Chicago Accident Lawyer Blog
Working as a truck driver is difficult and dangerous job. The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries reveals that between 2015 and 2016 all fatal work injuries in the United States jumped by 7%. Reviewing the Census, the Chicago truck accident attorneys at Zneimer & Zneimer noted that driving a truck is a dangerous jobs, with increasing numbers of fatal injuries. In 2016, for example, in transportation and material moving occupations fatalities increased by 7 percent from the year before. The 2016 count is highest since 2007 and accounts for more than one-quarter of all work-related fatalities in the United States. There were 24.7 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers in 2016. The industry employs approximately 3 million drivers, the most jobs in this very dangerous field.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s research a number of factors contribute to fatal highway crashes of truckdrivers, including: the type of truck, whether it was maintained, the time of day, and the weather conditions. According to the DOL, two-thirds of truck driver fatalities involved a driver behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer truck. Incidents involved brake failure, road, and weather conditions.
Important factor contributing to truck driver fatalities is driver fatigue. Data shows that approximately one-third of the fatalities occurred between 12 a.m. and 8 a.m. when the body naturally wants to rest, and almost half occurred during standard work hours, between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On average approximately 200 truckdrivers were fatally struck by vehicles while out of their trucks; half of these occurred during hours of twilight or darkness, 4 p.m. to 8 a.m., but almost half were fatally struck during the day.
Half of the nonfatal injuries to truck drivers involved serious back sprains and strains, as a result of loading and unloading, sometimes expected of truck drivers. Strenuous activity following hours of sitting without time to warm up the muscles contributes to the injuries. Awareness of proper lifting techniques and availability of lifting equipment can decrease these types of injuries.
If you are a truck driver injured in a truck accident, contact the Chicago truck accident lawyers. Navigating the different entities and transportation regulations involved includes dealing with layers of complexity at a time when the stress is already very high from the trauma. Call our law office if you need help.