Texas Truck Accident Attorney

Dangers to Truck Drivers

The majority of the time, when one hears about a truck accident, we assume that the driver of the car is the person that has been hurt. In fact, truck driving is a very dangerous occupation. Drivers of fuel or flat bed trucks have, quite possibly, the most dangerous occupation in the United States.

Every year in the United States, roughly 600 truck drivers are involved in fatal highway accidents. Fatal here means the truck driver dies. 55% of those fatal accidents involve the truck rolling over. Another 10% of fatal accidents occur in fuel oil fires. Over 400 truck drivers die every year due to fire or roll-over accidents.

Fires are a common cause of death in truck accidents. It's hard to ignite a small amount of gasoline but when there's 100 gallons or so of it in the truck, it does not do good things when it does ignite. The most common reason that diesel fuel ignites is that the battery gets crushed and starts on fire when the truck rolls over. This battery fire causes the diesel to ignite causing a big mess and ending in at least 10% of all truck driver deaths.

Rollovers are the other big source of injury or death to truck drivers. 18-wheelers have a high incidence of rolling mainly because the vehicles are so long. They also have a tendency to have a high center of gravity which does not help. It is possible to roll an 18-wheeler at speeds as low as 5 m.p.h. if there is a slope. Many drivers roll their trucks after a tire leaves the road. The roll the truck when attempting to return to the road as a wheel hits a soft spot or a separation in the road. This accident type results in 55% of all truck accident deaths.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a truck accident, a Texas truck accident attorney at Williams Kherkher is here to help. Contact them at 1-866-950-9000 in order to discuss your legal options and to schedule an initial appointment.