When highway truck collisions occur in Washington, it rarely ends well for the smaller vehicle. The severity of accidents involving large commercial vehicles has a lot to do with their massive size compared to a passenger car. A fully loaded 18-wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, compared to 4,000 pounds for the average passenger vehicle. At high speeds, this size difference bears heavily on the severity of the impact as well as the secondary injuries that result.
When the truck is carrying hazardous material, such as industrial waste, or petroleum, a post-impact fire or explosion will often contribute to catastrophic secondary injury or death. Other factors that make truck accidents more traumatic is the frequency of high-speed collisions and a truck’s tendency to jackknife.
How fires spark during or after a truck accident
There is a correlation between fire ignitions during a collision and high-speed impact, as a majority of such accidents occur on our nation’s highways. In 2018, 212,500 vehicle fires occurred in traffic accidents, and collisions were the leading cause of these fatal motor vehicle or truck fires.
Many fires in car accidents begin near the fuel tank or the fuel line, and many mechanical failures or malfunctions may also lead to passenger vehicle fires. The primary source of ignitions in large truck and buses collisions is different, however, and the severity of the resulting fire greater.
Most of these fires start from the ignition of a tire, and the causes can be an uninflated or flat tire, or from brake or wheel bearing failures. The greater weight and much larger fuel tank of commercial vehicles make post-crash fires much more likely for large trucks, which are responsible for 14% of all post-crash fires.
The aftermath of a catastrophic truck accident
When someone has suffered traumatic injury from a truck accident, getting insurance companies to pay claims can be challenging. Because the potential injury and damage in such accidents is so great, federal laws mandate that truck operators and companies purchase very significant liability coverage that is higher depending on the commodities transported.
If the accident was due to negligence on the part of the driver or other parties, such as the hiring company, equipment manufacturer, or cargo loader, it is essential to have a detailed investigation to determine the underlying causes. An examination of potential claims will determine how much the victim or their family may recover for damages or loss from medical and rehabilitative expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, or funeral costs.
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