Truck accidents can cause significant and serious injuries and harm that may extensively impact the lives of victims and their families. During 2012, there were 333,000 large trucks involved in truck accidents. That same year, nearly 4,000 victims were killed in truck accidents and 104,000 victims were injured in truck accidents.
The number of victims killed in truck accidents in 2012 increased by 4 percent from 3,781 in 2011 to 3,921 in 2012. A total of 73 percent of victims killed in truck accidents in 2012 were occupants of other passenger vehicles at the time of the truck accident. From 2011 to 2012, there was a 5 percent increase in the number of occupants of other passenger vehicles killed in truck accidents.
The number of victims injured in truck accidents in 2012 increased by nearly 20 percent from 2011. In 2011 88,000 victims were injured in truck accidents, while the number of victims injured in truck accidents grew by 18 percent in 2012 to a total of 104,000 victims injured in truck accidents. A total of 73 percent of the victims injured in truck accidents in 2012 were occupants of other passenger vehicles at the time of the truck accident.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, trucks were more likely to be involved in multi-vehicle fatal truck accidents than single-vehicle fatal truck accidents. In Utah in 2012, there were 17 large trucks involved in fatal accidents. Truck accidents can, unfortunately, lead to a number of victims and extensive injuries and harm. Victims, and their families, may suffer a variety of different types of harm following a truck accident that can significantly disrupt their lives. Because of the serious nature of truck accidents, legal protections exist to secure the rights of both truck accident victims and their families.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Data, Large Trucks,” Accessed March 12, 2015