Birmingham Alabama Lawyers - Tractor Trailer Accident Attorneys

Have you sustained injuries or lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident involving a tractor trailer truck? It is disturbing, yet quite frequent, the amount of accidents that involve 18-wheeler trucks and the Law Offices of Cicio & Cicio, P.C. will be here to guide you through this difficult time following your accident or loss of a loved one.

Every 16 minutes, a person is killed or sustains injuries in accidents involving 18-wheeler, tractor trailers or semi-trucks.

Tractor Trailer Trucks / 18-Wheeler Accident Statistics:

- In 2001 in the U.S., 429,000 large trucks were involved in traffic wrecks, fatal and minor, in which 4,793 were involved in fatal wrecks, 5,082 people died and 131,000 were injured.

- In 2003 there were 58,512 total vehicle accidents involved in fatal accidents in the U.S., 4,669 were large trucks involved in fatal truck accidents.

- In 2002, the majority of large truck crashes occurred in good weather (71%), on dry roads (71%), during the daytime (75%) and on weekdays (88%).

- Approximately 27% of all large truck drivers involved in fatal truck accidents in the U.S. had at least one prior speeding conviction compared to 19% of the passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal wrecks.

- From 1992 to 2002, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes has increased by up to 10% due to unsafe vehicle operation, defective equipment, fatigue and large or unstable loads.

- Defects contribute to a large amount of tractor trailer truck accidents each year; 80 wrecks due to tires/wheels, 76 wrecks due to brake problems, 52 wrecks due to engine/transmission problems and 13 crashes due to steering wheel problems.

- Approximately 700 tractor trailer truck drivers and passengers in the cab of trucks die each year.

- 98% of the deaths involving tractor trailer trucks and passenger vehicles occur to the people in the passenger vehicles.

- A recent survey reports that 64% of fatal semi truck crashes had one trailer attached; 32% of those involved semi trucks (no trailer).

- The primary causes of all accidents with tractor trailer truck involvement was failure to yield right of way -1055 wrecks; tailgating - 944 wrecks; misjudged stopping distance - 689 crashes; unseen person, object or vehicle - 498 wrecks; improper lane change or use - 328 wrecks; avoiding animal, object or person - 266 wrecks; failure to heed sign/signal - 264 wrecks; driving too fast for conditions - 251 wrecks; driving under the influence - 214 wrecks; improper backing - 189 wrecks; speeding - 143 wrecks; improper turn - 137 wrecks; ran off road - 136 wrecks; defective equipment - 114 wrecks; driver losing control - 111 wrecks; fatigue/asleep - 105 wrecks; improper passing - 63 wrecks; crossing median/centerline - 57 wrecks; all others - 1363 wrecks.