The trucking industry has been consistently associated with a considerable risk of injury or even death for its drivers. However, after reviewing recent reports from the past few years, trucking deaths and injuries are back on the rise after over five years of decline. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), In the reported data from 2019. There was a 1.4 percent increase in truck driver deaths, topping the 831 casualties of the prior year. Trucker deaths have grown steadily since falling off a high of 880 deaths in 2014.
Truck Driver Employment Increases
Despite the recent effects of the pandemic and its perceived toll upon truckers, the trucking industry has grown despite unemployment numbers throughout the 2020 pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), In February 2020, there was a record 1,524,800 trucking jobs in contrast to the new January 2021 trucking jobs estimated to be 1,549,200. While these numbers are great for workers and businesses, this also means more truckers are present on US roadways than previously seen, leading the way for higher numbers of trucking-related injuries throughout the industry.
Truck Driving Facts and Statistics
According to a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in a 2019 accident report on their website:
- A total of 4,119 people died in large truck crashes in 2019.
- Sixteen percent of these deaths were truck occupants.
- Sixty-seven percent of these reported deaths were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 15 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists.
- The number of reported deaths resulting from large truck crashes was 31 percent higher in 2019 than in 2009.
Common Trucking Accident Causes
Trucking accidents are most often caused by speeding passenger vehicles. Smaller passenger vehicles usually try and pass between other cars and truck drivers along highways or long stretches of rural interstates. These passenger vehicles misjudge their speed and distance, colliding with larger tractor-trailers. These collisions then send truck drivers off course, sometimes crashing into other cars and parts of the highway.
Truck Driver Crash Injuries
The injuries usually sustained by truckers after a collision may range from:
- Whiplash.
- Soft tissue damage
- Lacerations
- Burns
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractured bones
- Internal bleeding
- Spinal cord injuries
Suppose you or a loved one suffered an injury from a collision while working as a truck driver. Our expert, Sacramento workers’ compensation attorneys, want to help you obtain the necessary medical treatment and workers’ compensation benefits that you are entitled to under California law. Our representation works on a contingency basis, meaning there are no legal representation fees unless we win your case. To consult with an expert workers’ compensation lawyer at Sacramento Workers’ Compensation Attorneys, P.C., call us at (916) 288-9193 to schedule your FREE no-obligation consultation today.