18-Wheeler Accidents, Semi-Truck Accidents, or Tractor-Trailer Accidents
America needs big trucks to move the nation’s goods around the fifty states. Unfortunately, while trucks and their loads are getting larger, they must share the same highways and byways as passenger vehicles which are getting smaller each year thereby creating a predictable recipe for 18-wheeler accidents and disaster.
According to statistics provided by The U.S. Department of Transportation, the roads of the United States witness over 500,000 tractor-trailer accidents each year. Eighteen-wheeler wrecks resulting in death nationwide tops 5,000 annually. Additionally, one out of every eight fatal automobile accidents is caused by a collision with a large tractor trailer or 18-wheeler. When these big truck are involved in an accident with an automobile, it is typically the passenger vehicle that ends up with the worse end of the accident from a vehicle damage standpoint to personal injury of the driver and passengers.
More Statistics On Collisions Involving A Tractor-Trailer or 18-Wheeler According To Legal Information Services
- On an average, one person is injured or killed because of a large truck accident every 16 minute
- Rural areas witness 68% of all fatal commercial truck accidents
- Each daylight hour, an average of one death is caused by commercial truck accidents
- It is illegal for any truck driver to drive more than 11 hours on the road
- According to truck inspection data, 23.7% of truck inspections reveal a broken down truck, which is almost one in four truck inspections
- An estimated 16% of all truck accidents can be attributed to the truck driver’s fault
- A fully loaded commercial truck can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds
- As many as 66% of all fatal truck accidents happen in the daytime as opposed to night
Official safety laws, rules, and procedures apply specifically to commercial tractor-trailers that are not applicable to passenger vehicles. Tennessee and federal law regulates truck maintenance and the required forms and inspections for each semi-truck per the aforementioned rules and procedures. Knowledge of commercial tractor regulations and the actual reports in the hands of experienced council such as Attorney Michael K. Pence can be crucial evidence in establishing the condition of the truck and reconstructing the accident. Many truckers are employed by large corporations that may put delivery of their goods ahead of your safety. Don’t pay for the transportation industry’s greed.
Attorney Michael K. Pence can help “level the playing field” by providing Tennessee tractor-trailer accident victims with information regarding the practical and legal aspects of Tennessee personal injury law. Mr. Pence only represents victims of truck accidents and their families and has extensive experience with truck and commercial vehicle accidents throughout Tennessee. He will aggressively fight to successfully realize justice for you if you have been harmed by a tractor-trailer collision. You get Attorney Michael K. Pence on your side and you can rely on him to provide you with the personal service you need to get the justice you deserve.