Atlanta drivers were urged to avoid I-85 on the morning of Wednesday, March 12 following a grisly multi-truck accident in which one person died. One truck overturned and split in half before a second truck crashed, causing traffic in both directions to be shut down. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. More and more horrific big truck crashes are occurring in Georgia.

In a recently published study of 2012 accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that fatalities in accidents involving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds increased nationwide by four percent over 2011:

• 317,000 large trucks were involved in crashes
• 3,921 large truck crashes involved fatalities
• 73 percent of fatalities were occupants of other vehicles, 10 percent were non-occupants and 18 percent were occupants of the large trucks
• 104,000 people were injured in large truck accidents
• 81 percent of fatal crashes are multi-vehicle crashes

While Georgia is eighth out of the 50 states in population density, it was fifth in the nation in the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2012. Large trucks were involved in 149 fatal crashes in the state that year. With icy roads significantly impacting the number of large truck accidents, the winter of 2013 – 2014 could see an even higher percentage.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with a large truck, you need an attorney experienced in handling truck accident cases.