Hundreds Of Truck Drivers Killed Each Year In Rollovers

Every year in the U.S., hundreds of truck drivers die in rollover accidents. In a tractor trailer crash, most of the attention goes to the crash victims that are in the other vehicles involved in the accidents. Rollover accidents, however, are especially deadly for tractor trailers.

Rollover accidents account for only 3.3 percent of all large-truck crashes, but they are responsible for more than half of the deaths to drivers of those trucks and passengers in the trucks. There are approximately 300 trucker deaths and 3,000 injuries attributable to rollover crashes each year. Among the 2.6 million truck drivers in America, the leading cause of on-the-job death is crashes.

Some rollovers are attributable to distracted or exhausted drivers. Many rollovers occur through no fault of the truckers – instead, they can be blamed on increasing gridlock and out of date highways. In January of this year, truck tonnage jumped to an all-time high. However, many of the roads upon which those trucks are driving were made 40 or more years ago. Many of the curves of older highways do not have the banking that is needed for trucks today. In order to fix those issues in all 50 states would take billions of dollars, according to some estimates.

If a tractor trailer rolls over, the truck driver’s odds of dying are increased by 30 times. If the driver isn’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, the odds are even worse – over a third of truck drivers who die in crashes are not buckled up. The National Highway Traffic Safety is currently pushing for mandated electronic stability control systems on large trucks, which it says could save 60 lives a year.

If you are a truck driver and you have been injured in a rollover accident, you may have the legal right to compensation for your damages. Your employer or another party may be financially responsible for your accident.