What Was the Deadliest Truck Crash in U.S. History?
Any type of car accident is unwelcome, but a collision with a semi-rig truck is especially destructive and will always make the local news. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) collects data about truck crashes and finds that large trucks account for 5% of all registered vehicles on the road. In 2022, 4,764 people will be killed in accidents involving trucks.
There are many reasons why a truck gets involved in an accident, including the following:
- Reckless driving
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Mechanical malfunctions
- Speeding
- Cargo shifting unpredictably
- Poor weather
Any one of those would be a problem when you combine the weight and size of the average truck. If you’ve been involved in a collision with a truck, you need to talk with a skilled attorney specializing in truck accidents.
Top Five Most Devastating Pile-Ups
As with every other country, the U.S. traffic history has many unfortunate accidents involving trucks and fatalities.
Los Angeles
Reaction time is why you need braking distance. That didn’t help the 218 vehicles that crashed into one another when a truck hit a central guard rail. Even though 41 drivers and passengers were injured, no one died. This is another accident attributed to thick fog. When fog happens, everyone needs to slow down.
Alabama
In 1995, on Interstate 10 just outside of Mobile, Alabama, fog from the nearby bay was blamed for a 200-vehicle pile-up that involved many commercial trucks. There were 90 reported injuries and one fatality.
Michigan
When a 193-vehicle collision occurs, like the one that took place on the Galesburg I-94 in January 2015, it is hard to figure out what started it. What is known is that among the vehicles involved, one was a truck carrying acid and another loaded with fireworks. Fortunately, neither of the cargos was compromised.
Texas
You don’t normally think of icy road conditions in Texas, but in February 2021, overnight sleet that coated the highway led to a 133-vehicle pile-up. That list of vehicles included dozens of semi-trucks that complicated the rescue and recovery efforts. When a truck becomes disabled, it often takes a specialized tow truck to pull it off the road. The accident left six people dead and another twelve injured.
Michigan
Even though Michigan residents are used to driving in snowy conditions, apparently, in January 2005, they weren’t prepared for the thick fog along Interstate 96. It is believed that a truck and ten other cars collided with each other. That kicked off a 114-vehicle smash-up that left 37 injured and one 14-year-old boy dead.
Top 5 Deadliest Truck Crashes in U.S. History
California
In 1963, a flatbed truck was transporting 58 Mexican migrant workers through Chualar. The truck was modified to support the workers but without many safety features. It collided with a freight train at a private railroad crossing, leaving 32 of the workers dead.
New Jersey
Bad weather was the cause of the pile-up on the New Jersey Turnpike. It started when several semi-rigs collided and set off a chain reaction of wrecks that left nine motorists dead.
Montana
The worst truck accident in Montana history happened in 1984 when a school bus collided with a fuel tanker truck in a raging snowstorm. That left nine people dead and 19 others injured. Most of the injuries resulted from the fire caused by the ruptured tanker. According to reports, the tanker driver lost control, and the truck plunged from the opposite side of the highway and into the path of the approaching school bus.
California
In 1982, a gasoline-carrying truck caught fire while traveling through a tunnel. The result was seven fatalities. The cause was a female drunk driver who lost control and crashed into the tanker truck.
Georgia
In 2002, heavy fog descended on Interstate 75, causing two tractor-trailer trucks to collide with each other. That forced the lead truck to cross over the median and collide head-on with other vehicles. In an instant, 125 cars crashed into each other, and four people were killed.
If someone in your family was killed in a truck accident, you might be able to pursue a wrongful death claim against the truck driver and the company who hired them. The attorneys working with the Trucking Injury Law Group understand the challenges with these types of truck accident cases. We have a proven track record of success in helping clients find a measure of relief through reasonable compensation. Don’t let accidents like these go unanswered.
