Statistics show that more large truck collisions are occurring throughout New Jersey and the rest of the U.S. According to a report recently released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there was a 3 percent increase in fatal truck accidents from 2015 to 2016. Furthermore, the number of commercial trucks involved in deadly crashes increased from 4,074 to 4,213.
The American Trucking Associations responded to the data by saying that the overall trend over the past two decades has been increased safety. They also questioned changes in how the numbers were calculated and said that the tabulation techniques made it difficult to make accurate comparisons.
The FMCSA report said that just over 60 percent of 2016’s fatal large truck crashes occurred in rural areas. Another 27 percent of fatal crashes occurred on interstate highways.
In addition to the fatal crashes, there were 104,000 truck accidents involving injuries in 2016. This was a large increase over the previous year, which totaled 83,000 injury crashes.
Because trucks are so big and have a hard time stopping quickly, truck accidents are often catastrophic. Even when accidents aren’t fatal, the victims will often end up in the hospital.
Truck accident victims face hefty medical bills, high-cost emergency medical transportation, lost wages and potential long-term disability. As with other auto accidents, trucking companies and their insurance providers often try to avoid paying claims. In many cases, they will try to say the passenger vehicle driver was at fault. That’s why a truck accident victim may want to retain a personal injury lawyer. Legal counsel could help a client obtain the maximum possible compensation.