Nebraska drivers have most likely seen large trucks driving on the highway. For the most part, the trucks and their drivers get to their destinations safely. However, there were 3,912 people killed and 104,000 people injured in accidents involving such vehicles in 2012. This represents a 4 percent increase in fatalities since 2011 and an 18 percent increase in injuries since 2011.
Since 2003, the number of fatalities related to large truck accidents has declined despite an increasing number of large trucks on the road. In 2003, there were 4,721 trucks involved in fatal accidents and 7,756,888 registered trucks. In 2012, there were 3,802 trucks involved in fatal accidents and 10,659,380 registered trucks. This represents a vehicle involvement rate of 1.42 in 2012 compared to 2.17 in 2003 for every 100 million miles traveled.
In Nebraska, there were 285 vehicles involved in fatal accidents for the year 2012. Of those vehicles involved in a fatal accident, 42 of them involved large trucks. This means that 14.7 percent of all fatal accidents in the state involved large trucks, and large trucks in Nebraska accounted for 1.1 percent of all fatal accidents in the United States.
Those who are injured in large truck accidents may seek compensation for medical bills, long-term care costs and lost wages. If an injury leads to a permanent disability, compensation may be sought to make up for lost future earnings. This is true whether the victim was the driver of a large truck, a passenger in any vehicle involved in an accident or a pedestrian near the scene of the crash. An attorney may be helpful in taking legal action against the driver who caused an accident before any applicable statute of limitations expire.
Source: National Center for Statistics and Analysis, “Traffic Safety Facts – Large Trucks“, December 27, 2014
