THE ISSUE OF LARGE TRUCK ACCIDENTS, IN NUMBERS

Motorists in Missouri may be affected by the vast number of large commercial trucks for which the state serves, year after year, as a destination, a departure point and a thoroughfare. This is especially true for motorists who have been involved in accidents involving large trucks.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the 1,100-plus vehicles involved in fatal accidents in Missouri during 2012. This is roughly equal to the correlating national figure. During 2012, there were more than 45,000 vehicles involved in fatal accidents, and large trucks accounted for approximately 8.3 percent of that total, the NHTSA reports.

Furthermore, there were approximately 333,000 large trucks involved in traffic accidents during 2012. Reportedly, there were around 104,000 people injured and 3,920 killed on account of these accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines large trucks in part as those vehicles possessing a gross vehicle weight exceeding 10,000 pounds.

According to the NHTSA, 73 percent of the people injured in truck accidents were occupants of other vehicles. Pedestrians, bicyclists and other vehicular nonoccupants accounted for 3 percent of the injuries, reportedly. The number of fatalities in these crashes increased by 4 percent from 2011.

People who suffer injuries in an accident caused by the driver of a large truck might be entitled by law to personal injury compensation, as determined by the civil court presiding over the victim's lawsuit. Few personal injury claims prevail without the counsel and advocacy of an attorney who has handled similar civil cases before. The financial compensation awarded to successful claimants may cover accident-relayed damages endured by the accident victim.

Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, "Traffic Safety Facts – Large Trucks", January 03, 2015