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The increase in large truck traffic deaths

On Behalf of | Oct 9, 2018 | Truck Accidents

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that the number of U.S. fatalities in 2017 involving large trucks, or trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, rose by 9 percent. Connecticut motorists may be interested to learn that for the same time period, the total number of motor vehicle traffic deaths fell by 1.8 percent.

In 2017, the number of people who were killed in traffic crashes totaled 37,133, a drop from the 37,806 that was reported for 2016. The number of people who died as a result of crashes in which large trucks were a factor totaled 4,761 for 2017, representing a rise of 392 deaths year-over-year.

The administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pointed out that a large portion of the fatalities involved trucks that weighed less than 26,000 pounds. Some of these vehicles are not regulated by the FMCSA. He also noted that the quantity of fatalities related to trucks that weighed from 10,000 to 14,000 pounds doubled year-over-year.

For multi-vehicle crashes in which large trucks were a factor, the number of fatalities rose by 280 in 2017. This was an 8.8 percent increase from the number of deaths reported for 2016. The overall number of truck occupant crash victims increased 116 year-over-year, resulting in a 16 percent increase.

A personal injury attorney may assist an individual who has been injured in a truck accident obtain financial compensation. Truck drivers of semi-trucks or 18-wheelers may be sued for engaging in negligent behavior, such as driving while drowsy, failing to provide proper truck maintenance, not properly securing cargo or driving while intoxicated.

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