Accidents involving trucks, whether large or small account for a significant proportion of all motor vehicle accidents reported each year in United States. On average each year in America there are over 230,000 non-fatal large truck accidents, over 80,000 injuries sustained as a result of large trucks accidents and over 50,000 injury-related accidents involving trucks. Out of the approximately 6.4million motor vehicle accidents reported each year there are slightly more than 40,000 fatalities, and trucks were involved in a significant amount of these fatal crashes. In fact fatalities caused by truck accidents have been rising at a steady rate of 5.8% over the last 10 years and continue to increase. Although there are many are reasons and causes for the truck accidents that do occur, there are several general causes and scenarios that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or FMCSA has identified.

Truck accidents vary based on the type of upon which roadway the accident occurs, the truck body type and the weight of the truck and its cargo. The three main categories of roadways are rural, urban and unknown. Urban roadways which include interstates, freeways, highways, expressways and other major thoroughfares are the most common location for large truck accidents account for 63% of all those reported.

Truck weight is a determining factor in the severity of truck accidents whether the truck is a single-unit truck with two or three axles or a combination truck such as a tractor-trailer. Truck type also makes a difference in the likelihood and severity of a truck accident. In fact, 62% of all truck accidents involve combination trucks, and tractor-trailer trucks lead the pack.

Truck accident fatalities and injuries most frequently occur due to a problem with the truck driver such as fatigue, alcohol abuse, cell phone use or illness or from some form of mechanical or random loss of control that may be caused by vehicular failure, a tire blowout, inclement weather conditions or hazardous road design. When a truck collides with smaller passenger vehicles, fixed objects or pedestrians the likelihood for devastating or fatal injury is high.

Victims have difficulty understanding accidents involving trucks immediately afterward and rarely accurately gauge the devastation that was caused. For this reason it is imperative that anyone involved in a truck accident seek medical attention immediately no matter how they feel. Second, it is important to contact a professional truck accident attorney quickly for a legal consultation regarding the accident, insurance claims and any lawsuits that may need to be filed.