ILO Members serving Arnprior

Car drivers and passengers disproportionately injured in collisions involving trucks

According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation of Ontario, approximately 500 people are killed and over 10,000 seriously injured each year in motor vehicle accidents involving heavy trucks in Canada. These incidents account for 20% of all accidents and 5% of all motor vehicle injuries. Interestingly, almost 90% of the injuries and deaths attributable to collisions with heavy trucks occur to people other than the driver of the truck or its passengers. Because of their sheer size and weight, truck collisions often result in the most violent and horrific of all traffic accidents. Anyone seriously injured in a truck collision is recommended to seek help from a personal injury lawyer experienced in truck and other motor vehicle collisions, to best  advance your claim for compensation.

The following is a list of the types of heavy trucks that operate every day on roads in Arnprior and throughout Ontario.  

* 18 Wheel Tractor Trailers

* Package Delivery Trucks

* Garbage Trucks

* Dump Trucks

* Cement Mixer Trucks

* Local Buses and Tour Buses

* Tow Trucks and Service Vehicles

* Other Heavy Vehicles and Heavy Trucks

18 Wheel Tractor Trailer Accidents

The average 18-wheel tractor trailer traveling on the streets and highways of Ontario is 70-80 feet long and can weigh up to 40 tons without an overweight permit and even heavier with one. It takes a truck one and one half times as long to stop as it does an automobile. One of the most serious types of accidents involving 18-wheelers is the "jack knife" accident where the trailer of the truck slides to the left or right of the cab to the extent that the momentum of the trailer causes the driver to lose control of the vehicle causing it to flip and/or run off the road. 

Package Delivery Truck Accidents

With the proliferation of online shopping, companies that run package delivery trucks in the Arnprior area have never been busier. The pressure of delivering packages quickly and faster than the competition sometimes leads to speeding and careless driving resulting in accidents. Package delivery trucks often stop and block a road lane illegally while the driver delivers their package. Unlawful parking on a roadway typically forces traffic and other drivers to maneuver dangerously around them, causing serious auto accidents each year.

Garbage Truck Accidents

Arnprior garbage truck crews have a difficult and hazardous job. Frequently operating in the midst of heavy traffic, garbage trucks start and stop erratically, sometimes 20 or 30 times on each street. People in a hurry to travel to and from work tend to drive around these stopped vehicles rather than wait behind them for each and every stop they have to make.  When drivers pass service vehicles such as garbage trucks, they sometimes find themselves driving directly into oncoming traffic.  Such incidents cause many serious head-on collisions each year in Ontario.

Dump Trucks Accidents

Construction projects are a continuous activity throughout Arnprior, and dump trucks play an important role in transporting dirt, gravel and other building materials to and from construction sites. Because of their sheer mass and height, a collision with a dump truck and an automobile is almost certain to result in catastrophic injuries and very often death to the occupants of the automobile although the driver of a large dump truck often remains unscathed.  As previously mentioned, some 90% of all fatalities in accidents between automobiles and heavy trucks result in the death of someone other than the operator of the truck.

Cement Truck Accidents

Cement trucks, often referred to as "cement mixers" are among  the heaviest motor vehicles on the road. All of the road hazards attributable to dump trucks apply equally to cement trucks; this includes difficulty in seeing behind them when in reverse, slow braking when traveling on the highway at speed, and instability in negotiating curves. Not only do cement trucks sometimes present a road hazard, injuries and death have resulted on the actual construction site as cement is poured.

Local Bus and Tour Bus Accidents

Local Buses are extremely large vehicles that make frequent starts and stops. They can inadvertently cause another vehicle to run off the road or force other drivers to drive temporarily into oncoming traffic. Tour buses that drive long distances can be involved in crashes due to driver negligence like driver fatigue or distracted driving.  Bus accidents are particularly calamitous as they may result in injury or death to 50 or more passengers in one accident alone.

Tow Truck and Service Vehicle Accidents

Tow trucks operate on the streets of Ontario towing disabled or illegally parked vehicles to a mechanic or to an impound area, respectively. The problem with tow trucks is that they are usually picking up cars on the side of the road, either on a shoulder or in a parking space and both situations subject them to being slammed into by oncoming traffic that doesn't anticipate their presence. The danger is so great that some districts have implemented "move over laws" to force oncoming traffic to slow down and move over into the other lane so that tow trucks and service vehicles including police can operate safely.

Other Large Vehicle Collisions on Ontario Roads

The above examples are some of the most common types of trucks that operate on our Ontario streets and highways. Other large vehicles include RV's, Automobile Transport Trucks, Postal Vehicles and smaller Semi-Tractor Trailers. Motor vehicle accidents involving any of these vehicles may cause catastrophic injuries and the companies that operate them are aware of this risk. Most companies are required to keep accurate driver records of the runs that their trucks are operating to ensure, for example, that drivers stay within the mandated number of driving hours per day.

Hire an Experienced Arnprior Truck Accident Lawyer

An experienced truck accident personal injury lawyer knows that in the event of a motor vehicle accident involving a truck, records need to be gathered immediately.  Failure to do so may result in lost or destroyed documentation that is fundamental to your case. Also important are any witness reports or testimony. For this reason, time is of the essence in terms of securing legal representation if you or a loved one have been injured or killed as a result of a truck accident. Arnprior and area residents may call the Personal Injury Lawyers of Ontario (ILO) law office so that we can immediately begin to gather the evidence you'll need to prove negligence in a lawsuit against the owner of the truck and their insurance company.