Albuquerque Personal Injury Legal Blog

If you get involved in an accident with a semi-truck, there’s a high chance that you will suffer significant injuries. These accidents are very dangerous because even an unloaded semi-truck likely outweighs any other vehicle that it is going to encounter. If the truck is fully loaded, it could weigh up to 80,000 pounds. This makes it much bigger than even the largest SUVs on the road.

When looking at car accidents, the weight of the vehicles is very important. It can play a major role in how the crash occurs. Let’s take a look at two different effects that it may have.

Making injuries more severe

First of all, people in smaller vehicles are more likely to suffer serious injuries in an accident, while those in larger vehicles have more natural protection. This is because a smaller vehicle is going to get pushed backward in a collision. If a truck weighs 80,000 pounds and a passenger car weighs only 4,000 pounds, the passenger car is going to suffer the bulk of the damage – and those inside are most likely to suffer serious injuries.

Increasing stopping distances

Additionally, it’s important to note that a semi-truck has a longer stopping distance than a smaller car. As a rule of thumb, a passenger car takes around 300 feet to come to a stop. A semi-truck will usually take around 525 feet. This means that there are many truck accidents where the driver simply cannot bring the vehicle to a halt in time. If that driver was distracted and didn’t see the traffic stop ahead of them, for example, they may not be able to stop before they rear-end another vehicle.

In other words, semi-trucks make accidents more likely and more serious. If you have suffered injuries or lost a loved one, be sure you know what legal options you have.