Delivery trucks are a common sight on most major roadways. We rely on them to bring us our online purchases, stock store shelves, and transport all kinds of goods across the country. However, these large, heavy vehicles also account for a disproportionate number of serious accidents every year. In fact, while trucks over 10,000 pounds make up just 4% of all registered vehicles in the United States, they are involved in about 11% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes according to federal data.
Common Causes of Delivery Truck Accidents
There are a variety of factors that contribute to delivery truck accidents, including:
Driver Fatigue – Truck drivers often work long hours and drive long distances without adequate rest. The federal hours of service regulations only permit drivers to be on duty for 14 hours in a day, with a maximum of 11 hours spent driving. However, these limits are still taxing and often drivers try to violate the hours of service restrictions. Drowsy or fatigued driving impairs reaction times and decision-making, increasing accident risk.
Speeding – Trucks require much longer stopping distances than passenger vehicles due to their size and weight. Even so, truck drivers may exceed speed limits and drive too fast for conditions, unable to slow down or stop in time to avoid a collision.
Driver Distraction – Eating, texting, talking on cell phones, adjusting navigation devices, and dealing with shifting loads all divert the driver’s attention away from the road. Commercial truck drivers are prohibited from texting or using handheld phones while driving but still engage in these dangerous behaviors.
Poor Maintenance – When brakes, tires, lighting, and other vehicle systems fail on large trucks, loss of control can lead to rollover incidents or jackknife accidents. Lack of routine inspection and preventative maintenance contributes to many commercial truck crashes.
Load Issues – Improperly secured cargo can shift in transit, causing the truck to overturn. Overloading trucks beyond weight restrictions also impairs braking and handling, making accidents more likely.
Hazardous Roads/Conditions – Truck drivers may not slow down sufficiently for construction zones, congested traffic, poor visibility and bad weather like rain or snow. High truck volume corridors see high rates of truck accidents.
Driver Error – Truckers may misjudge gaps in traffic, vehicle speeds, or distances required for turning/stopping due to inadequate training or experience operating a large truck. Illegal maneuvers like unsafe lane changes or merging errors can force other vehicles into an accident.
Vehicle Defects and Malfunctions – Defective tires, faulty brakes, cracked wheel rims, steering failure, and other equipment problems can all precipitate a truck crash even when driving normally. Trucking companies may fail to adequately inspect and repair their fleet vehicles, putting everyone on the road at risk.
Common Delivery Truck Accident Injuries
Given their massive size and weight, collisions with delivery trucks often result in severe, traumatic injuries to occupants of passenger vehicles. Some of the most common truck accident injuries include:
- Head and Brain Trauma – Victims may suffer concussions, skull fractures, facial trauma, traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding inside the skull, and even decapitation in extreme collisions.
- Spinal Cord Injuries – Fractures, dislocations, compression, and even complete severing of the spinal cord from the force of a truck crash impact. May cause paralysis below the injury location.
- Broken Bones – Shattered pelvises, broken legs, ankle fractures, collapsed chests, fractured vertebrae, ribs and arms from the body violently slamming into interior vehicle structures.
- Internal Organ Damage – Lacerations of liver, spleen, kidneys as these soft tissues tear on fractured bones and ribs. Severe blood loss into abdominal cavity.
- Wrongful Death – Instant fatality from blunt force head/brain trauma, exsanguination from torn arteries, or fatal internal injuries.
In the most recent federal crash data, collisions with delivery trucks killed over 4,000 passenger vehicle occupants. Survivors endured critical wounds healing over months to years requiring extensive medical care and rehabilitation. Many victims suffer permanent disability and reduced quality of life after their crash.
Who is Liable in Delivery Truck Accidents?
Those injured or families of deceased victims deserve accountability and fair compensation after a delivery truck crash. Multiple parties may share blame:
- Trucking Company – If failed maintenance, inadequate driver screening/training, or overloading contributed.
- Truck Driver – If speeding, distraction, impairment or errors caused the collision. Commercial drivers are subject to federal safety regulations.
- Parts Manufacturer – If a defective tire, brake component or other truck part precipitated the sequence of events leading to an accident.
- Shipper/Loader – If improper load balancing or overpacking cargo increased rollover risk.
Experienced personal injury attorneys have the resources to conduct a detailed investigation after any truck collision to determine the root cause and what party was most at fault based on the specific circumstances. Victims may be entitled to recover damages for medical bills, lost wages, loss of future earnings capacity, pain and suffering and loss of quality of life when negligence can be established in court.
Extra liability coverage beyond minimum requirements is advisable for most trucking companies to handle future payouts to those negatively affected by a commercial trucking crash.
Staying Safe Around Delivery Trucks
While many delivery truck accidents stem from driver error and trucking company policies prioritizing profits over safety, other roadway users must still exercise great caution when operating smaller vehicles around these heavy commercial trucks.
Give trucks plenty of room and avoid their large blind spots when possible. Understand their limitations in acceleration, maneuverability and stopping distance. Avoid sudden lane changes or cut-offs that could force evasive action by the truck driver. Remain visible, drive defensively and never linger beside a truck for longer than necessary when traversing high-speed roads.
Should a collision still occur, promptly contact emergency services and an experienced personal injury accident lawyer. Hold all contributing parties fully accountable in civil court for the harms inflicted by commercial trucks when rules, regulations and reasonable safety precautions are ignored or bypassed. Stand up for your rights after an injury crash involving a negligent delivery truck driver or company. With the help of a top truck accident injury lawyer from Karns & Karns Truck Accident Attorneys, you can get the compensation you deserve. We have offices in California, Texas & Nevada.
