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  • Murphy & Associates Car Accident Law firm is professional, efficient, and a pleasant experience doing business with.
  • I was involved in a rear-end collision while stopped at a red light. Mr. Murphy and his staff guided me through this long process from obtaining medical treatment to settling with the other party's insurance company.
  • Murphy & Associates really helped me through a stressful time in my life. I was in a car accident and I didn't have a clue as to what my next step was, so I called Murphy & Associates, and they helped me...
  • Mr. Murphy and his staff answered all of my questions and were very patient in helping me.

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What You Need to Know About Large Trucks and Truck Accidents

Colliding with another car can be extremely frightening, dangerous, and even fatal, but getting into an accident with a tractor-trailer or 18-wheeler truck puts you at an even greater risk of serious injury and need for extensive treatment. In the U.S. Department of Transportation’s annual report for 1998, over 5,300 people were killed in large truck accidents. Any given year, the drivers and passengers of cars suffer 98 percent of the fatalities caused by crashes between cars and big trucks.

Why are trucks so dangerous? Though most of the answers are obvious, the actual details behind the danger are important to note. Some trucks are as long as 60 feet and weigh as much as 120,000 pounds, making it almost impossible for cars that crash with them to leave the accident scene untouched. Adding to the risk of 18-wheeler accidents, truck drivers are constantly pressured to travel long distances for deliveries in short amounts of time. The result? Truck drivers experience lack of sleep and fatigue, some of them violating the very rules that are intended to protect them from exhaustion and, thus, danger and liability. In fact, one study revealed that nearly three out of every five truck drivers blatantly broke the maximum hours-per-day rule and falsified mileage log books to avoid punishment.

If you wish to avoid an accident with a tractor-trailer truck, there are several things you can do to make your ride as safe as possible: wear seat belts; do not exceed the speed limit; avoid truck drivers’ blind spots; do not tailgate; signal and leave plenty of room when passing a truck, and maintain a large distance between any trucks and your vehicle. Also, be sure to pay attention or even pull over when trucks merge in front of you onto the highway; stay alert when trucks are pulling into weigh stations or truck lanes on hills, and slow down when necessary due to weather conditions or other factors that lower your visibility and control. If you have already suffered injuries as a result of a truck accident in which the trucker was at fault, you may wish to claim compensation. Call Murphy & Associates at 770-577-3020 for a free consultation.