According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 413,000 large trucks were involved in traffic crashes in the United States in 2007. One out of nine traffic fatalities involved a truck. A total of 4,808 people died and an additional 101,000 were injured in those collisions.

One analysis by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that almost half of all trucks involved in fatal U.S. crashes weighed more than 60,000 pounds at the time of the accident.

Given the massive weight of semi-trucks when compared to the average car, which weighs about 4,000 pounds, it’s no surprise that the injuries suffered in car-truck accidents can be more extensive than in other traffic accidents — and that often it’s the drivers and passengers in the smaller passenger vehicles that suffer the most severe injuries. Three-fourths of the fatalities and the injuries resulting from collisions involving a truck were the occupants of another vehicle. The dangers of a car-truck collision can be magnified if the truck is hauling hazardous or flammable cargo.