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Large truck crashes increase in 2015

Oklahoma residents might have been more likely to be involved in a fatal accident involving a large truck in 2015 compared to 2014. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that the 4,050 large trucks that were involved in fatal crashes in 2015 represented an 8 percent increase over the previous year. A “large truck” is defined as a vehicle that weighed more than 10,000 pounds.

Large trucks were involved in about 415,000 accidents that were police-reported. Of those, around 1 percent were fatal while about 20 percent left someone injured. More than half of fatal crashes were two-vehicle. Around 1 in 5 fatal crashes involved a truck and either a pedestrian, a cyclist or a person on another non-motorized vehicle.

Of the 3,996 truck drivers who were involved in deadly crashes, 206 were 25 or younger and 211 were older than 65. The number of truck occupant fatalities also increased by 2 percent. Those fatalities were largely the drivers themselves. Rural roads were the site of 60 percent of accidents with 25 percent occurring on interstate highways.

Even if a crash is not a fatal one, a person may suffer catastrophic injuries. Large truck accidents may be particularly devastating because of the size of the vehicle relative to autos. While some accidents may occur because of driver error or behaviors such as drowsy or drunk driving, a crash may also occur because of negligent truck maintenance, faulty parts or other errors for which the company might be responsible. An attorney might be able to negotiate compensation for injured victims who may be dealing with medical expenses, the cost of repairing or replacing their vehicle, and lost wages from work. If this is not successful, a lawsuit might also be a possibility.