An accident involving a tractor-trailer and several passenger vehicles recently killed five nursing students in Georgia.

Recently, according to Fox news, during a period of traffic on a highway in Georgia, a large tractor-trailer failed to slow down and hit the back of a car. The car that was hit collided with an SUV. The car then caught on fire. As a result of this chain-reaction truck accident, five nursing students in the car and SUV were killed.

These nursing students were travelling to a nearby hospital to perform their last day of clinical training for the semester. In addition to these fatalities, three other people were injured.

Common factors in truck accidents

In fatal truck accidents like this one, improper braking is a common factor. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, most large trucks require 20 to 40 percent more space than smaller passenger vehicles to come to a complete stop. Truck drivers also need more space to stop when they operate a vehicle with poorly maintained brakes or when they drive on a wet or slippery road.

Truck driver fatigue can also play a role in fatal accidents involving large, commercial vehicles and smaller passenger vehicles. The IIHS states that to prevent commercial drivers from operating a vehicle in a fatigued state, they are only able to drive for 77 hours spanning over a period of seven days and only up to 11 hours at a time. However, many drivers do not take these regulations seriously and drive drowsy.

Truck accidents are not uncommon

Truck accidents are not an uncommon occurrence on the roads in Georgia and throughout the rest of the country. Additionally, research suggests that accidents where the victims sustain serious injuries or pass away may be increasing. From 2011 to 2012, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that fatalities caused by large truck accidents increased by four percent.

Of the people who were injured in these accidents in 2012, 24 percent were passengers in a large truck. Comparatively, 73 percent of the people who were injured in these accidents were occupants of other vehicles and three percent were not in a vehicle at the time of the collision.

Reach out to an attorney

Those who are injured in a Georgia truck accident may have a difficult time returning to their normal daily activities. Additionally, they may require extensive rehabilitative and medical care. If you were injured in an accident involving a commercial vehicle, reach out to an attorney in your area to determine what compensation may be available to you.