When a tractor-trailer carrying ore in northeast Nevada crossed the center line and collided head-on with a bus carrying 20 Nevada Gold Mines employees, the accident resulted in the deaths of both the driver of the tractor-trailer as well as a passenger on the bus. All of the people on the bus were taken to the hospital for treatment, including five workers who were in critical condition. Nevada State Patrol officials stated that the 6:30 a.m. accident occurred on Nevada 766 in Eureka County when the southbound truck was rounding a curve.
While accidents involving collisions between a semi-truck and a bus are something you (fortunately) don’t hear about too often, the type of crash they experienced is more common than you might think.
Head-on collisions involving tractor-trailers result in more passenger vehicle occupant deaths every year than any other type of semi-truck accident, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In one recent year, accidents involving a frontal impact to both a commercial truck and a passenger car accounted for 674 passenger vehicle occupant deaths, which is 31 percent of all passenger occupant deaths in truck accidents.
Truck driver error is a common cause of these truck accidents. Some of the ways truck drivers cause head-on collisions include:
The forward motion of both vehicles involved in a head-on collision is what causes this type of accident to be so dangerous. With each vehicle traveling at speed, the force of the impact causes enormous damage. Even a head-on collision at a low speed of 25 miles per hour is dangerous, and the faster either vehicle is traveling, the more dangerous the accident becomes. Adding to that danger is the size discrepancy that often exists between a semi-truck and the vehicle it strikes. A fully-loaded tractor-trailer can weigh as much as 20-30 times more than an average-sized passenger car, often resulting in catastrophic injuries or even death.
In a head-on crash, the body of a vehicle’s occupant gets thrust back and then violently forward into airbags, the steering wheel, or—if the vehicle occupant is not wearing a seat belt—into or through the windshield. As a result, head and spinal injuries often result from these accidents, devastating the lives of accident victims. Other common injuries in head-on truck accidents include:
If you were injured in a head-on collision involving a heavy truck, you may have the right to recover significant compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. In addition to medical expenses, some of the other damages you may be eligible to recover include lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, property damage to your vehicle, pain and suffering and other impacts on your life that your injuries have caused. Contact a Nevada truck accident lawyer who can help you identify the legal options available to you.
Benson & Bingham Accident Injury Lawyers, LLC
626 S 10th St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702-382-9797
Benson & Bingham Accident Injury Lawyers
Summerlin Location
11441 Allerton Park Dr #100
Las Vegas, NV 89135
Phone: 702-684-6900
Fax: 702-382-9798
Downtown Location
626 S 10th St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: 702-382-9797
Fax: 702-382-9798
Henderson Location
9230 S Eastern Ave #155
Las Vegas, NV 89123
Phone: 702-463-2900
Fax: 702-382-9798
Reno Location
1320 E Plumb Lane Ste A
Reno, NV 89502
Phone: 775-600-6000
Fax: 702-382-9798
Joseph L. Benson II, and Ben J. Bingham, Personal Injury Attorneys
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