Truck Accidents in Lackawanna County
Each year, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) releases a crash report to show exactly how car accidents have impacted the state during that year. Statistics from the recent 2018 report allows us to look at accident data based on the type of vehicles involved in the crash, as well as its location. Looking at the numbers reported by the DOT, truck accident lawyers at the Foley Law Firm can help our Scranton, PA, clients build a case against parties responsible for truck accidents in Lackawanna County.
Truck Accidents across the State
In the 2018 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics, the DOT breaks down the state’s yearly accident data based on the type of vehicles involved in each crash. During 2018, trucks made up a notable percent of the state’s total car accidents. While passenger vehicles accounted for the majority of the accidents for the year, vehicles classified as light trucks, vans, or SUVs were not far behind. In 2018, 50.7 percent of the state’s total car crashes involved light trucks, vans, or SUVs, amounting to 65,157 collisions.
Heavy or commercial trucks were the third most common type of vehicle to be involved in a crash. However, the percentage of the state’s car crashes involving heavy trucks was significantly lower than light trucks and passenger vehicles. The DOT reports that there were 7,336 crashes involving heavy trucks in 2018, which makes up 5.7 percent of the state’s crashes for the year. Considering that far fewer heavy trucks are on the road, this number is to be expected.
Truck Accidents Numbers for Lackawanna County
The 2018 crash report records 2,687 car crashes in Lackawanna County for the year. Our Stroudsburg clients may be curious to know how many of these involved trucks. Unfortunately, the crash report does not classify which types of car accidents occurred in each county, so we cannot say exactly how many of these crashes involved trucks.&
However, assuming that the 50 percent of the state’s yearly car accidents that involved light trucks, vans, or SUVs also applies to the county, we can estimate that close to 1,300 of the accidents in Lackawanna County also involved these types of vehicles. If the percentage of heavy truck accidents in the state are consistent with those in Lackawanna County, then perhaps about five percent of accidents in Lackawanna County involved heavy trucks, totaling to about 134 separate incidents.
Truck Accident Fatalities
The number of heavy truck accidents that took place in 2018 may not seem particularly high. But it is important for our Wilkes-Barre clients to understand that these accidents can be particularly dangerous. Heavy trucks are larger and heavier than most other vehicles on the road, so they cause fatalities in a disproportionate number of cases. While heavy trucks made up just 5.7 percent of the state’s yearly accidents, they accounted for 118, or 10.7 percent of the state’s fatal crashes. This statistic alone should highlight just what a threat heavy trucks pose to drivers and passengers in Lackawanna County and across the state.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a truck accident, you should work with the truck accident lawyers at the Foley Law Firm to find out if you have the grounds to file a lawsuit. To discuss your case with our attorneys, send us a message at your earliest convenience or call (570) 342-8194 to schedule a consultation.
