drivers.

Aggressive Advocacy from a Truck Accident Attorney

If you were involved in a car accident with a commercial truck, you actually are in luck. This is because you can get help from a skilled attorney who has helped hundreds of people get compensated after injuries caused by truck accidents. At Arnold & Itkin, a truck accident lawyer from the firm will investigate your case thoroughly and use all of their resources in order to obtain for you the compensation you deserve, should you become their client.

If you were injured in the "other" type of car accident, then contact a truck accident attorney from Arnold & Itkin for help today!