While driving down the road or on the highway, it’s common to see an 18-wheeler. Most drivers get uneasy around these large trucks because they are so much bigger and heavier than regular-sized passenger vehicles, which means that accidents between the two can be even more devastating than collisions between two regular sized vehicles. Luckily, drivers of commercial trucks, like 18-wheelers, require special training and licenses that make them better drivers for the most part. But that training doesn’t keep them from making mistakes and causing accidents.
If you’ve been involved in a collision with a tractor trailer and you sustained injuries that led to medical bills, treatment costs, and lost wages, then you could use the help of our Philadelphia 18-wheeler accident lawyer. Our experienced legal team at Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco, LLC know how to fight for your rights and get you the compensation you deserve for the costs you incurred from an accident that wasn’t your fault.
18-Wheeler Accident Statistics
Tractor trailers are much larger than passenger vehicles. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), tractor trailers are 20 to 30 times larger than regular-sized vehicles, which contributes to the severity of injuries and damages when the two collide. In fact, when large trucks crash into regular-sized vehicles in a two-vehicle crash, 97% of fatalities were passenger vehicle occupants.
When large trucks crash into other trucks or any vehicle, and the accident causes fatalities, 67% of the time the occupants of the passenger vehicle are who die. Comparatively, truck drivers only account for 16% of fatalities. More specifically, large truck accidents that lead to fatalities are more commonly caused by tractor-trailers, otherwise known as 18-wheelers. The IIHS reports that 74% of deadly truck accidents were caused by 18-wheelers rather than other types of commercial trucks, like single-unit trucks.
Most deadly 18-wheeler accidents happen on interstates, freeways, highways, and other major roads. Only a fraction of deadly truck accidents happen on minor roads. In Pennsylvania, over half of tractor trailer accidents, fatal and non-fatal, happen on state highways, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). Very few 18-wheeler accidents happen on local roads in our state.
In Pennsylvania alone, PennDOT reports that there were over 7,000 tractor trailer accidents in 2018. Of those thousands of crashes, just over 100 were fatal. When you’ve been in an accident with an 18-wheeler in Pennsylvania, you probably sustained injuries and damages. As with any accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to worry about paying for those damages. Our Philadelphia 18-wheeler accident lawyer can help you through a personal injury claim when you’ve been injured by an 18-wheeler.
Causes of 18-Wheeler Crashes
Knowing how serious and deadly 18-wheeler crashes can be, it’s important to know the causes of these collisions so that you can recognize dangerous situations and attempt to avoid an accident with a tractor trailer. There are many reasons why a tractor trailer might crash into another truck or a car, and here are just a few of those reasons:
- Overly tired truck drivers
- Drunk or high truck drivers
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Bad brakes or sudden braking
- Blown tires
- Bad weather
- Poorly loaded or over-loaded trailers
- Bad trailer hitch, insecure trailer
- Improper maintenance or neglected inspections
- Manufacturer defects, like steering failure or suspension failure
When you hire the help of a Philadelphia 18-wheeler accident lawyer from Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco, you can rest assured that there will be a full investigation into what happened so that we can get to the truth. By looking deeply into the incident, we’ll see if the cause of the accident was something listed above, a combination of many things on the list, or a factor that isn’t on the list at all. This will allow us to figure out who was truly responsible for the collision so we know exactly who to hold liable in your claim.
While the truck driver very well could be the person at fault for the collision, that’s not always the case. Depending on what happened, the truck driver could be another victim in the crash. Other entities like the trucking company and parts manufacturers could be the parties at fault if something else happened to cause the crash, like a blown tire or another defective product. This is why it’s important to hire a truck accident lawyer for 18-wheeler accidents, and other types of truck accidents, so that your team can get to the bottom of the reason for the accident and hold the proper party responsible.
Contact Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco, Attorneys at Law
When you hire Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco as your legal representation for your 18-wheeler accident claim, you can have peace of mind knowing that experienced attorneys have your case. We will ensure that the person or persons responsible for the accident and your subsequent injuries and damages are held liable for the costs you incurred. With our help, you will be able to recover financial compensation for costs like medical bills, treatment costs, property damage, and lost wages. Reach out to our office today so that we can discuss your potential claim.
