Car & Truck Accidents
HOUSTON TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYERS
18-Wheelers | Large Trucks | Commercial Trucks
Some of the most common and most dangerous automobile accidents involve tractor-trailers (also known as “big rigs” or “18-wheelers”). Every year in the United States, there are hundreds of thousands of potentially-deadly accidents involving big commercial trucks. These big commercial trucks come in many different shapes and sizes, but here are some of the more common examples that we typically see out on the road:
- Tractor-Trailer – This may be the most common type of big commercial truck on the road. You might sometimes hear this referred to as a “semi-trailer,” “big rig,” or “18 wheeler.” This vehicle consists of a tractor unit (i.e. truck) pulling a semi-trailer which usually contains some type of cargo.
- Dump Truck– This is another common commercial truck that is used to transport large loads of dirt, rock, and soil. For that reason, you usually see dump trucks on or near construction sites, gravel pits, and similar places.
- Tanker Truck– This motor vehicle consists of a truck pulling what looks like a long tube. The truck and tank can be part of one vehicle or a tractor pulling a tanker trailer. Tanker trucks are generally used to transport liquids or fluids such as gasoline or oil.
- Flatbed Truck – Flatbed trucks have a long flat surface on the back where they generally haul lumber, steel, heavy equipment, or other cargo.
- Cement Mixer– These trucks are easy to recognize, with a huge cylindrical shape on the back. Sometimes the cylinder is spinning, which means it is mixing cement.
Understanding Large Truck Accidents
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were 4,440 large trucks and buses involved in fatal crashes in 2016. This was a slight increase from 2015. From 2015 to 2016, the number of injury crashes and fatal crashes involving large commercial trucks increased.
It’s not hard to see why accidents involving heavy trucks are particularly dangerous. These commercial vehicles are traveling on the roadways at high speed in close proximity to passenger vehicles that are significantly smaller and lighter. The average passenger vehicle weighs about 2 tons, while a tractor-trailer can weigh up to 40 tons. With that much weight and speed, one of the primary causes of big truck accidents is stopping distance. A tractor-trailer takes much longer to stop than your average passenger vehicle does. If a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle are traveling at 40 mph, it takes the tractor-trailer 45 feet longer to stop. A truck’s stopping distance and ability to avoid a collision are also impacted by its speed. After representing countless clients in heavy truck accidents, we have learned the special importance of the “event data recorder” (EDR). Often times, the EDR preserves the important information about what a truck was doing moments and how fast it was going before an accident. Many attorneys overlook this important device or fail to realize that the EDR’s critical data can be erased if it’s not captured immediately.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with a heavy truck, you need a law firm with the skill, experience, and reputation to command the insurance company’s respect. We are that law firm.
SUV Cases
The Governors Highway Safety Association recently estimated that 6,227 pedestrians were killed in auto-related incidents in 2018, a 4% increase from 2017. If accurate, that would mean that 2018 saw the most pedestrian fatalities in one year since 1990. The GHSA seems to believe the increase in pedestrian deaths is linked to the greater number of SUVs on the road. The GHSA found that the number of pedestrians killed by SUVs increased by 50 percent from 2013 through 2017, while the number of pedestrians killed by passenger cars only increased by 30 percent over that same period. There appear to be two primary reasons for the greater increase in SUV-related pedestrian deaths: 1) rising SUV sales results in a greater number of SUVs on the road; and 2) pedestrians are much less likely to survive being struck by an SUV as opposed to a car. The GHSA pointed out that a number of other factors may also be contributing to the increase in pedestrian deaths, including more people walking to work, insufficient pedestrian road crossings, speeding, drowsy driving, drinking, and population growth in certain areas. It is also widely believed that distracted driving and distracted walking may be contributing to the problem. GHSA’s study also suggests that pedestrians are at a much greater risk of being hit after dark. In 2017, 75% of pedestrian fatalities occurred at night.
At The Chaffin Law Firm, we are intimately familiar with the dangers faced by pedestrians in our busy Houston metropolitan area. In 2017, we represented the family of a pedestrian that was struck and killed at night as she attempted to cross the street. We filed a lawsuit on behalf of our clients and 3 months later, the driver’s insurance carrier was offering the full policy limits and begging us to settle. The recent GHSA study only reinforces what we have already learned through years of experience with pedestrian cases: look both ways before crossing, use the designated pedestrian crosswalk if possible, walk on the sidewalk whenever possible, and try your best to avoid walking at night. Unfortunately, as a pedestrian in our state, you can follow all the rules and you are still at risk of being struck by distracted and dangerous drivers. Texas is one of five states (along with CA, AZ, GA, and FL) that accounted for roughly half of all pedestrian deaths in 2018. If you or your loved one has been involved in an accident with a motor vehicle, we would like to help. Call us today for a free consultation.