A huge amount of commercial trucks come through Northwest Indiana. The amount of semi-truck freight traffic on the roads in Indiana is so high that the Indiana Department of Transportation has reported that 724,000,000 tons of freight is moving along Hoosier routes per year, ranking Indiana as the 5th busiest state for commercial freight traffic. In Illinois, the Chicago metroplex includes more trucker residents than any other city besides New York City and Houston metro area. Every one in seven vehicles on the interstate highways are trucks in the Chicagoland / Norrhwest Indiana areas. The large amount of commercial freight trucks brings a high risk of death or serious injury in a semi-truck crash. The risk of a big rig or tractor trailer accident being fatal is very high.
In Semi Crashes, Passenger Vehicle Occupants Face Greater Risk of Death
Commercial truck drivers and occupants of their rigs are at a risk for dying in a large truck crash. But most fatalities that involve large truck crashes also involve the victims in passenger vehicles. Accident fatalities are the result of disparity between bigger commercial trucks moving at highway speeds, carrying heavy cargo and small vehicles. Semi-trucks can weigh up to as much as 30 times the weight of a 4-wheeler vehicle. Not only are they carrying heavy cargo, but they are significantly bigger than SUVs, pickups, cars, and minivans. Semi-trucks are taller vehicles and have a higher ground clearance.
Blind Spots Contribute to the Danger
These big trucks are driven by truckers that must know how to operate their big rigs with blind spots on each side of their vehicle. A blind spot is a part of the road that the truck driver cant see part of by looking out of the windows, windshield, or by checking the side or rearview mirrors. The commercial truck design prevents the driver from seeing a large amount of the area that is surrounding the vehicle. On a large commercial truck, there are four blind spots in the front of the truck, under the window of the driver’s side, in the rear behind the trailer, and on the right side of the truck extending down the side to the end of the trailer. Even the most experienced and prudent truck drivers will have gaps in their line of vision where even other trucks, passenger busses, and RV’s will be hard to see when in blind spots. This is a huge hazard for truckers when they are being parked, backing up, changing lanes, and driving on interstate highways.
Semi-Truck Accidents Caused by Blind Spots
Blind spot accidents are more common when a tractor trailer or semi-truck is merging from one lane into another during entering or exiting a roadway ramp. When road hazards obstruct lanes or when large trucks enter or exit a construction work zone, blind spot accidents are also common. Blind spot merging accidents usually involve a semi-truck colliding with a passenger vehicle. When a passenger vehicle is positioned right of and to the front of the semi-truck and close to the trucks big bumper, its in one of the truck’s blind spots which is in an area of 11 feet behind the front bumper to 12 feet in front of the bumper. When a blind spot collision happens between the truck and the passenger vehicle, it usually results in a sideswipe or the smaller vehicle rolls over completely depending on the weight and speed of the vehicles involved in the accident.
If you or a loved one has been hurt or injured in a Semi Truck accident – contact an experienced Merrillville personal injury lawyer for help. There are NO FEES unless we collect damges for you.
The personal injury attorneys at Moseley & Martinez can help you get the compensation and justice you deserve! CALL NOW!