Commercial Truck Accidents

Large commercial trucks, often referred to as "big rigs", are involved in more than 350,000

accidents in the United States each year, according the National Highway Safety Administration. 

Because of the large difference in size - a typical big rig weighs over 10,000 pounds unloaded

and sometimes over 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, while a typical passenger car weighs no

more than 3,500 pounds - the occupants of the passenger vehicle are in far more danger in a

collision between the two. In fact, 83% percent of fatal injuries sustained in such accidents are to

the people in the passenger vehicle and non-occupants.

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study of the cause of tractor trailer accidents

found that when the truck was assigned the critical reason (for the crash), in 87% of the cases the

driver's action or inaction is the cause.

Driver fatigue is a frequent cause of errors by big-rig drivers causing accidents. Although the

law limits the number of hours a commercial driver is supposed to be behind the wheel, those

limits are often ignored by drivers under pressure from their employers to meet deadlines. When

representing the victim of a commercial trucking accident, it is crucial that the attorney

thoroughly investigate to determine whether factors under the control of the trucking company

were significant in causing the accident. For instance: If the driver was fatigued, were the policies

of the company a cause of the fatigue? Was the driver and the company in compliance with drive

time regulations? Were preventable mechanical or equipment failures a factor in causing the

accident? Was the driver properly trained and supervised? These are just a few examples of

inquiries that a thorough and experienced attorney should be doing when prosecuting a

commercial trucking accident case.

At Len Tillem and Associates, our experienced team of litigators provide thorough, personal, and

aggressive representation to victims of commercial trucking accidents. Call us today for a free

consultation, or e-mail us at litigation@lentillem.com.

To view the National Highway Safety Administration website, go to www.nhtsa.gov/. To view

facts and studies regarding large truck and bus accidents published by the Federal Motor Carrier

Safety Administration, go to www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety.