Driving on the highways across the Midwest means sharing the road with massive semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, and other large commercial vehicles. Whether you are driving to work, taking your kids to school, or running errands, you trust that the professionally trained truck drivers around you are being safe. However, that is not always the case.
If you or a loved one has been hurt in a truck crash, you know how terrifying and traumatizing the accident can be. The physical pain, the emotional trauma, and the crushing weight of medical bills can leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed.
We understand how emotionally exhausting and financially burdening it can be. Learning about the dangers of truck accidents is the first step in understanding what happened to you and how you can protect your legal rights moving forward.
Key Takeaways of Why Truck Accidents Are So Dangerous
- Truck accidents are more severe than typical car crashes due to their size, often causing catastrophic injuries or fatalities to occupants of smaller vehicles.
- The extreme weight and height of trucks increase crash impact, sometimes leading to deadly underride accidents where smaller vehicles slide beneath trailers.
- Trucks are harder to control, requiring significantly longer stopping distances and having limited maneuverability in sudden traffic changes.
- Large blind spots around trucks make it difficult for drivers to see nearby vehicles, increasing the risk of sideswipe and lane-change collisions.
- Federal safety regulations govern truck drivers and companies, and violations, such as fatigue from excessive driving hours or poor vehicle maintenance, are common causes of serious crashes.
The Shocking Reality of Highway Crashes
Truck crashes are not just standard car accidents. They are much worse. According to the National Safety Council's 2023 Injury Facts, 5,375 large trucks were involved in a fatal crash in 2023. Sadly, the vast majority of the people who get hurt or killed in these crashes are the people inside the smaller passenger cars.
When a family is struck by a commercial truck, the injuries are rarely minor. Victims often suffer from traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crushed bones, and severe internal bleeding. These are considered catastrophic truck accidents because they change the way you live your life. You might not be able to return to your job, and you might need medical care for years to come.
What Makes Truck Accidents So Dangerous?
You may ask yourself why a commercial truck crash causes so much more damage than a collision between two regular cars. Three main factors make these vehicles incredibly hazardous to everyone else on the road:
1. Massive Size and Weight
First and foremost, what makes trucks so dangerous is their incredible size and weight. A standard passenger car weighs around 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. A fully loaded 18-wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. That means the truck is 20 to 30 times heavier than your car.
When 80,000 pounds of steel hits a small car at highway speeds, the force of the impact is massive. The smaller vehicle absorbs almost all of the crash's energy. This is why a truck has the potential to completely total a smaller vehicle and leave passengers with severe, life-altering injuries.
Also, trucks sit much higher off the ground. In some crashes, a smaller car can slide right underneath the trailer of the truck, leading to deadly outcomes.
2. Poor Maneuverability and Long Stopping Distances
Trucks are very difficult to control when traffic suddenly stops or changes. Because they are so heavy, they cannot stop as quickly as normal cars. In fact, a loaded tractor-trailer needs 20 to 40 percent more distance to stop than a normal car. If the roads are wet or if the truck has poorly maintained brakes, that stopping distance is even longer.
This poor maneuverability is why truck drivers are supposed to drive at or below the posted speed limit. It is also why you should never cut closely in front of a semi-truck. If traffic stops suddenly, the truck driver simply will not have enough physical space to stop before hitting the car in front of them.
3. Large Blind Spots
Trucks have massive blind spots on all four sides. These blind spots are so large that entire cars can disappear inside them. It is very difficult, and sometimes impossible, for a truck driver to see vehicles directly in front of their cab, directly behind their trailer, and in the lanes right next to them.
Here's a good rule of thumb: if you cannot see the truck driver's face in their side-view mirror, you must assume the truck driver cannot see you. Driving in a blind spot for too long is a major cause of sideswipe collisions.
The Rules Trucking Companies Must Follow
Because trucks are so dangerous, the federal government has strict rules that drivers and trucking companies must obey. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) writes the safety rulebook for the entire country. When trucking companies break these rules to save time or money, innocent people get hurt. Understanding Federal Trucking Regulations (FMCSA) Violations is one of the most important parts of proving who is at fault after a crash.
Driver Fatigue and Hours of Service
One of the most common causes of bad truck accidents is a tired driver. Truck drivers are pushed to work long hours to deliver goods on tight deadlines. A sleepy driver has slower reaction times and poor judgment, much like a drunk driver.
To stop this from happening, the government created Hours of Service (HOS) rules. According to the official FMCSA Hours of Service regulations, a property-carrying truck driver can only drive a maximum of 11 hours after taking 10 consecutive hours off duty.
They also cannot drive beyond their 14th hour of coming on duty, and they must take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving. When drivers or companies ignore these time limits, they put everyone on the road in extreme danger.
Maintenance and Inspection Failures
A truck is a complicated machine that drives thousands of miles a week. Parts wear down quickly. The law states that trucking companies must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain their vehicles. According to the electronic Code of Federal Regulations (49 CFR Part 396), motor carriers must make sure every part of their truck is in safe operating condition.
When companies try to save money by skipping brake replacements or driving on bald tires, the truck becomes a ticking time bomb. You can learn more about the specific timelines for these inspections by reading about how often a truck should be serviced.
Federal Law vs. State Law
When you are hurt in the Midwest, your case will involve both the laws of the state where the crash happened and the federal laws that apply to the trucking company. This combination can be very complicated. Breaking a federal FMCSA rule is strong proof that the trucking company acted recklessly.
To see how these different laws work together to help your case, read about how FMCSA regulations impact your truck crash case.
Gathering Evidence After a Truck Crash
After a truck accident, your focus must be on your health and getting proper medical treatment. But while you are in the hospital, the trucking company is already sending their own investigators to the crash scene. They want to find ways to blame you and protect their own money.
To fight back, you need strong evidence. Modern trucks have "black boxes" that record the truck's speed, brake use, and steering right before the crash. They also have Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) that track exactly how many hours the driver has been working.
However, the trucking company owns this data. If you do not act quickly to send a legal demand (called a spoliation letter), they are legally allowed to erase this data or destroy the truck. Preserving this electronic proof is critical.
You can read a detailed guide on what evidence you need for your truck accident case to understand exactly what records must be saved to prove the trucking company was wrong. By gathering evidence and speaking to a lawyer, you can receive a settlement for your truck accident.
Getting the Help You Need After a Midwest Truck Accident
After a devastating accident, you should not have to fight massive insurance companies and their lawyers by yourself. As you focus on your physical and emotional recovery, we will focus on the recovery of your losses.
At DM Injury Law, we handle catastrophic trucking cases for families all across the Midwest. We know the tricks the trucking companies use to hide evidence, and we know how to hold them accountable.
We have a long history of standing up for people who have suffered severe, life-altering injuries. Below are a few of our past case results:
- $11 Million for clients whose son was killed in a work-truck accident
- $2.2 Million for a family who lost a family member in a truck crash
- $1.8 Million for the family of a man who died from his injuries after a truck wreck
If you’ve been wrongfully injured, our team of experienced attorneys and legal professionals is equipped to fight for your needs. Insurance companies try to pay victims as little as possible, but we will not let them push you around.
DM Injury Law has offices all over the Midwest, including:
- Kansas City truck accident lawyer
- St. Louis truck accident lawyer
- Columbia truck accident lawyer
- Topeka truck accident lawyer
- Wichita truck accident lawyer
- Oklahoma City truck accident lawyer
- Tulsa truck accident lawyer
- Denver truck accident lawyer
- Omaha truck accident lawyer
Contact us online today or call us at 816-888-7500 to schedule your free consultation. Remember, Mike’s Got This!
