All auto accidents have the capacity to be dangerous and claim innocent lives; however, none are as inherently dangerous as accidents involving 18-wheelers and other large commercial trucks. When passengers of cars, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs, not to mention motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, collide with large trucks, the trucker is far less likely to be killed.
In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 2,485 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in collisions with large trucks in 2014, accounting for 68 percent of the overall deaths in these collisions, while 531 motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians were killed, accounting for another 15 percent. By contrast, 587 large truck occupants were killed, accounting for just 16 percent of the overall deaths.
Even more telling, 72 percent of the large truck accidents that resulted in deaths in 2014 involved 18-wheelers and other tractor-trailer big rigs, while only 28 percent involved single-unit large trucks. Tragically, many of these accidents could have been prevented if not for the negligence of the truck drivers or the trucking companies that simply pushed their employees past the limits of the law in the name of making a profit.
When it comes to handling claims arising from 18-wheeler truck accidents, the Provo, UT personal injury attorneys of Flickinger • Boulton • Robson • Weeks have the resources, skills, and experience to win even the most complex cases. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a collision with a large commercial truck, or if you have tragically lost a member of your family in such an accident, we urge you to arrange for an evaluation of your trucking accident case today.
Proving Negligence in 18-wheeler Truck Accident Cases
In order to obtain compensation for the losses and expenses you have sustained due to your trucking accident-related injuries, it is necessary for our attorneys to provide evidence showing that the truck driver, the trucking company, or both caused the accident through their negligence and therefore are financially liable. To prove negligence, our attorneys must demonstrate that the trucker, trucking company, or both:
- Owed you a duty of care;
- Through their actions or inactions, failed to fulfill that duty;
- As a result of this failure, were either wholly or mostly at fault for the accident in which you were injured, and your injuries were indeed caused by this accident;
- Should therefore be held financially liable, to the degree that they were at fault for the accident, for the losses and expenses resulting from your injuries.
Properly identifying which party or parties are responsible for the truck accident is essential to a successful personal injury lawsuit. In some cases, neither the trucker or trucking company is responsible, but rather the designer or manufacturer – or both – of a defective automotive part. Our personal injury attorneys will take definitive action against the liable party only after making absolutely certain that we have explored every angle of the case.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm Today
To arrange an evaluation of your 18-wheeler truck accident case, please contact the law firm of Flickinger • Boulton • Robson • Weeks today.