Truck accidents differ from car accidents because they typically cause more severe injuries, involve multiple potentially liable parties, and present unique risks such as jackknife, underride, and cargo-related crashes. Trucks are vastly larger and heavier than cars, which makes collisions deadlier, and legal cases more complex due to federal regulations, maintenance issues, and cargo responsibilities.
There are almost 3 million tractor trailers and roughly 285 million cars driving on America’s roads. With 95 times as many cars as trucks on the road, you would think car accidents are deadlier. However, that’s not the case. Collisions involving trucks account for almost 10% of traffic fatalities.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to recover compensation for your injuries and other damages. Regardless of the type of accident, many injured accident victims hire personal injury lawyers to represent them.
Cellino Law handles car, truck, and other kinds of motor vehicle accident cases. We understand the physical and financial anguish these wrecks can cause, and we are here to help.
How Are Truck and Car Accidents Different?
There are many differences between truck accidents and those involving only passenger vehicles.
Severity of Injuries
Car crashes can produce significant injuries or fatalities, but truck collisions typically cause more severe issues. Why? Truck vs. car size is often the reason.
Average Tractor-Trailer Size
- Length: 70 feet
- Height: 13.5 feet
- Width: 8.5 feet
- Weight: 80,000 pounds
- Ground Clearance: 5 feet
Average Car Size
- Length: 14.7 feet
- Height: 6.5 feet
- Width: 5.8 feet
- Weight: 4,156 pounds
These dimensions can vary, but you can see that a fully loaded tractor-trailer is much larger and heavier than a car. Cars or SUVs rolling over can cause damage, but they’re not likely to crush other vehicles and their passengers; trucks can. When trucks roll over onto their sides and slide, they can potentially hit several cars, causing a multiple-vehicle collision.
You don’t have to be a physics expert to realize that trucks can cause more damage than cars, often creating catastrophic results in accidents.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), large trucks are involved in roughly 13% of all fatal accidents despite representing a fraction of vehicles on the road. This disproportionate risk highlights why trucking accidents are considered among the deadliest types of roadway crashes.
Types of Accidents
Many types of accidents are the same for most vehicles, including large trucks. However, trucks can have a few accidents due to their construction that cars can’t.
- Jackknife
- Underride
- Override
- Wide-turn
Some trucks are equipped with underride guards and stability control systems designed to reduce the severity of these unique crashes. Unfortunately, not all fleets maintain these properly, and many older trailers lack updated safety features, increasing risks for car drivers.
Number of Responsible Parties
Car drivers usually own the car they operate, but truckers don’t always own their trucks. In fact, there can be several parties potentially responsible for truck accidents:
- Driver
- Truck owner
- Trucking company
- Those responsible for maintaining the truck
- Cargo loader
- Cargo shipper
- Truck or parts manufacturer
This fact is significant because assigning blame for truck accidents is exponentially more challenging than it is for car accidents. Nobody wants to claim responsibility because the guilty party or parties can be liable to pay damages to those injured in the collision. Unraveling the complicated situation is a daunting task unless you have a knowledgeable personal injury attorney on your side.
Additionally, trucking companies and drivers must follow federal regulations such as hours-of-service limits, maximum load weight, and inspection requirements. Violating these rules can make liability cases even more complex, since lawyers often need to investigate logbooks, black box data, and maintenance records to establish fault.
Cargo Issues
The cargo tractor-trailers haul should be appropriately secured, but mistakes happen. Shifting cargo can cause trucks to become unbalanced and difficult to maneuver. Drivers may lose control of the truck, causing a collision.
The cargo can sometimes force the doors open and fall onto the road — or onto cars traveling nearby. Regardless of whether the truck collides with other vehicles, the loose cargo can injure or kill others.
Tankers sometimes haul fuel and other explosive or toxic liquids. If the tank leaks or the truck is involved in a collision, this cargo can have deadly effects on those nearby.
Proper loading procedures, weight distribution, and regular inspection of tie-downs are critical in preventing these types of accidents. Federal cargo securement standards exist, but violations are common, particularly when companies rush deliveries.
Potential Damages
Although the types of damages you may qualify to receive after truck or car accidents are the same, the amount of those damages is often greater for truck accidents. Each state has laws that govern the types of damages injured accident victims can receive, and many place caps on the amounts. Your personal injury lawyer can tell you about the laws in your state.
Economic Damages
Any kind of accident can incur several types of expenses, and this category of damages reimburses you for things like:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages due to time missed from work
- Certain daily expenses
- Vehicle repair or replacement
Because truck accidents usually cause more severe damage to you and your vehicle, many of these expenses are typically greater.
Non-Economic Damages
Collisions can cause other kinds of damage to injured victims, and some of them are invisible. That doesn’t make them — and the adverse effects they can have — less real. There aren’t bills with specific dollar amounts attached to these damages, and awards may be based on how badly they affect you:
- Pain and suffering
- Damage to personal relationships
- The loss of your ability to enjoy life
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- PTSD, anxiety, and depression
Obtaining non-economic damages sometimes takes expert testimony and lots of proof because insurance companies will try to minimize your suffering.
The average cost of a fatal truck crash can exceed $3 million, while crashes causing injuries average $200,000+, compared to significantly lower averages for car accidents. This stark difference reflects the heightened stakes of pursuing compensation in trucking cases.
Can Cars Cause Truck Accidents?
Yes, they can. Passenger vehicle drivers usually aren’t familiar with the potentially problematic issues of driving a tractor-trailer, so they don’t account for them when making driving decisions.
Stopping Distance
Because of their size and weight, tractor-trailers need about twice as much distance than a car to come to a stop. Other factors include truck brake lag, improperly maintained brakes, slippery road conditions, and driver fatigue.
Drivers who swerve in front of a truck may think the truck will be able to slow down quickly enough to avoid a collision if needed, but that’s not always possible.
Blind Spots
The blind spot for trucks is so large that it has a name: No Man’s Land. Truckers can’t see other vehicles, pedestrians, or other obstacles in this area, so they’re often unaware that anyone else is present.
Car drivers who try to pass trucks or come between a truck and another obstacle often don’t realize that the truck driver can’t see them. This fact can cause collisions.
Weather and Road Conditions
High-profile vehicles like tractor-trailers are more vulnerable than cars to some conditions, such as strong winds or wind gusts, slick roads, poorly maintained roads, and loose gravel. For example, a strong wind gust can cause a truck to shift lanes unintentionally and hit those traveling beside them.
Legal Complexities & Negligence
Car accidents usually involve one or two drivers and proving negligence can be relatively straightforward. Truck accidents, however, often require multi-party investigations.
Key types of evidence in truck accident cases include:
- Black box (ECM) data
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- Driver logbooks showing hours-of-service compliance
- Maintenance and inspection records
- Cargo loading documentation
Because trucking companies may only be required to keep these records for a limited time, attorneys often send spoliation letters to ensure this evidence is preserved. Without it, proving liability becomes more difficult.
Statute of Limitations
The time you have to file a lawsuit after a car or truck accident depends on the state:
- New York: 3 years from the date of the accident
- New Jersey: 2 years from the date of the accident
- Connecticut: 2 years from the date of the accident
Failing to file within these deadlines usually means losing your right to recover compensation. Because evidence can disappear quickly, speaking with a lawyer soon after the crash is the best way to protect your rights.
Fatality Statistics
Truck accidents are far more likely to result in fatalities than car crashes. According to the National Safety Council, in 2022:
- 5,936 people died in large truck crashes nationwide
- Trucks accounted for about 13% of all motor vehicle deaths, despite being only about 5% of registered vehicles
- Nearly 80% of those killed were occupants of smaller vehicles
These statistics highlight the disproportionate risks posed by truck accidents on U.S. roadways.
Do You Need to Hire an Accident Attorney?
You don’t have to hire an attorney if you’re injured in an accident, but why wouldn’t you? Your time should be spent recovering, not dealing with the mountains of paperwork, in-depth investigations, and meetings with insurance company representatives.
Accident cases are potentially quite complicated, and investigating them takes a lot of resources and long hours. Truck collisions present more layers of challenge. State insurance laws vary, but you’ll be expected to understand them and operate within them.
Insurance companies often use underhanded tactics to avoid paying damages, but you deserve compensation for your injuries. A competent personal injury attorney understands how to negotiate favorable settlements.
If those reasons aren’t enough, injured accident victims who hire attorneys typically receive more compensation for their damages than those who represent themselves. Hiring a personal injury attorney presents no risks but gives you lots of benefits.
The Future of Truck Accident Risks
With advances in technology, more trucks are being equipped with collision-avoidance systems, lane-departure warnings, and even semi-autonomous driving capabilities. While these innovations aim to reduce accidents, they also raise new legal questions about liability when automated systems fail. Staying informed about these changes ensures accident victims can seek justice even in a rapidly evolving trucking industry.
Why Choose Cellino Law?
A Cellino Law firm has represented injured New Yorkers for over 60 years. With the experience and knowledge gained during that time, we are fully equipped to win compensation for you. We are equally capable of negotiating a favorable settlement and taking your case to trial if necessary. Best of all, you won’t pay us unless you win.
Whether your accident happened in New York, Connecticut, or New Jersey, Cellino Law can help. Contact us for a free case review at (888) 888-8888 or submit our online form. Someone is available 24/7, so there’s no need to wait.