Cleaning up after a semi-truck accident is not fun. Big rig — big destruction!
Big gratitude, also, goes to the first responders who see the mangled messes and provide life-saving care. Firefighters, EMS crews, police officers, and ER medical staff, our hats are off to you. Not all of us can stomach this line of work.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (www.iihs.org) regularly analyzes large truck accident data from the US Department of Transportation. Here’s what’s surprising! Although our technology has improved, the death rates from semi-truck accidents do not show a huge improvement over the past 40 years!
The past ten years are slightly better than 1975’s data. (Though anything’s better than the statistics for 1979.)
The IIHS states that “about 1 in 10 highway deaths occur in a crash involving a large truck.”
Unfortunately, the fatalities are usually the occupants of the passenger vehicle. Weight is a major reason. Semi-trucks typically carry loads up to 80,000 pounds.
The sheer size and weight of a loaded tractor-trailer means braking takes 20 to 30% longer than a passenger vehicle. Bad weather? Slippery pavement? Busy highways? All of these factors drive those semi-truck accident rates higher.
Does anyone here feel that it is safe to drive 11 hours at one stretch? Did you know the federal hours-of service regulations allow drivers of large trucks to do this? Maybe it is time for a change!
Sadly, sleep-deprived driving is not uncommon. Just like folks push the speed limit, tractor-trailer drivers push and stretch the limits of their driving hours.
As a result, fatality rates soar. Fatalities are not the only damage from a tractor-trailer crash. Multiple injuries, many of them serious, are also common with semi-truck accidents.
Also, the devastation continues long after a semi-truck accident occurs. A December 2017 article in the St. Louis news reports a terrible recent accident. The semi-truck driver was momentarily distracted by reaching for a cup of tea and plowed into a car. This crash caused a chain reaction injuring ten people. Three of these injuries were serious!
Think of the ripple effect of even one tractor trailer crash. Families, friends, and employers/employees scramble to help the injured. As a result, plans are put on hold.
Everything starts revolving around doctor’s visits, therapy, and rehab. Recovery is often long, slow, and discouraging.
Because of this, financial stress piles up. Money worries and pain are a toxic combination. Since an accident victim may be unable to work, finding a way to pay those bills is an overwhelming challenge.
Survivors of semi-truck accident may never have a normal life again. Severe neck and spine injuries often result from these accidents. Can you imagine the life-long impact?
To be fair, not every semi-truck accident is the truck driver’s fault. It’s just that often multiple cars are involved.
In January 2018, FOX2 Now reports that a car cut off a semi-truck during the busy morning commute on I-64 east near St. Louis. The truck driver simply couldn’t stop in time. Multiple cars, a fatality, and multiple injuries — it’s a story no one ever wants to face personally.
If you are a St. Louis area resident and a victim of a semi-truck accident, you need expert, aggressive legal help. You need an experienced semi-truck accident attorney!
The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC will evaluate your case at no charge. Even better news — most semi-truck accident victims will pay no legal expenses out of pocket. Your lawyer will be compensated only if the case settles in your favor. CALL 636-244-3736 for help today!
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