Shreveport Injury Lawyer > Blog > Truck Accident > Large Trucks and Pedestrians: New Study Addresses Serious Harms

Large Trucks and Pedestrians: New Study Addresses Serious Harms

For years, it has been clear that large trucks and SUVs can cause devastating harm to smaller motor vehicle occupants and pedestrians when collisions occur. Indeed, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) underscore, large trucks can be especially deadly given their ground clearance, which can result in “underride” accidents with deadly results. Given that tall trucks and SUVs are also much heavier than smaller passenger vehicles, they can present additional risks of harm when crashes happen in Shreveport and throughout Louisiana. According to a recent study reported in Reuters, tall trucks and SUVs are “45 percent deadlier to US pedestrians” than other types of vehicles when collisions with pedestrians occur.

Our experienced Shreveport truck and car accident lawyers can provide you with more information about the study, and what you need to know if you need to file a claim for financial compensation after a collision.

Trucks and SUVs Are Deadlier to Pedestrians Than Other Vehicles

Motor vehicle collisions involving pedestrians are often devastating. Whether a pedestrian is attempting to cross a street in a crosswalk or is struck by a motor vehicle while walking for exercise or transportation, the consequences are frequently debilitating and deadly. According to Reuters, the likelihood of a deadly collision involving a motor vehicle and pedestrian rises significantly when the vehicle is a tall truck or an SUV.

When trucks and SUVs have hood heads of more than 40 inches, they are “45 percent more likely to cause fatalities in pedestrian crashes than shorter vehicles with sloped hoods,” according to Reuters. That information comes from a new study conducted by the IIHS, which relied on data from about 18,000 crashes that have occurred recently. The study aimed to address the rising rate of pedestrian deaths across the country, and it attributes that increase — at least in part — to the rising number of tall trucks and SUVs on the roads.

Filing a Truck Accident Claim After a Pedestrian Injury

If a pedestrian is injured or killed in a collision with a truck or an SUV, what steps need to be taken to seek compensation? It is important to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer in Shreveport who can determine whether you should begin with an insurance claim, a personal injury lawsuit, or a wrongful death lawsuit.

Claims generally have a one-year statute of limitations under Louisiana law.

Contact a Shreveport Truck Crash Attorney for Assistance with Your Case

Pedestrians are at risk of serious injury anytime they are attempting to share the road with vehicles, but as a recent study in Reuters underscores, pedestrians are at much greater risk of injury from tall trucks and SUVs. If you or somebody you love sustained serious or deadly injuries in a collision involving a large truck or an SUV, it is important to seek legal advice. You could be eligible to file a claim against the at-fault driver and seek compensation for losses.

One of the experienced Shreveport’s large truck collision lawyers can speak with you today about your options for filing a claim. In some circumstances, you may be able to file a claim against a negligent truck or SUV driver in addition to other parties with deeper pockets. We can help you to determine liability and to get started on your claim today.

Sources:

iihs.org/topics/large-trucks

reuters.com/world/us/tall-trucks-suvs-are-45-deadlier-us-pedestrians-study-shows-2023-11-14/

By Rice & Kendig, LLC | Posted on April 9, 2024

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