According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 18% of the 400 000 annual truck accidents across the country are rear-end crashes. In about 70 000 of these truck crashes each tear, it is either the truck that rear ends the other vehicle or the vehicle that rear-ends the truck. Rear-end Miami truck accidents can be especially devastating when the truck rear ends a passenger vehicle. The size and force of the truck can crush much of the vehicle and cause devastating injuries to those inside the car.
However, truck collisions in which the car rear ends the truck can also be very devastating. These accidents can cause a underride accident, in which the car slides entirely under the truck and is dragged along until the truck comes to a complete stop. These Miami car accidents tend to cause fatalities and serious injuries, since the top of the car can be completely crushes or even sheared off, causing devastating injuries to those inside the passenger vehicle. In fact, according to the FMCSA, trucks struck cars in about 28 000 accidents each year, while 42 000 nationwide truck rear-end accidents were caused by passenger vehicles striking trucks. Nevertheless, there were more fatal accidents in cases where the vehicle rear-ended the truck. There are 271 truck accident fatalities in accidents involving a truck rear-ending a car, compared to 461 fatalities in cases where the car struck the truck.
Underrides contribute to many of the accident fatalities. Another reason why these types of accidents are especially fatal is because passengers sitting in the front of a car are more protected when a truck strikes the rear of the vehicle – the truck must move from the trunk and through the rear passenger seat to harm the driver and front-seat passenger. In a collision where a car strikes a truck, there is only the hood and windshield of the car protecting passengers. This is especially a concern since passenger car drivers are more likely to rear-end a truck than trucks are to rear-end a passenger car.
Fully-loaded commercial trucks can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds or more. In a Miami traffic accident, these vehicle have a great deal of force, which can easily crush pedestrians and smaller vehicles. In Miami truck accidents involving speed, the kinetic force of a commercial truck is much larger and the instances of serious injury of fatality are therefore more common. While it is possible to walk away from a low-speed Miami truck collision with few injuries, when that same collision involves speed it is far more likely that the passengers of the car will have serious injuries.
If you have been injured in a Miami truck crash, contact the Flaxman Law Group to schedule a free, no obligation consultation. The legal team at the Flaxman Law Group has been able to secure recovery and settlements for thousands of South Florida personal injury victims. After your accident, put decades of experience to work for you – contact the Flaxman Law Group to learn about your rights and options.