New Hampshire Truck Accident Statistics

A large truck is considered any truck with a gross vehicle weight rate that is larger than 10,000 lbs. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 3,757 people were killed and another 88,000 people were injured in 2011 due to auto accidents involving large trucks.

In 2010 the NHTSA found that that approximately 4% of all registered vehicles are large trucks however 8% of fatalities result from large truck accidents. A big truck is more likely to cause a serious or fatal accident than any other type of vehicle.

When an accident is caused by a driver who makes an error or neglects their responsibilities in operating their vehicle, they can be held responsible for the injuries that they cause. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not always make fair offers. When this occurs, you need the assistance of an experienced injury attorney.

How Truck Accidents Occur

When large trucks cause accidents, more vehicles are likely to become involved than in any other type of accident. In fact, the NHTSA found that 80% of large truck fatal accidents involve multiple vehicles.  In 2011, the NHTSA found that 6.7% of all fatal crashes in New Hampshire involved big trucks.

Stopping Short: The NHTSA found that in 45% of fatal truck crashes, both the truck and the vehicle were travelling straight. This likely means that the truck stopped short or failed to use its brake lights, causing the car behind it to hit the truck from behind. This could also result is the opposite situation where the truck rear ended the vehicle after following too close or tailgating.

Failure to Stop: In 8% of fatal truck crashes, the vehicle was hit by the truck while it was making a turn. This suggests that the vehicle slowed down to make a turn and was hit by a truck driver who failed to notice them until it was too late.

Poor Control: Truck drivers who lose control of their vehicles can cause serious injury to other drivers. The NHTSA estimates that 28% of fatal truck accident clients involve vehicles colliding while negotiating a curve. Big trucks can be hard to control, if a driver cannot keep their vehicle in their proper lane, other cars can crash into it or be sideswiped.

Wide Turns: Big trucks require a lot of space to make tight turns. Often, this requires them to swing wide into the other lane. Truck drivers who do not pay attention when they do this can hit oncoming traffic head on. About 29% of fatal truck accidents involving only two vehicles result from head on collisions.

Trucking Accident Injuries in New Hampshire

Because of the size and mass of a truck, it is capable of causing serious injury to a smaller vehicle. A minor accident that causes little visible damage to the truck may lead to serious injury for an occupant of a smaller vehicle.

In 2011, the NHTSA found that 72% of fatalities resulting from truck accidents were suffered by occupants of other vehicles. Another 11% were suffered by non-vehicle occupants such as pedestrians. Only 17% of fatalities were suffered by occupants of the large trucks themselves. In addition, the study found that only 26% of people injured in truck accidents were passengers in the trucks. This means that if you are involved in an auto collision with a large truck, you are more likely to suffer injury or death than anyone in the truck.

Common injuries that can result from a truck accident include:

• Head injuries like concussions or hemorrhages
• Brain damage
• Whiplash or neck injuries
• Back or spine injuries
• Paralysis
• Broken bones
• Cuts, scrapes and bruises

If you experience any of these injuries, you could be hit with steep medical bills, lost wages from missed time at work and more. New Hampshire law states that victims are entitled to be compensated for injuries that they experience due to a driver's negligence.

Call a New Hampshire Truck Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one have been injured in a trucking accident, call us right away. It is important that you speak with an attorney before agreeing to anything with the insurance company. Once you receive a settlement, you will not be allowed to ask for additional compensation.

Make sure that you get all the compensation that you need and are entitled to by calling the attorneys at Russman Law. Attorney Ryan Russman understands personal injury law in New Hampshire and will help you with every step of the process.