Seventy-two percent of all the freight in the U.S. is moved by tractor-trailer (also known as a semi-truck, big rig, 18-wheeler, etc.). At any given time in America, there are an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 tractor-trailers actively on the road. But while these large vehicles play a vital role in the country’s economy, they also pose a great risk to the other vehicles they share the roadways with. A fully-loaded semi-truck can legally weigh 80,000 pounds. Compare that to the 3,000 to 4,000 pounds that the average passenger vehicle weighs and it’s easy to understand how deadly a collision between a big rig and a car can be for the car’s occupants.

According to data compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), tractor-trailers are involved in more than 500,000 accidents annually in the United States, with 107,000 of those crashes resulting in injury and 5,000 causing one or more fatalities. It’s estimated that 1 in 10 highway deaths involve a semi-truck. And it’s not just their size and weight that makes big rigs so dangerous, their operators are often under intense pressure to make deadlines, causing them to exceed speed limits and drive while fatigued.

Crashes involving tractor-trailers are more likely to result in serious injury or death than collisions between passenger vehicles. If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a semi-truck accident, the experienced attorneys at Attain Law can represent you and your family in seeking the justice you deserve.