Tennessee 7th Worst in the Nation for Truck Accidents

Last week, we told you that Tennessee ranked as the 7^th worst in the nation for car accidents and how to protect yourself with uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Unfortunately, Tennessee also ranks 7^th worse in the nation for accidents involving trucks, so this week we have advice for you in the event you are injured by a large truck.

Federal law requires commercial vehicles traveling in interstate commerce to have minimum insurance of $750,000. So whatever you call it, whether it is a semi-truck with a trailer, a bobtail (a semi-truck without a trailer) a tractor-trailer, box truck, a reefer (a refrigerated truck), a dump truck, garbage truck, a cement mixer, lowboy, flatbed, etc., if it is a commercial vehicle traveling in interstate commerce, then it must have a minimum of $750,000 in insurance coverage.

The $750,000 insurance requirement was set in 1980 and has not been raised in 43 years. Of course, the price of everything else during that time has increased substantially including the cost of medical care and wages. Many experts believe that if the federal insurance requirement for large trucks had kept pace with inflation, then the minimum insurance requirement should be $2.2 million instead of $750,000. The size and weight of tractor-trailers typically results in much greater accident severity than a car-to-car collision, so the fact that insurance requirements are not keeping up with reality is a real problem for injury victims.

As we discussed in our blog post of last week, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage can be incredibly helpful in an accident with a tractor-trailer depending upon the amount of your coverage. Beyond insurance, if you or someone you love has been seriously injured in a truck accident, hiring an experienced injury lawyer is critical to a successful legal outcome.

Following a serious accident, major trucking companies or their insurance carrier will often send investigators and lawyers to the scene of the accident. They will be with the truck driver as they are questioned by police, they will talk to witnesses, take photos, etc. Meanwhile, you may be in an ambulance on your way to the hospital. You need someone doing the same thing for you. By hiring a competent lawyer quickly, you reduce the risk of losing valuable evidence that could help your case.

We know that many people do not know where to turn when hiring an injury attorney. Even if you do not hire us (although we hope you will), we want to make sure you find someone experienced and that you can rely upon. For that reason, we have some FAQ pages that we encourage you to read before hiring an injury lawyer:

Even if you are not hospitalized after the accident, there are things that you should know and things that you should do to help improve your chances of being fully compensated for someone’s carelessness. We encourage you to check out these FAQ pages:

As always, we are happy to discuss a potential case with you for free so that you can understand your legal rights and options without paying anything out-of-pocket. So give us a call at one of our three convenient Middle Tennessee locations. While our offices are in Middle Tennessee, we represent truck accident victims across the State of Tennessee from Memphis to Mountain City. Give us a call.

Nashville: 615-669-3993

Murfreesboro: 615-867-9900

Brentwood: 615-867-9900

Toll-Free: 866-812-8787