Missouri and Illinois see higher number of tractor trailer crashes
In data released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Missouri and Illinois are shown to have a higher number of tractor trailer crashes than the national average.
Illinois actually comes in third behind Texas and California for having the most tractor trailer and large truck accidents in the United States.
Missouri had 4,407 total crashes involving a tractor trailer in the last year. This includes fatal Missouri tractor trailer accidents and less serious wrecks. Illinois had 7,156 crashes in the same time span.
When looking at the data, state population clearly has an effect on the number of accidents and for obvious reasons. Sparsely populated states such as Wyoming have less people and fewer trucks so naturally they will have fewer accidents. Even when you adjust for population, however, Missouri and Illinois have accident rates higher than the national average. Both Missouri and Illinois have more tractor trailer crashes than other states of similar size and population.
Many of these crashes didn’t have to happen. They were the product of negligence and if some drivers had been a little more conscious or a trucking company did a better job of inspecting its fleet of vehicles, maybe some of these accidents could have been prevented. Most drivers are responsible, but the ones that aren’t need to be held accountable.
One of the ways to do that is by contacting a Missouri or Illinois truck accident lawyer after a crash. In addition to recovering damages to help you pay back medical bills and lost wages, a personal injury attorney can help send a clear message to the company and maybe prevent future accidents and injuries.
