Driving in proximity to large commercial trucks in West Virginia can be intimidating at times. When large trucks are involved in accidents, the chances of the accident being fatal are high for the occupants of smaller vehicles.
Fatal truck crashes are on the rise
Recent data from the National Safety Council shows that there has been an increase in fatal truck crashes over the last decade. In 2019, there were 5,005 fatal truck crashes, which was a 43% increase since 2010. There was also a 2% increase in fatal truck accidents from 2018 to 2019.
Non-fatal truck accident injuries
Non-fatal semi-truck and 18-wheeler accident injuries have gone up as well. According to the NSC data, there was a 7% increase in truck accident injuries in 2019. The vast majority of both non-fatal and fatal truck accident injuries involved the occupants of other vehicles.
Risk factors in truck accidents
September was found to be the most dangerous month for truck accidents, and the month with the fewest truck accidents was February. Most truck crashes happened during the day, and about 56% of truck accidents occurred on rural roads. Non-interstate roads are the most dangerous roads for truck accidents with 75% of accidents occurring on them.
Liability for truck accidents
If you were injured in a truck accident, you may be able to file an accident injury claim for compensation. There are often several responsible parties in truck accidents since the truck driver is usually an employee. Truck accident victims might name the truck driver, the trucking company and other parties as defendants in their claim.