• Home
  • Our Firm
  • Attorneys
    ▼
    • Daniel Finney Jr.
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • BRAIN INJURY
    • PERSONAL INJURY
    • CAR ACCIDENTS
    • CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS
    • WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS
    • WRONGFUL DEATH
  • Resources
    ▼
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

Finney Law Office LLC | St. Louis, Missouri Injury Lawyers

314-646-0300

  • Call Us
    Today
  • Visit Our
    Offices
  • Schedule a
    Consultation
  • Home
  • Our Firm
  • Attorneys
    • Daniel Finney Jr.
  • Practice Areas
    • BRAIN INJURY
    • PERSONAL INJURY
    • CAR ACCIDENTS
    • CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS
    • WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS
    • WRONGFUL DEATH
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact

MONSTER TRUCKS: THE DANGERS OF NEGLIGENT TRUCKING IN A WORLD OF TODAY’S CARS

By Daniel Finney

The average compact car weighs between 3000-4000 pounds. The average 18-wheel tractor trailer truck weighs around 30,000 pounds, and can legally weigh up to 80,000 pounds in the United States. Unsurprisingly, commercial truck accidents are the cause of a disproportionate number of fatalities.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, in 2011 alone there were over 10,000 accidents involving commercial trucks. Most of the deaths and injuries involving large trucks are the occupants of the passenger vehicle rather than the truck driver. The issue is in the vulnerability of the people traveling in the smaller vehicle.

A number of factors contribute to the disproportionate severity of truck accidents. One of the most glaring is the weight difference between commercial trucks and standard motor vehicles. As cars become lighter with advances in technology, as well as pressures to increase fuel efficiency, those cars become more susceptible to sustaining heavy damage. Imagine an 80,000 pound semi-truck colliding with a 3000 pound compact car. The truck ways over 25 times as much as the compact car. Given the weight difference, along with highway speeds, the result can be devastating for those travelling in the smaller vehicle. The driver of the smaller vehicle is left at the mercy of the behemoth truck.

In addition, partly due to their weight, trucks have significantly lower braking ability than the standard car. According to studies, it takes a truck approximately 40% longer to stop as compared to the braking time of standard passenger vehicle. The factors that contribute to this are weight, bobtailing (driving the truck without a trailer attached, which causes them to drive differently and can make them more dangerous), and road conditions. Given this, truckers must give themselves significantly more space to stop, however, this does not always occur. This lack of respect for their own truck’s braking ability significantly contributes to the prominence of truck accidents.

Finally, trucks travelling with trailers also have a susceptibility to jack-knife, which is when the trailer swings around toward the front of the truck while the truck still continues to drive forward. Typically, trailers are close to 70 feet long and this sweeping motion of the trailer can cause severe damage to cars and drivers around the truck.

As the standard car weight decreases with manufacturers continuing to use lighter materials in order to increase fuel efficiency, drivers become even more prone to injury from the negligence of truck drivers who drive monstrous trucks in comparison. What would be just be a fender-bender between two standard cars can turn into a fatal accident for the standard car driver when a truck is on the other end of the accident.

For these reasons, it is important that truck drivers and trucking companies are held accountable for their negligence when they cause accidents that injure or kill people. By seeking out talented plaintiff attorneys, those injured (or families of those involved in fatal accidents) can seek justice when the proper precautions are not taken and these trucks turn into monster trucks.

Schedule A Consultation

  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

August 16, 2017 | Amber Kempf

Meet Our New Attorney, Amber Kempf

March 14, 2017 | Daniel Finney

Last Hand on the Bridge

December 1, 2016 | Daniel Finney

How Are We to Proceed?

  • Home
  • Attorneys
  • Practice Areas
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
  • Contact

225 S. Meramec, Ste 1200 St. Louis, MO 63105 | PHONE: 314-646-0300

FAX: 256-533-1696 | [email protected]

Disclaimer | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Copyright , Finney Law Office