The size difference between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle is significant, which is one reason why they can cause horrific accidents.
Florida state law recognizes the danger and requires more insurance from commercial vehicles than from passenger vehicles. Depending on the weight of the commercial truck, state law may require that the driver or their employer carry as much as $300,000 in coverage for a single crash.
That extra insurance is sometimes necessary if a commercial truck causes a crash that results in a catastrophic injury, like the three common kinds of catastrophic crash injuries listed below.
Spinal cord injuries
The force of a crash with a commercial truck can cause severe injuries to the people in the smaller vehicle. Either penetrating injuries, violent force or even blunt force trauma could cause a spinal cord injury to a passenger in a vehicle struck by a commercial truck.
Whether complete or incomplete, spinal cord injuries will cost tens of thousands of dollars in emergency medical treatment. They may result in permanent loss of sensation and limitations on motor function. For some people, spinal cord injuries will also mean permanent reductions in their earning potential.
Traumatic brain injuries
People can hit their heads on the steering wheel or on the window. Shrapnel or glass could cut into their skull and damage their brain. The force of the collision might make their vehicle flip, roll or spin, creating violent motion that leads to swelling and bruising of the brain.
A brain injury can affect everything from someone’s personality to their sense of balance. In extreme scenarios, people may require constant medical support after a brain injury. They can also prove fatal even after someone receives emergency intervention.
Amputations
The force of the collision can sometimes cause a traumatic amputation at the scene of a crash. People can have an arm, hand, foot or leg torn off or cut off as part of the wreck.
Other times, people will suffer extensive injury to certain body parts. They might break a bone in a dozen places or have a crushing injury. If doctors cannot repair the tissue damage, sometimes a surgical amputation is necessary after the crash to allow someone to recover.
Any of these three injuries could mean weeks of medical care, thousands of dollars in hospital bills and long-term income losses. Pursuing compensation after a truck crash is often necessary because of how severe the injuries from these collisions can be.
