An estimated 528,177 large trucks were involved in police-reported crashes across the United States in 2023, and 5,472 people were killed in those crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Another 153,452 people were injured.
One number matters more than all the rest if you drive a car: 70 percent of the people killed in large-truck crashes that year were occupants of other vehicles, not the truck.
Involvement is not the same as fault
Crash databases record which vehicles were involved. They do not decide who caused anything. So when you see a headline saying semi-trucks cause a certain percentage of accidents, it is almost always an involvement figure wearing a disguise. Fault in your case gets decided from the police report, the truck’s electronic logging and engine data, driver qualification and maintenance files, and witness testimony, not from a national spreadsheet.
With that caveat, the involvement numbers are still the best answer to how often this happens.
How many crashes involve large trucks each year
NHTSA counts a large truck as any medium or heavy truck over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, leaving out buses and motor homes. Semis sit at the heavy end of that range, and they dominate the fatal numbers: 71 percent of the large trucks in fatal crashes in 2023 were rated above 26,000 pounds.
| Crash severity (2023) | Large trucks involved |
|---|---|
| Fatal crashes | 5,375 |
| Injury crashes (estimated) | 114,552 |
| Property-damage-only crashes (estimated) | 408,250 |
| All police-reported crashes (estimated) | 528,177 |
Fatal and injury counts come from federal crash files; the injury and property-damage figures are national estimates rather than exact counts. Measured against all traffic, large trucks were 9 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles in injury and property-damage crashes in 2023, while making up 5 percent of registered vehicles and 10 percent of all miles driven.
Who gets hurt when a semi is involved
The weight difference decides almost everything. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes that large trucks can weigh 20 to 30 times what a passenger car weighs, and that 5,340 people died in large truck crashes in 2024, 14 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths that year. Sixty-two percent of them were in cars and other passenger vehicles.
Federal data for 2023 breaks the deaths down the same way:
- 70 percent occupants of other vehicles
- 18 percent occupants of the large truck
- 12 percent pedestrians, cyclists, and other nonoccupants
These are also overwhelmingly multi-vehicle events. Eighty percent of large trucks in fatal crashes were in multi-vehicle crashes, compared with 63 percent of passenger vehicles. And in two-vehicle fatal crashes, the truck was the one struck from behind 21.2 percent of the time versus 6.3 percent for the other vehicle, a reminder that a truck’s stopping distance cuts both ways.
What the numbers look like in Illinois
Illinois runs above the national average. In 2023, 191 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes here, which is 10.4 percent of the 1,829 vehicles in Illinois fatal crashes. The nationwide figure was 9.2 percent. That is what you would expect from a state carrying I-80, I-55, I-57, I-70, I-90, and the freight traffic feeding Chicago’s intermodal yards.
One hundred ninety people died in Illinois crashes involving large trucks that year: 132 occupants of other vehicles, 33 large-truck occupants, and 25 nonoccupants.
Why these crashes keep happening
Most of the recurring causes map onto a specific federal rule that a carrier or driver broke.
- Fatigue, against hours-of-service limits of 11 driving hours inside a 14-hour window after 10 consecutive hours off duty, a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, and 60 or 70 duty hours across 7 or 8 days (49 CFR 395.3)
- Distraction, against the flat ban on using a hand-held phone while driving a commercial vehicle (49 CFR 392.82)
- Deferred maintenance, against the duty to systematically inspect, repair, and maintain every vehicle and keep the records (49 CFR 396.3)
- Shifting or falling loads, against cargo securement rules that exist to keep freight from moving enough to affect stability (49 CFR 393.100)
- Speed for conditions, inexperience, and failure to keep a proper lookout, all of which come in as ordinary negligence
Location matters too. Fifty-five percent of fatal large-truck crashes happen in rural areas and 25 percent on interstates, so a downstate two-lane highway carries more of this risk than its traffic volume suggests.
Who can be held responsible in an Illinois truck case
Rarely just the driver. Depending on the facts, a claim may reach the motor carrier that employed or dispatched the driver, the company that loaded or sealed the trailer, an outside maintenance shop, a broker, or a parts manufacturer. Carriers are also required to carry real coverage: a for-hire interstate carrier hauling nonhazardous freight in a vehicle over 10,000 pounds must maintain at least $750,000 in financial responsibility (49 CFR 387.9), and many carry far more.
You still have to prove duty, breach, causation, and damages, and the carrier will argue you contributed to the crash. Under Illinois comparative fault, that argument only wipes out a claim if you are found more than 50 percent responsible (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). At 50 percent or less, your award is reduced by your share instead. An Illinois truck accident lawyer can send a preservation letter early, because logs, dashcam video, and telematics data get overwritten on their own schedule.
Deadlines you cannot miss
Most Illinois injury claims have to be filed within two years of the crash (735 ILCS 5/13-202), and a wrongful death claim is generally brought by the personal representative within two years of the death (740 ILCS 180/2). There is a shorter trap: if the truck belonged to a municipality, township, or other local public entity, the window drops to one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101). Because a Chicago truck accident can involve a city vehicle, a private carrier, and a contractor all at once, the earliest deadline is the one that governs.
Frequently asked questions
How many accidents are caused by semi-trucks each year?
No official dataset assigns fault, so the honest answer is an involvement figure. In 2023, an estimated 528,177 large trucks were involved in police-reported crashes nationwide, including 5,375 in fatal crashes. Whether a truck caused any particular crash is decided case by case.
What percentage of vehicles in fatal crashes are large trucks?
Nine percent nationwide in 2023, and 10.4 percent in Illinois. Large trucks make up about 5 percent of registered vehicles but account for roughly 10 percent of miles driven.
Who is most likely to die in a semi-truck crash?
People in the other vehicle. Seventy percent of the 5,472 people killed in large-truck crashes in 2023 were occupants of other vehicles, 18 percent were truck occupants, and 12 percent were pedestrians, cyclists, or other nonoccupants.
How many people die in Illinois truck crashes?
One hundred ninety people were killed in Illinois crashes involving large trucks in 2023, including 132 occupants of vehicles other than the truck.
How long do I have to file a truck accident claim in Illinois?
Generally two years from the crash for injury claims and two years from the death for wrongful death claims. If a local public entity owned or operated the truck, the deadline can be one year, so it is worth confirming ownership early.
If a semi-truck crash left you or someone in your family injured, a review costs nothing and can tell you quickly whether the carrier’s records support a claim. Contact 844-SEE-MIKE for a free, no-pressure consultation. This article is general information about Illinois law, not legal advice about your situation.
