Big Rig vs. Train: Accident Highlights Threats Posed by 18- Wheelers
When we talk about big rigs on the road, we use lots of statistics to illustrate the dangers they pose. The numbers don’t do the issue justice; 3,413 people died in large truck crashes in 2010, 72% were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, 9 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths involve large commercial trucks while those trucks account for only 4% of all registered vehicles. Statistics can be staggering, but they don’t tell the whole truth.
Numbers are just numbers
Saying that big rigs are dangerous and heavy is all well and good, because they are. Saying that a fully loaded tractor-trailer weighs 80,000lbs is impressive because it’s a large number, but large numbers lose meaning. Even 40 tons doesn’t have much meaning because we’re not used to dealing with that much weight. It’s the equivalent of more than 23 average passenger vehicles, but that weight is squeezed into one-third of the volume needed to fit those 23 cars and trucks. They’re heavy.
How heavy? An unattended commercial truck rolled down hill in Kansas at low speed; it bent the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill. The bend in the tracks caused the derailment of a passenger train. More recently, an 18-wheeler got stuck on a railroad crossing in Rayville, LA. The driver was unable to warn an oncoming train and the engineer was admitted to a local hospital. The engineer, in the relative safety of a massive train, was injured when the train struck a big rig. If train passengers are injured in an 18-wheeler collision, what chance do the passengers in a car have?
People aren’t statistics
The fact of the matter is that those percentages up top aren’t just statistics; they’re people with significant others and children and brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers. Three thousand, four hundred and thirteen people were killed. Each and every one of those deaths affected dozens of family and friends who lost someone forever. When you deal with the reality of statistics on a daily basis, large numbers take on a whole new meaning. A client that is grieving for a family member is one of a group of thousands of people, and the ranks swell with each passing year. Their numbers are legion.
When big rigs are involved in accidents, lives change in an instant. At McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, we fight for victims and their families every day. If your family has suffered injuries or loss in a commercial truck accident, we can help. Contact the experienced South Carolina commercial truck accident attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, today, or call 803-327-7800. We can help get you the compensation you deserve.
Randy is the former President of the South Carolina Association for Justice. He has been certified by the American Board of Professional Liability as a specialist in Medical Malpractice Law which is recognized by the South Carolina Bar. Randy has also been awarded the distinction of being a “Super Lawyer” 10 times in the last decade. He has over 25 years of experience helping injured people fight back against corporations, hospitals and wrong-doers.
Read more about S. Randall Hood