Truck Accident Cases
Semi trucks are bigger and heavier than anything else on the road. When truck accidents happen, they do serious damage to whatever – and whomever – they strike. Truck accident injuries are more severe than those suffered in car-on-car wrecks.
At LA Law Group, APLC, we seek top compensation for motorists who suffer a truck accident injury.
From broken bones to cuts, brain injuries, paralysis and even death, we know the pain that truck accidents inflict. If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, we want to help.
Truck Accident Statistics
An accident involving a truck is more likely to result in a death or injury than an accident between two cars. It’s far more dangerous to those in the car than in the truck, as nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of all truck crash injuries and deaths are suffered by people in the vehicle hit by the truck, according to the National Institute of Traffic and Highway Safety.
Speed is the most common cause of truck accidents in the country. Truck drivers themselves are a major contributing factor in more than half of all truck accidents – 55 percent. This means that if you or a loved one has suffered a truck accident injury, you may be in a position to seek compensation for the truck driver’s negligence and the harm it causes.
There are some signs that truck safety is improving in Georgia and beyond. Though more trucks are on U.S. roads now than 10 years ago, today there are fewer truck-related fatalities and semi truck accident injuries.
Year Number of Registered Trucks Number of Fatal Truck Crashes Number of Truck Crash Injury
2003 7.7 million 4,721 89,000
2012 10.7 million 3,802 77,000
These reflect drops of 17 percent for fatal crashes and 18 percent for semi accident injuries. In that same time, trucks have been involved in 25 percent fewer property damage accidents as well.
More nationwide truck accident statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- 1 percent of all truck crashes are fatal.
- 23 percent of truck accidents result in injury.
- In 2012, 330,000 trucks were involved in crashes.
- Truck crash injuries accounted for eight percent of all fatal crashes and three percent of all automobile injuries in the U.S.
- 63 percent of tractor trailer accidents occur on rural roads.
- 83 percent of truck crashes happen on weekdays.
- A truck colliding with another vehicle was the first event in 74 percent of tractor trailer wrecks.
- The truck rolling over was the initial crash event in just five percent of accidents.
Types of Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accident injuries can be catastrophic. If the wreck doesn’t kill the victim, it often leaves him or her with horrific injuries that take years or decades to recover from. This suffering is tragic and unacceptable.
Common truck accident injuries include:
Back and Neck Injuries
This can include minor neck pain or more serious injuries, like dislocated discs in the spine. Because your back and neck are so critical to everything you do, these injuries often prevent victims from returning to work and daily activities.
Broken Bones
Truck crashes are powerful, which means bones can be more easily broken than in wrecks involving just cars.
Head Injuries
Head trauma in an accident can result in an injury to the brain, which may be life-altering. Brain injuries can occur even in the absence of direct trauma to the head due to whiplash or rapid acceleration or deceleration. These injuries may not immediately be apparent, and sustaining a brain injury does not mean being knocked unconscious. Symptoms that may develop include confusion, nausea, vision problems and various cognitive difficulties. Head injuries are some of the most heartbreaking injuries sustained in truck accidents, as they often cause loss of cognitive and motor functions. Some people will never be the same again after suffering a brain injury.
Internal Injuries
Powerful blunt trauma from crashes can cause internal bleeding to organs like the bladder, liver, kidney, pancreas and spleen. These injuries are very difficult to treat.
Lacerations
Cut and lacerations from truck accidents can be particularly painful and often leave massive scars that may never heal.
Rib and Torso Injuries
Truck crash injuries to the ribs and torso can be severe, as the ribcage protects the body’s vital organs.
Seat Belt Injuries
Though seat belts are there to protect you (and our truck accident lawyers strongly urge you to always wear one), seat belts can also cause injuries like whiplash.
Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis
Truck accident injuries to the spinal cord can be especially devastating and lead to paralysis. The damage isn’t always initially apparent, which is why anyone who suffers an injury in a truck accident should always get medical attention as soon as possible. MRIs will detect injuries X-rays miss.
Wrongful Death
Tractor trailer accidents are 10 times more likely to kill you than crashes with other cars. It’s a sobering fact. When a truck accident kills your loved one, only an experienced truck accident attorney can hold the company responsible. We know we can never replace what you have lost, but we can seek the compensation necessary for your family to try to move forward.