Truck accidents are so scary for a lot of reasons. Any auto accident is scary, of course. But with smaller vehicles, there is less power and force that goes into the crash itself when compared to an accident that involves a multi-ton, 18-wheel behemoth of a vehicle. Trucks are just far more dangerous when they are involved in a crash than practically any other vehicle. When a truck crash does happen, the victims often suffer debilitating, catastrophic or fatal injuries.

How these accidents happen vary from wreck to wreck. In some cases, it is actually a passenger vehicle or other vehicle that causes the wreck. This can happen for many reasons, such as driving in a truck’s blind spot, quickly changing lanes in front of a truck, braking suddenly in front of a truck, or just operating your vehicle in an unsafe manner near the truck.

But on the other side of the equation, there are plenty of reasons why a truck driver or a trucking company could be at fault for a truck accident. The driver could be negligent due to substance abuse, fatigue, or using a cell phone. The trucking company could be at fault for allowing drivers to circumvent rest laws. And the truck itself could be improperly loaded or maintained, leading to wider questions about liability.

Whatever the reason for a truck accident, the victim deserves justice for the financial and physical harm they suffered.

Source: FindLaw, “Common Causes of Truck Accidents,” Accessed Feb. 27, 2018

1963 was the first year that more than 40,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in the United States. This was a combination of the vehicles becoming more widely used and a dreadful lack of safety equipment available on them. The rules of the road were also much different back then.

However, for nearly three decades the figure stayed above 40,000 deaths per year, and routinely jumped above 50,000 deaths per year. It wasn’t until 1992 that it dropped below 40,000, and then it immediately went back above it the following year, and remained there until 2008.

That was the year of a major change, and ever since the motor vehicle fatality rate has stayed beneath 40,000 deaths per year. It reached a modern era low of 32,479 deaths in 2011, and it seemed poised to remain at these lower levels well into the future. But a funny thing happened: the last two years of recorded data saw dramatic upticks in the number of people dying in car accidents.

No one is entirely sure why it is happening, but in 2016 there were 37,461 motor vehicle accident fatalities.

Of course, distracted driving is an easy culprit to point to, and for good reason. People have become so enamored with their cell phones that using one while driving has become commonplace. It will be interesting to see where the data goes from here, as road laws may need to change to ensure that safety improves.

Source: Wikipedia, “Motor vehicle fatality rate in U.S. by year,” Accessed Feb. 21, 2018

Dogs are man’s best friend, and in most cases they are properly trained pets that adore their owners and love the people that are around them. But in certain cases, the dog may be improperly trained or display vicious and dangerous behavior. These dogs are serious threats to everyone around them, and if they snap and attack, they can cause catastrophic or even fatal injuries to unsuspecting people.

There were 31 fatalities in 2016 that were related to dog bites in the United States. From 2005 to 2016, the number of dog bite-related deaths was 392, and a vast majority of these cases involved a pit bull. Even though pit bulls only make up 6 percent of the dog population in the U.S., they were involved in 71 percent of the fatalities related to dog bites in the U.S. from 2005 to 2016.

This is the first lesson from these statistics: pit bulls are inherently powerful dogs that are often mistreated. As a result, these dogs can lash out at people and harbor aggressive behaviors. When they are involved in a dog bite incident, the possibility of injury and even death is high. Owners of these dogs need to pay special attention to their dogs, train them properly, and ensure they are secured.

The other lesson here is that dog bites affect a lot of people and families every year. These victims need to fully consider their rights and legal position in the wake of an unfortunate dog attack.

Source: Dogbites.org, “2016 Dog Bite Fatalities,” Accessed Jan. 30, 2018