Due to their large size and massive weight, collisions involving tractor trailers, 18 wheelers, semi-trucks, and other large commercial vehicles can have catastrophic results. Accidents involving these colossal beasts of the roadway nearly always result in substantial damage to your automobile, and often times they result in serious injuries and even death. The following is a list of statistics highlighting the dangers of tractor trailer accidents:
- Every 16 minutes, a U.S. driver is injured or killed in an accident involving a tractor trailer.
- There are over 400,000 accidents involving tractor trailers and commercial trucks each year.
- About 98% of all semi truck accidents result in a least one fatality.
- Approximately 140,000 people are injured in accidents involving big rigs each year
- About 3,700 automobile passengers and drivers are killed in accidents involving tractor trailers or other commercial trucks each year.
- Semi trucks and other commercial trucks often weigh 20-30 times more than your passenger vehicle.
- A tractor trailer moving at fast speeds can take the length of a football field to come to a complete stop.
These frightening statistics highlight the high stakes involved in any tractor trailer or commercial vehicle accident. Due to their large size and heavy weight, accidents involving tractor trailers often result in serious injuries to the occupants of the passenger vehicle. Some of the most common injuries include:
- Head injuries, including traumatic brain injuries—symptoms of a head injury following an accident can include chronic headaches, loss of memory, vision changes, or loss of pre-injury mental capacity. Though all injuries following a car accident are serious, head injuries are perhaps the most severe as they can lead to permanent loss of quality of life and long-term mental impairments.
- Neck or back trauma—compression of the spinal cord as often occurs in any automobile accident can cause a loss of range of motion, intense pain, and partial or total paralysis. Semi truck accidents tend to result in more serious neck and back trauma due to the intense nature of the impact.
- Broken bones—aside from the obvious pain of broken bones, serious breaks can cause long-term medical problems if they do not heal correctly.
- Amputation or loss of body part—one of the more devastating injuries that can result from a tractor trailer accident is the loss of a limb or other body part. These injuries will require long-term physical therapy, prosthetics, and often involve psychological trauma.
- Burns or injuries due to toxic chemicals—tractor trailers are often hauling flammable or hazardous materials, making it an all too common occurrence for passengers involved in a tractor trailer accident to be burned or seriously injured from such chemicals. Burns can result in permanent disfigurement and pain. Inhalation of toxic chemicals can permanently damage your lungs and the full effects may not be evident for years to come.
- Death—the most serious outcome of a tractor trailer or other trucking accident is death.
As you can see, trucking accidents are serious, high-stakes matters that can have a permanent effect on accident victims. In Mississippi, due to the lumber industry, our highways are often teeming with tractor trailers. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a tractor trailer accident, call the Giddens Law Firm. We have extensive experience representing victims of trucking accidents. We fight tirelessly for our clients to ensure they receive the compensation they deserve. The moments following a trucking accident can be traumatic and stressful, but it is imperative that you act fast to preserve your legal rights. Call the Giddens Law Firm at (601) 355-2022 to speak to one of our highly skilled Mississippi truck accident attorneys today.