Large Truck Accident Data

Large truck collisions cause about five percent of the deaths and injuries in Oklahoma motor vehicle crashes each year, according to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO). Both OHSO and the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) collect state and national large truck accident data, and the numbers can be revealing.

In 2010, Oklahoma saw 1,873 death- or injury-causing large truck accidents. Nationwide, about 83,000 large truck collisions caused death or serious injury in 2010. Oklahoma, therefore, accounted for about 2.2 percent of the U.S.'s large truck crashes causing injury or death.

Large Truck Accident Injuries

About 72 percent of collisions in the state involve two or more vehicles - often, a large truck and a passenger car. Anyone involved in a large truck crash can be injured, whether they're in the truck or in another car. However, occupants of passenger vehicles are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when a crash occurs.

In 2010, 67 passenger car drivers or passengers lost their lives in Oklahoma large truck accidents. Another 478 passenger car occupants suffered incapacitating injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. And 618 passenger car occupants suffered minor or moderate injuries. In total, 1,260 people suffered injuries.

In comparison to passenger car occupants, drivers and passengers in large trucks suffered much lower rates of death and injury. In 2010, fifteen large truck occupants were killed in crashes. Incapacitating injuries afflicted 75 drivers, and 454 truck drivers suffered non-incapacitating, moderate, or minor injuries. In all, 529 truck drivers were injured - less than half of the number of passenger car occupants injured.

People Involved in Large Truck Crashes

Since all large truck wrecks involve a truck driver, it's not surprising that truck drivers make up the single largest category of people involved in large truck accidents. In 2010, 3,641 truck drivers were involved in accidents. About 2,000 of these drivers were male, and the rest were female. Drivers between the ages of 21 and 30 were most likely to be involved in crashes.

The second largest category of people involved in large truck collisions were occupants of passenger vehicles, including about 1,001 individuals. This groups included individuals ranging in age from newborns to people in their 90s, but the single largest age range was drivers and passengers between 16 and 20, followed closely by drivers and passengers ages 21 and 30. Studies have shown that teen drivers are at a special risk for injury in large truck crashes because they lack the experience to accurately predict the particular needs of large trucks.

In 2010, fourteen people who were not in a motor vehicle at the time of the accident were injured. These included primarily pedestrians, though bicyclists were also involved.

Protecting Your Rights, Holding Negligent Parties Liable

Large truck accidents can cause serious injuries, and you don't always have to be in another car to suffer harm. The Oklahoma large truck accident attorneys at Maples Harrison Zeaman PLLC are compassionate and dedicated and can help you build a strong, aggressive case that fights for the compensation you need while still protecting your legal rights. Call us today at (405) 705-5050 for a free, confidential case evaluation.