Truck Accident FAQs

In Utah, if you have been involved in a truck accident, you have four years to file a claim against the party responsible for your accident. If you do not file a personal injury claim within this time period, you will lose your right to be awarded compensation. It is wise to begin your claim as soon as possible after the accident. This is because evidence crucial to your victorious claim could be lost soon after the accident, including skid marks and damaged vehicle parts. The sooner you start your claim, the higher your chances are of recovering the compensation you deserve.

There is an array of reasons for truck accidents. Some of the most common include: overloaded or oversized trucks, inexperience or lack of truck driver training, poorly maintained brakes, aggressive or fatigued drivers, unsafe warning devices like lights or reflectors, speeding or failure to yield, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and adverse driving conditions like fog, rain and snow.

Semi-trucks are a constant on the road, so accidents involving these large vehicles are more common than you may think. Most people are unaware of the frequency of accidents because the majority of incidents in Utah—78 percent—take place in rural areas. In the United States each year, about half a million tractor trailers are involved in a passenger car or other semi-truck collision. Statistics reveal that a driver or passenger of a private is killed or injured every 16 minutes. Of those approximate 500,000 incidents, about 5,000 are fatal. In the grand scheme of traffic accident fatalities, truck accidents account for one out every eight deaths. In Utah alone, there are about 18 fatal truck accidents and over 900 non-fatal truck accidents annually.

Mainly the size and weight of semi-trucks makes them especially hazardous. Because trucks can weigh up to 30 times more than passenger cars, their ability to break, accelerate and maneuver takes much longer. Blind spots, or “no-zones,”also make semi-trucks dangerous on the road. Because of their wide dimensions, a truck must deal with large blind spots on each side of his or her vehicle that make it difficult to see surrounding cars. If a driver does not look carefully into these blind spots through mirrors, passenger cars can not be seen, and are at risk of becoming involved in an accident.If you or someone you love was injured in a truck accident, you probably have questions. The attorneys at Craig Swapp & Associates can answer those questions and help you decide what course of action is right for you. We can help you recover the damages you deserve. Please contact our office today for a free consultation. One call, that’s all.