Truck accidents can and do frequently cause fatalities. Due to their size and power, when truck accidents collide with cars or even buildings, they can kill a person inside. In a pedestrian accident involving a truck, the pedestrian’s chances of survival are sometimes quite small. In addition to fatalities, however, trucking accidents can cause a number of serious and permanent injuries:
1) Brain injuries. A collision involving a car and truck can cause the car to rollover or travel at very high speeds. This can cause a passenger’s head to whip around, causing brain injury as the brain bumps against the hard surface of the inner skull. In a collision, a passenger’s head may also come into violent contact with a hard surface – such as a dashboard – causing a brain injury.
2) Broken bones. The impact of a car-truck collision can cause passengers in the car to the thrown about inside of the vehicle. As well, any unsecured objects in the car can become projectiles, forcibly smashing against passengers. In both cases, bones can easily break under the impact.
3) Spinal cord injuries. When a truck and car collide, passengers of the vehicle may be thrown from the car or may be crushed inside the vehicle if the car is smashed. In both cases, the spinal cord can become damaged, leaving the passengers unable to walk.
4) Amputations. Objects can become airborne in a car accident involving a truck, and when objects have sharp edges, they can amputate limbs if these objects come into direct contact with a passenger’s limbs. As well, if a passenger sustains very serious injuries in a trucking accident, doctors may be unable to save a limb.
5) Burn injuries. If a truck is carrying flammable substances, these substances can easily ignite in an accident, if the accident produces sparks. In a serious accident, even the truck’s own fuel can ignite. Depending on what the truck is transporting, a fire can quickly get out of control, causing burn injuries to the driver and anyone nearby.