Across the United States, commercial trucks play a valuable role. These bulky vehicles are responsible for transporting all kinds of goods across the country. Trucks are a crucial element of American transportation as a whole. Without them, commerce would be far more complicated than it needs to be. There is no shortage of semi-trucks on the road at any given time.
However, they aren’t without their dangers. Trucking accidents are devastating. Much of the time, the injuries that result from these accidents are severe. It is also not uncommon for a semi-truck accident to result in wrongful death. Even a seemingly small (but also highly negligent) action can lead to a devastating truck accident. Trucks weigh far more than cars do, and as a result, it is not unusual for trucking accidents to turn fatal.
Still, how common are these accidents? They are certainly devastating and difficult to process, but how frequently are they actually occurring? That is exactly what we would like to take a look at today.
Fatal Truck Accidents in Illinois
First, let us start by taking a look at how many fatal trucking accidents actually occur in Illinois in the span of just one year. Fortunately, the Illinois Department of Transportation rigorously keeps track of how many fatal crashes occur on the state’s roads. These fatalities are further broken down into categories, one of which is titled “involving semi-trucks.” Due to these records, it is easy for us to get an idea of how frequently trucking accidents actually occur.
As of late July 2021, the Illinois roadways have seen 81 fatal semi-truck accidents since the start of the year. This also makes semi-trucks the largest category when it comes to fatal vehicle accidents. For perspective, the second-place contender is pedestrian fatalities, which there has been 74 of, since the start of the year. Motorcycle accidents have accounted for 69 fatal crashes.
In the year 2018, the state of Illinois saw a total of 106 fatal trucking accidents. However, as a whole, there were a total of 12,267 trucking accidents that same year. Although this is certainly a large number, it still only accounted for around 3.8% of all 2018 crashes in Illinois.
National Trucking Accident Statistics
Each year in the United States, around 130,000 individuals are injured in a truck crash — this includes injuries of varying degrees of severity. The more severe injuries that people typically suffer include back and neck injuries, broken bones, internal bleeding, traumatic brain injury, whiplash injury, and spinal cord injury. On the other hand, approximately 4,000 Americans are killed each year because of trucking accidents.
Another interesting statistic is that, of all the large trucks involved in fatal crashes per year, only 4% of them are carrying hazardous cargo. However, when these crashes do occur, they often have fatal consequences. For instance, hazardous cargo could include flammable liquids, and a crash could result in either an explosion or a fire. For this reason, these truck drivers must put in the effort to drive as cautiously as possible.
We also know that the prevalence of fatal truck accidents is increasing. For example, in the year 2019, the United States saw 4,119 fatalities as a result of trucking crashes. However, in 2009, this number sat at just 3,147 deaths. This means that in 2019, the national death toll of large truck crashes was 31 percent higher than it was a decade earlier. For the most part, this number seems to be steadily increasing.
Interestingly enough, prior to 2009, the frequency of truck crash fatalities had actually been on a decline. For perspective, in 1999, a total of 5,299 individuals diedas a result of large truck crashes.
Involved In a Northern Illinois Trucking Accident? Contact an FGPG Personal Injury Attorney
The injuries suffered from trucking accidents can be life-altering, as they tend to be especially severe. Individuals involved in trucking accidents can experience devastating injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, neck injuries, and other types of catastrophic injury. Plus, in some cases, wrongful death can result from Illinois trucking accidents.
If you or a loved one were injured or killed in a trucking accident, you deserve to receive adequate compensation. In order to give yourself the best shot at a fair settlement, it is important that you get in touch with an experienced truck accident attorney – that is why Franks Gerkin Ponitz Greeley (FGPG) is available to assist. Want to schedule a consultation with us? To get started, simply fill out our online form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
