Summary of Vehicle Accident Facts

The following information covers in greater depth personal injuries due to truck, auto, commercial vehicle or plane crashes. If you believe you or a loved one has suffered serious personal injury in accident involving any form of transportation, call Janet, Jenner & Suggs at 1-877-692-3862 or fill out the case information form.

With 18-wheelers and large trucks weighing as much as 80,000 pounds, the vast difference in size and weight makes regular four wheel automobiles especially vulnerable when involved in collisions with these vehicles. In two-vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles and large trucks, 98 percent of the highway fatalities are occupants of the passenger vehicle, according to the National Highway and Traffic Administration.

In addition to the inherent dangers involved with size and weight, trucking companies often impose unreasonable delivery deadlines on their drivers. The pressure to deliver often means that trucks are not maintained in the best shape-this comes from the logic that any truck that is off the road is not making the company money. Though there are Federal rules that limit how much weight a truck can carry, many companies exceed the limit. These overweight trucks are even more dangerous. Not only do they take longer to brake and become more prone to roll over in crashes, they also damage roads and bridges at rapidly increasing rates even when slightly overloaded.

To further complicate crash investigations involving these vehicles, there are two sets of rules governing 18-wheelers and large trucks. Interstate federal laws which govern trucks that cross state lines and Intrastate laws, which differ from state to state and govern trucks operating only within the state.

Top reasons for 18 wheeler and large truck crashes

Fatigued, sleepy or tired driver driving too long and too many hours without rest
Overloaded trucks
Truck drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol while driving
Failure to maintain or repair truck
Poorly maintained brakes on the trucks
Driving in conditions of poor visibility due to fog, snow or rain
Truck driver inexperience and lack of ongoing training
Speeding or driving at speeds incompatible with roadway design and/or weather conditions
Running off the road
Failure to yield the right of way
Aggressive driving behavior such as tailgating
Dangerous or reckless truck driver with a long record of wrecks and crashes
Unsafe safety systems, reflectors, lights and other warning devices
Failure of truck to have installed an underside protection underguard

Such large vehicles cannot maneuver as easily as smaller vehicles, meaning that greater care must be taken to create a safe driving environment and avoid collisions with other automobiles. The driver of a large truck has more blind spots as well, making it difficult to see vehicles, pedestrians, and other objects on the road. Also, when trucking crashes do occur, it often becomes difficult for large trucks to stay upright, ultimately causing a greater hazard on the road.

In personal injury cases, the attorneys of Janet, Jenner & Suggs know how to investigate and present cases involving 18 wheelers and large trucks. Our knowledge of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations helps us focus on the facts that bear most directly on the driver’s ability to operate a big rig safely: driver fatigue, inspection and maintenance of the vehicle and trailer, training and licensing considerations, and the driver’s past safety record.

Additionally, our understanding of the trucking industry helps us identify multiple defendants and sources of compensation in such catastrophic injury cases where the limits of a single commercial insurance policy might be insufficient to compensate you and your family for the full range of losses. Our commitment to maximizing the value of your case means that we look beyond the obvious to find all of the defendants who should be held accountable for your loss.

Crash Facts (Large Trucks)

5,190 people were killed in crashes involving 18 wheelers and large trucks in 2004, representing 12 percent of all traffic fatalities. Of these, 77 percent were occupants of another vehicle, 14 percent were large truck occupants, and 8 percent were non-occupants. An additional 116,000 people were injured in those crashes. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) 2005)
Nearly one-quarter of occupant deaths in passenger vehicles that had multi-vehicle collisions were the result of crashes involving large trucks. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Large trucks make up just 4 percent of all registered vehicles and 7 percent of all vehicle miles traveled, but are involved in 11 percent of all crash fatalities. (NHTSA)
The annual death toll from truck-related crashes is the equivalent of twenty-six major airplane crashes every year.
The large number of truck-related deaths and injuries carries an enormous personal and financial price tag. The costs of large truck crashes in a year exceed $19 billion.

Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

Private Vehicle Accidents

People are spending more time on the highways and byways than ever before in all types and sizes of vehicles. With so much time on the road, car crashes seem inevitable, and usually you never see them coming. That is why most states require drivers to carry at least auto liability coverage and uninsured motorist coverage to insure that an injured person will have funds to make them whole again. Insurance and other resources should provide medical care, long-term care, physical therapy and other services, and even replace income lost during the recovery period. Too often, an attorney is needed to make the insurance company do right by injured people.

Top Causes of Auto Crashes
Almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes happen within three seconds by some form of driver distraction, according to the report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The leading causes of distraction are:

Mix these distractions with speeding, aggressive driving, and weather problems and serious crashes occur.

Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Commercial vehicles are owned and operated by companies for their
business and include:

Liability Factors to Consider
When commercial vehicles collide with passenger cars or hit pedestrians, the results can be serious injuries or death for the passengers in both the car and/or the commercial vehicles. Sometimes these crashes are the result of dangerous or defective roadways. Often, however, they are the result of liability on the part of the commercial driver and the company that owns the vehicle. The proof of liability in commercial vehicle crash cases is somewhat different from establishing a case involving private vehicles. Among the factors to consider are:

Aircraft Accidents

There are three basic types of aircraft categories:

Military

Commercial (usually airlines)

General Aviation

Janet, Jenner, & Suggs cases revolve around the General Aviation aircraft which is defined as:

Light, midsize, and large cabin aircraft types
Accommodating from 4 to 18 passengers
Flight range of up to 7,700 miles
Full or fractional jet ownership

Between 70 and 80 percent of all general aviation crashes are attributed to pilot error according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft navigation system and computers are very reliable, if properly maintained, and when a particular part of an aircraft consistently malfunctions, it gets fixed or replaced through service bulletins or airworthiness directives. Unfortunately, human errors are consistent, persistent, and show slow improvement.

Top Reasons For General Aircraft Crashes

About 20 percent of general aviation aircraft crashes result in death. The other 80 percent usually cause serious injuries and loss of property. Prompt investigation and use of forensic resources are critical to the successful litigation of plane crash cases.

Owners of the aircraft are responsible for ensuring the personal safety of their passengers. Manufacturers are liable for damages caused by the airplanes or parts that they make in most cases. The attorneys of Janet, Jenner & Suggs are familiar with the litigation of issues that are likely to arise in a private plane crash lawsuit. Litigation of plane crash claims can be extremely expensive due to our high reliance on expert investigators and witnesses and the complexity of the evidence.

Boating Accidents

Boating collisions occur largely because people underestimate the dangers of boats. Typically powerboats such as runabouts, cabin cruisers and jet skis are the most common watercraft to be involved in boating crashes.

Serious boating injuries include:

Even if injuries from the boating crash appear minor it is advised to seek a medical evaluation. Often times, an injury from a boating crash may be underestimated and the boating crash injury can later cause continued pain, further injuries, and essentially more financial burdens. In the event that a death has resulted from a boating crash, the survivors can file a wrongful death suit.

When handling a maritime case, the attorneys of Janet, Jenner & Suggs use their 30 years of experience and resources in the investigation and preparation of your case including the determination of financial damages. That means going beyond the boat operator, passengers, eyewitnesses or boating safety experts. Among the attorneys and legal staff of JJS are a physician and nurses, who work with the injured parties attending health care professionals including emergency room physician, orthopedic surgeon, or therapists. This information helps help determine the extent of the injuries and what future medical care and treatments will need to be provided for or, in the case of death, how the family should be compensated.

Types of Boating Crashes

—Source: US Coast Guard