Trucking Accident Overview

Truck Accident Information

Alabama Tractor Trailer Accident Lawyers

Alabama is one of the deadliest states in the nation for truck accidents. Because of the massive force involved, trucking accidents are more likely to result in fatality or serious or catastrophic injuries to the occupants of the passenger vehicle.

The information on this Web site is provided to educate victims, their families, and the public about their rights and issues relating to obtaining compensation in trucking accidents, including:

• Causes of truck accidents and issues of liability
• Insurance issues in the recovery of damages

The experienced Alabama truck accident attorneys at Gulas & Stuckey invite you to a free consultation about personal injury or wrongful death compensation]if a loved one was injured or killed.

Truck Accident Statistics
A fully loaded 18-wheeler weighs as much as 80,000 pounds and the typical car weighs around 5,000 pounds. Even in a low-speed crash, the energy is transferred to the smaller vehicle with terrible results:

• 134 people killed in Alabama truck accidents (2005)
• More than 2,800 people injured (2005)

Alabama's network of highways carries a high volume of truck traffic, resulting in a disproportionate number of trucking accidents. In 2005, more than 10,000 tractor-trailers, dump trucks, buses, ambulances, delivery trucks, and other large commercial vehicles were involved in Alabama motor vehicle crashes.

The majority of accidents — and the vast majority of deaths — occur on Alabama's rural roadways. Gulas & Stuckey, P.C. is familiar with the many deadly highways of this state. Some 45 percent of accidents (and more than half of fatalities) occur on interstates I-10, I-20, I-59, I-65, I-85, I-459, "Malfunction Junction" (the intersection of freeways near Birmingham), US 78 / Corridor X and other U.S. highways. State and county roads, many of them two-lane highways, account for most of the rest. Just 2 percent of fatal truck crashes occur in Alabama cities.

Trucking accidents occur in many forms, and often the truck driver and/or the trucking company are to blame:

• Head-on collisions when truckers cross the center line or fail to yield
• Rear-end collisions when truckers underestimate stopping distance
• Sideswipes (forcing vehicles off the road)
• Overrides (running over cars, as when changing lanes)
• Jackknifed tractor-trailers (shifting load, speed/driver error)
• Tire blowouts (maintenance or manufacturing defect)
• Unsecured freight falling into the path of oncoming or following cars

Truck accidents are more likely to involve multiple vehicles, complicating personal injury claims. You need a law firm that is experienced in the litigation of these complex cases. Based in Birmingham, the semi tractor-trailer accident lawyers of Gulas & Stuckey, P.C. have obtained substantial verdicts and settlements on behalf of victims in Central Alabama and statewide. We promptly investigate and retain experts to reconstruct collisions to maximize your compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss how we can help.