Two Killed in Rear-End Truck Accident on Texas Highway
A fatal Texas truck accident demonstrates how much damage can be done when a car rear-ends a tractor trailer.

December 04, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Two people were killed this summer in Fort Worth, Texas, in a rear-end accident with a large tractor trailer on westbound Interstate 30. Investigators report that the truck was proceeding slowly in the right lane when the car crashed into it from behind. The impact was so severe that the car became wedged underneath the truck. First responders had to dismantle the car in order to remove the bodies of its occupants. The truck driver was not injured.

Damage Dependent on Who Hits Whom

Sadly, horrific accidents like this are not unique. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, approximately 730 people are killed in rear-end accidents with tractor trailer in the United States each year. Another 4,000 suffer incapacitating injuries.

The scale of a rear-end collision with a tractor trailer usually depends on who hit whom. Accidents involving trucks striking other vehicles occur more frequently and are more likely to involve multiple vehicles. However, rear-end collisions are much more likely to be fatal when they involve another vehicle striking a truck from behind.

These disparities are largely due to the fact that the typical fully-loaded tractor trailer weighs 20 times more than a standard passenger vehicle. When a truck strikes another vehicle, the impact does little to bring the truck to a stop. Instead, it will continue forward, causing a chain reaction with other cars on the road and spreading out the damage over a number of vehicles. Conversely, a car that strikes the back of a tractor trailer will absorb nearly all of the energy from the crash and has a significant probability of becoming mangled underneath the truck.

Alcohol also plays a pronounced role in rear-end truck accidents. Very few accidents involve intoxicated truck drivers striking other vehicles. However, in accidents where a truck is rear-ended, the other driver is intoxicated over 21 percent of the time.

Rear-end accidents with tractor trailer frequently cause serious and life-altering injuries or death. If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney who can help you recover for your losses.

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