Truck Crashes

Last week I did a deposition, a long deposition in a truck crash case. We’ve done a lot of depositions in those and
other cases. And I thought I’d talk a little bit about truck crash cases and why they can be so devastating to people in
cars. The forces involved in truck crash cases are astounding. A tractor-trailer weighs typically between 40,000 and
70,000 pounds laden, and cars are between 3,000 and 7,000 pounds, and force equals mass times acceleration, so the force
involved with a tractor-trailer going down the highway, a 60,000-pound tractor-trailer hitting another car or having a
car glanced a side of it, it’s like swatting a fly.

So, if a car comes and hits the side of a tractor-trailer, it’s going to be almost no force, negligible force on the
part of the tractor-trailer. Differently, if a tractor-trailer crashes sideways into a car, then it is only going to
slow that tractor-trailer down, maybe one or two miles an hour, a very, very little force change for a tractor-trailer.
That’s why we have so many safety rules for tractor-trailers. That’s why there are commercial driver’s license, federal
and state regulations, regulations about speed, about how long they can drive before they have to rest, the equipment on
there, how often they have to inspect the equipment. There are a whole host of regulations that truckers have to abide
by.

I’ve represented truckers. I’ve just settled a case the other day for one, and I’ve been asked to represent them
numerous times, but when truck drivers or trucking companies violate the rules of the road and act unsafe and injure or
kill folks, we represent folks in those cases as well and we have, many times.

The challenge in driving, and it’s summer now. People are getting on the road for their summer vacations. You know, the
three highest months of incidents of truck crashes and car crashes are August, July and June. We talk about safety. I
have videos on safety. We have newsletters on safety, and so especially in driving in the summer months or with your
family, drive defensively, be careful of those truck drivers. They carry a lot of mass, they work long hours, and they
work hard, and sometimes they’re not attendant to what they should be doing.

If you have any questions about truck, the forces involved, the physics, truck law liability, anything about trucking
accidents, give me a call, Burger Law, Gary Burger is my name. I’m at 314-542-2222, or at 866-599-2222, and Illinois at
618-272-2222, and at www.burgerlaw.com. Thank you.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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