On any given day, there are thousands of big, heavy, tractor trailer trucks on the roads and highways of Tennessee, particularly in the Tri-Cities region. Given this amount of truck traffic, there are bound to be semi-truck accidents. Sometimes, these truck wrecks are caused by the negligence of the 18-wheeler truck driver or the trucking company. Given the size of these vehicles, often a truck crash involving a large, heavy tractor trailer can be extremely violent and cause significant, serious personal injuries, including death. Here at Robert Bates & Associates, we focus our practice on representing people who have suffered serious injuries in these car and truck accidents.
Common Causes of Tractor Trailer Accidents
Even though the trucking industry in the United States is highly regulated, there are still a significant number of 18-wheeler and large truck collisions in Northern Tennessee. Tractor trailer crashes can be caused by the types of negligent driving that is seen in every kind of automobile accident. But there are also industry specific causes of truck accidents that you only see with large truck drivers and long-haul truck drivers. Here are some common causes of tractor trailer accidents:
● Speed: As with most automobile wrecks, speed can be a cause of large truck accidents. Either the driver of the truck is driving too fast and loses control of his or her rig, or someone else is driving too fast and crashes into the truck. It takes a long time to stop an out of control 18-wheeler truck that could weigh up to 80,000 pounds and traveling at 65 to 75 miles per hour.
● Distracted Driving: Just like with anyone driving a vehicle, truck drivers can become distracted and lose control of their rigs. A semi-truck driver looking at their smartphone for a split second could be enough time to lose control of the vehicle and cause serious damage to other cars on the highway, especially given how much these trucks weigh.
● Fatigue: One of the major problems with long haul truck driving is that the drivers are falling asleep at the wheel. Even though this aspect of commercial truck driving is heavily regulated at the state and Federal level, truck drivers being drowsy or falling asleep is a major cause of tractor trailer accidents in Tennessee and throughout the United States. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has very specific rules regarding how long a commercial truck driver can be behind the wheel in a given day. But in many instances, the trucking companies push their drivers to go beyond these restrictions and fudge the reporting requirements.
● Driving Under the Influence: Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a major problem in the trucking industry. A large, heavily loaded truck can be a dangerous weapon in the hands of a drunk or drugged truck driver.
Common Truck Accident Injuries
Due to the size and weight of 18-wheelers, a wreck involving a semi-truck can cause devastating injuries to drivers and passengers in other vehicles on the highway. Here are some common commercial truck accident injuries we see at Robert Bates & Associates:
● Fatalities: From 2017 up to the present date in 2021, there have been 689 fatalities involving large truck accidents
● Broken bones
● Traumatic brain injuries (TBI), fractured skulls, and concussions
● Burns and scarring
● Paralysis due to spinal cord injuries
● Herniated discs in the spine caused by whiplash type injuries
Hurt in a wreck? Don't wait. Call Bates.
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Call (423) 765-1215