Why Are Truck Crashes More Severe Than Other Accidents?

When a truck collides with a passenger vehicle, the tremendous difference in size and weight will typically result in the occupants of the passenger car bearing the brunt of the physical damages. A standard commercial motor vehicle, or tractor-trailer, can weigh 80,000 pounds or more, while the other vehicle may weigh 4,000 pounds or less. In all too many cases, the catastrophic or fatal injuries suffered by the passenger car occupants could have been prevented. They are the result of careless truckers and trucking companies.

It is also more difficult for a truck to see the road and other cars than it is for a standard passenger car. For example, 18 wheelers have extremely large blind spots which cause the driver not to be able to see if another vehicle is present. This is extremely true in cases of a car being present in the left or right rear area of a truck. Cars are often crushed or forced off the road after a truck fails to see them, whereas if a car failed to see another passenger car, the damage would not be as significant and it may be possible to stop the accident before it even takes place.

Trucks are also more prone to rollover accidents than standard passenger cars. If a truck rolls over, it has the potential to cause a greater accident because of the sheer size of the truck alone. If a truck takes a turn at too high a speed, they can roll over, whereas it usually takes an accident first to cause a passenger car to roll over. Trucks are often reported to flip over on the freeway for example, this may crush passenger cars that are in its path or cause a major pileup of cars.