Pennsylvania Truck Crash Attorneys

Big Rig Crash Statistics and Lawsuits

According to Department of Transportation crash statistics, the number of big rig crashes is on the decline.

For instance nationally, in 2005 the number of fatal and non-fatal big rig crashes reported by FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) and MCMIS (Motor Carrier Management Information System) was 147,206. In 2008, the number had decreased to 133,931. 2009 statistics are unavailable as of this writing.

On a more local level, big rig crash statistics are not as defined. For instance in Pennsylvania, the number of fatalities reported by FARS in 2005 was 183 big rig crash fatalities as compared to the figure of 192 in 2008. The number of injuries declined from 4,403 to 2,965 from 2005 to 2009.

In New Jersey, both fatal big rig accidents and truck crash injuries declined. For fatalities, in 2005 the number was 98 but in 2008, only 47 fatalities. And for the New Jersey big rig crash injuries, the numbers steadily declined from 4,188 in 2005 to 3,212 in 2009.

These organizations measure statistics in different ways. For instance their definition of a fatal crash is when one or more people die within 30 days of a big rig crash. A non-fatal big rig crash is when one or more people have non-fatal injuries requiring transportation by a vehicle for the purpose of obtaining immediate medical attention; or vehicles were towed away from the scene due to disabling damage.

In the United States, big rigs go by many names – semi-trailer truck, semi, tractor trailer, and 18-wheeler. A semi-trailer does not trail completely behind the towing vehicle, but is attached at a point that is forward of the rear-most axle of the towing unit, so that some fraction of the weight of the trailer is carried by the rear axle(s) of the prime mover. This arrangement requires both tractor and semi-trailer to be distinct in design from a rigid truck and trailer.

Big rigs use air pressure, rather than hydraulic fluid, to actuate the brakes mainly due to the much larger braking forces required. This also allows for ease of coupling and uncoupling of trailers from the tractor unit, as well as reducing the potential for problems common to hydraulic systems, such as leakage or brake failure caused when overheated brake fluid vaporizes in the hydraulic lines. The most common failure is brake fade usually caused when the drums or discs and the linings of the brakes overheat from excessive use.

According to a three-year study released in 2006 by the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) brake deficiencies account for 26 percent of big rig crash accidents.

Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer in Pennsylvania

If you have been involved in a Pennsylvania truck accident, it may not have been your fault. Statistics show that a significant amount of trucking accidents are due to mechanical failures on the truck itself and not due to any of the drivers involved in the truck accident. If you have suffered injuries in a big rig crash in Pennsylvania, you should contact the Philadelphia truck accident law firm, Anapol Schwartz, for an evaluation of your case. You may be due compensation for the negligence of the driver, trucking company, or truck manufacturer for failure to maintain the tractor trailer or for manufacturing defective truck parts. Contact us now to see if you have a big rig crash lawsuit.

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