Kentucky Ranks Among States With High Number of Fatal Big Truck Accidents

The sight of an 18-wheeler bearing down from behind or speeding off an interstate ramp is enough to make even the most experienced driver cringe.

Because of the sheer size and weight of tractor trailers, they often generate serious injuries to occupants of cars and other vehicles in multi-vehicle collisions.

Truckers may be driving too fast for traffic conditions, have been driving too many hours or simply failed to see smaller vehicles in blind spots. Big trucks take longer to stop because of their weight. As a consequence, they are involved in an inordinate number of rear-end crashes in which they slam into vehicles sitting in standstill traffic.

From fatigue and speeding to tire blowouts and misadjusted brakes, truck drivers are involved in many preventable accidents in Kentucky and across the nation each year.

In Kentucky, 78 people died in large-truck crashes, according to statistics recently released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Kentucky remains near the nation’s top third for trucking-related crash deaths, with only 18 states totaling more fatal wrecks involving tractor-trailer trucks, the statistics show.

And, the federal government reports 11.2 fatal big-truck crashes per 1 million people in the country, up 6 percent from 2010.

Clearly, big trucks remain a threat on Kentucky roadways and across the nation.

Consider these 2013 statistics:

• One percent of the 327,000 reported crashes involving big trucks in 2013 claimed at least one person’s life. That’s 3,541 deaths attributed to big trucks.
• 69,000 crashes involving tractor-trailer trucks resulted in nonfatal injuries.
• Most fatal big-truck crashes, 63 percent, involve two vehicles.
• 22 percent of fatal wrecks, 14 percent of injury crashes and 24 percent of property-damage only wrecks involving big trucks were single-vehicle crashes.
• Nearly two-thirds of fatal wrecks involving big trucks took place on rural roads, compared to 25 percent on rural or urban interstates.
• Most crashes involving big trucks take place in prime driving times: 34 percent of fatal wrecks take place at night, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., while 22 percent of all injury crashes involving large rigs occur in that time frame.
• Big trucks were involved in 28 percent of work-zone fatal crashes and 11 percent of work-zone injury wrecks.
• 3,906 big trucks were involved in deadly wrecks, and hazardous materials were present in four percent of those crashes.
• 73,000 tractor trailers were involved in injury crashes, and hazardous materials were present in two percent those wrecks.
• Single tractors pulling only one trailer were involved in 60 percent of fatal crashes, while those pulling two trailers were involved in two percent.

Despite declines over the last three decades in fatal truck crashes, too many people continue to be killed or injured in crashes involving large trucks.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a crash involving a big truck, contact a Lexington truck accident lawyer experienced in handling these types of serious cases. The professionals at Frank Jenkins Law Office know how to prepare a case to make sure you receive the award you deserve. Call 1-859-389-9344 or go to www.frankjenkinslaw.com for help today.