Have you ever been next to a semi truck or other large commercial vehicle on the road and felt a bit apprehensive? The sheer size of these vehicles relative to the average passenger vehicle can understandably make motorists and passengers feel vulnerable. This is with good reason as the consequences of collisions involving large trucks can be catastrophic. Just how serious are large truck accidents in Minnesota?
Records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show just how many people die in accidents involving large trucks each year in the state of Minnesota. Looking at the five years spanning 2011 through 2015, it is easy to see that the risk of these crashes is always present. In 2011, there were 52 statewide fatalities in large truck wrecks. That number increased the following two years to 60 in 2012 and 75 in 2013. The 66 deaths in 2014 and the 62 deaths in 2015 were fewer than in 2013 but still more than in 2011 and 2012.
In looking at the area around Hennepin County, NHTSA data shows that Hennepin County far and away led the region with the most large truck fatalities in these same five years with a total of 22 deaths. The neighboring county with the second highest number of deaths in large truck collisions was Scott County. There, a total of 12 people lost their lives over the five years.
If you would like to learn more about getting help after an accident involving a semi truck or other large commercial vehicle, please feel free to visit the truck crash page of our Minnesota personal injury website.