Package Delivery

TRUCK ACCIDENTS

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives in countless ways, including broken supply chains and how goods and services are distributed to the consumer. The “new normal” is driving e-commerce sales to an all-time high, and demand for quick shipping has increased the volume of large trucks*, covering more miles and regrettably more truck accidents. Statistics collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report in 2020, 4,965 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks, with seventy-one percent of the fatalities being occupants in other vehicles.

Trucks are considered large, medium, or heavy trucks, excluding buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds, many weighing at least twenty-five times the weight of a car. Source, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Truck accidents are caused by the overall size and weight of the truck, driver fatigue due to unrealistic schedules, increased vehicle speed to meet demand, weather, and distracted driving. Like motor vehicle crashes, the at-fault party is determined based on negligence to exercise reasonable care on the road resulting in physical or financial damages to another person.