How common are work deaths among truck drivers?

 Posted on August 25, 2016 in Firm News

When a car and a tractor-trailer truck collide, one generally expects the car and its driver to come out on the wrong end of the stick in terms of injuries or death. Statistics suggest that expectation is reasonable. And when you think about workers dying on the job, most in Illinois probably don't put truck drivers high on the list.

That is not how the U.S. Department of Labor sees things. While many might see firefighting, police work or even construction as the leaders in terms of risky businesses, officials say truck drivers deserve to be counted. By the DOL's numbers, truckers account for one in six of all deaths among U.S. workers every year, and the rate of trucker fatalities is generally on the rise.

Most of the deaths are due to truck accidents on the road. Not only that, but the DOL says truckers tend to suffer more injuries that force them off the road for recovery than all other occupations. In 2014, the number totaled more than 55,000 in the industry. And officials say the nature of the injuries is such that truckers wind up requiring a lot more time to heal.

All this is by way of observing that no one is immune from personal injury. And anyone who does fall victim should be aware they have rights to seek compensation. Whether due to motor vehicle accident, work injury, defective product or some other person's general negligence, receiving the funds that may be required to achieve the greatest level of recovery can be challenging. Working with experienced legal counsel is always advised to be sure that every avenue is pursued to obtain a reasonable settlement.