Tractor Trailer Accidents

Tractor-trailers, also known as semi trucks or big rigs, are anessential part of the transport of a vast array of commercial,industrial, and consumer products in the United States.  In recentyears, there has been a dramatic increase in the number oftractor-trailers on US roadways.  Over this same time period, there hasalso been a significant increase in accidents and fatalities related tothese tractor-trailers.

Tractor-trailers canalso be involved in rollover or jackknife accidents.  These types ofaccidents are not as common as other types of truck accidents, but theycan result in injuries that are more critical to the driver or othermotor vehicle operators as well as significantly more damage to thevehicle.

Some reasons for tractor-trailer accidents include:

• Poorly maintained brakes
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Dangerous or reckless truck drivers
• Failure to have install an under-ride protection under-guard
• Bad weather conditions
• Poor road conditions

Giventhe dramatic increase in tractor-trailers use as well as the largenumber of accidents and fatalities every year involving semi trucks,increased attention has been given to tractor-trailer safety.  TheFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA (fmcsa.dot.gov) and the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA (nhtsa.gov) of the U.S. Department ofTransportation DOT (dot.gov) conducted a study of the cause of accidentsinvolving large trucks.    The Large Truck Crash Causation Study, LTCCS (fmcsa.dot.gov) is based on data collected from an assortment of accidentsinvolving large trucks. The study concluded that there are three maincritical events that cause most truck accidents.

According to LTCCS, the three major critical events that lead to large trucks accidents include:

• Running out of the travel lane, either into another lane or off the road (32 percent)
• Vehicleloss of control due to speeding, cargo shift, vehicle systems failure,poor road conditions, or other reasons (29 percent)
• Rear-end collision with another vehicle in the truck’s travel lane (22 percent).

Have you or someone you know been involved in a tractor- trailer accident? If so, contact one of our experienced truck accident attorneys in your area today!

Updated: LW

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Have you or someone you know been involved in a tractor trailer accident? If so, contact one of our experienced truck accident attorneys in your area today!