People are seriously injured or killed in large truck accidents every year in California. Although commercial truck drivers are required to have a commercial driver's license and fairly safe driving records, those facts do not prevent accidents from occurring. These truck accidents can be especially serious as the trucks are very heavy and generally much larger than other involved vehicles.

Accidents involving trucks with a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds resulted in 3,921 deaths and 104,000 injured people in 2012 alone. 333,000 trucks were involved in collisions in 2012 even though they accounted for only 4 percent of all registered vehicles on the road. Of the resulting accidents, 81 percent of the fatal crashes involving large trucks were multiple-vehicle collisions. Large trucks are significantly more likely to be involved in multiple-vehicle crashes than are other passenger vehicles.

Approximately 2 percent of truck drivers who were involved in fatal collisions had blood alcohol concentrations of .08 percent or higher, while 18 percent had prior speeding convictions. Of the 104,000 people who were injured in 2012 in large truck accidents, 79,000 of them were occupants of passenger vehicles or nonoccupants of any vehicle. 25,000 of those injured were drivers or passengers inside of the large trucks.

Truck accidents are very problematic as they carry a significant risk of causing serious injury or death due to the sheer size and weight of the trucks. When people are seriously injured or killed in these types of accidents, the driver as well as the employer or owner of the truck may be held responsible for the accident and resulting injuries. Victims of truck accidents or the families of those killed may wish to consult with a personal injury attorney about their case.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation , “Large Trucks“, November 14, 2014