You are most certainly aware of the danger that large, commercial trucks pose to the drivers of smaller, passenger vehicles on local roads and highways if they should become involved in a crash, but they can cause even more damage and injuries when they crash into buildings that have people inside of them.
Vehicles-into-building crashes happen with alarming frequency. According to the Storefront Safety Council, about 60 times a day, over 4,000 people are injured and 500 are killed each year when a truck or any other vehicle crashes into a building.
An insurance company developed an infographic to highlight the problem of vehicles-into-building crashes. In 2013, there were zero deaths in the United States from earthquakes, 55 from Tornadoes and 23 from lightning strikes vs. the 500 or more people who were killed in vehicle-into-building crashes. About 23% of these crashes involve retail stores, another 23% commercial buildings, 19% restaurants, 9% convenience stores, 7% office buildings and the 19% are various other types of buildings. Only about 7% of these crashes are intentional ram raids or crash and grab robberies. About 36%–the primary cause–is pedal confusion, 20% of vehicle-into-building crashes are caused by drunk drivers, 17% driver error, 12% traffic crash, and 8% are because the driver had a medical emergency. The study further breaks down the pedal confusion numbers to 57% being caused by a foot slip and 43% caused by the driver pressing the wrong pedal. It turns out that about 12% of pedal error crashes are caused by drivers under age 20, and about 34%by drivers over age 80.
Examples of truck incursions in Tennessee
Given that about 10,000 Americans are turning 65 years old every day in the U.S., the numbers of vehicle-into-building crashes (also called incursion crashes) are expected to increase as the number of drivers over age 85 will more than double by 2025.
- In February of this year, a truck driver lost consciousness and crashed his pickup truck into a tanning salon on Louisville Road in Alcoa. The driver later died from an unknown medical condition. One person inside the building suffered a minor injury as did a witness who tried to rescue the truck driver. (Knoxville News)
- In Hermitage, three people suffered injuries when a truck crashed into a building on Old Hickory Boulevard. Three men were inside the truck when the driver lost control and crashed into the building. They suffered minor injuries. (com)
- A truck crashed into a bakery on Broad Street on a Sunday evening in January. There were two people inside the truck, but they were uninjured and no one was inside the building at the time of the crash. (The Chattanoogan)
The Storefront Safety Council is working to raise awareness about the preventable problem of people getting injured in vehicle-into-building crashes and they are developing prevention and protection strategies. It can be a frightening experience to be hit by a truck or another type of vehicle while you are inside of a retail establishment. The capable Nashville truck accident attorneys at the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm will be in your corner protecting your right to recover compensation for your injuries.
Having an 18-wheeler crash into your home or business can be frightening and cause devastating injuries and death. The skilled Nashville truck accident attorneys at the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm understand the challenges you are facing and we work to make sure that you get the compensation you are entitled to when you have been hurt in a truck crash. You are welcome to call 615-246-5549 or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation at one of our offices in Nashville, Gallatin or Knoxville. We will fight for you.
