What Are the Most Common Truck Accident Injuries?

Key Takeaways

• Semi-trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, creating severe risks for occupants of smaller vehicles.
• Common injuries include traumatic brain injuries (TBI), spinal cord injuries (SCI), broken bones, and internal organ damage.
• Internal bleeding and other injuries do not always present symptoms right away and need prompt medical evaluation.
• Future medical care, lost income and emotional trauma factor into the value of a trucking case for South Carolina accident victims.

A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 25 times more than the average passenger vehicle, a difference that often contributes to the severity of accidents involving trucks. At Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC, we represent South Carolina families after collisions with large commercial vehicles every day – it’s what we do. Based on our decades of combined experience litigating these cases, we’ve seen first-hand that common truck accident injuries are often severe and even life-altering.

Due to the size and weight of an 18-wheeler alone, common injuries can include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, internal organ damage, and severe whiplash, often caused by the extreme forces involved in a collision with a vehicle of this size.

The Devastating Physics of a Commercial Collision

South Carolina drivers face a steep disadvantage in any collision with a loaded tractor-trailer. A fully loaded rig can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, compared to roughly 4,000 pounds for the average passenger car. That weight differential often makes these crashes severe.

According to the National Safety Council, 5,340 people died in large-truck crashes in 2024, and 70 percent of those killed were occupants of the other vehicle rather than the truck itself. When a commercial vehicle strikes a car at highway speed, the smaller vehicle takes the brunt of the force. The results can be devastating.

After an accident involving an 18-wheeler or other large truck, our team is here for you. We will listen to you, investigate what happened, and fight for your future with the care, compassion, and confidence you deserve.

Catastrophic Injuries: Brain Injuries, Spine Injuries, and Broken Bones

Many truck accidents result in catastrophic injuries to those involved, such as brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and even paralysis or wrongful death. This section will outline how those injuries may present following a truck accident.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can range in severity from mild, moderate to severe TBI, often caused by the brain moving forcefully inside the skull, according to the National Library of Medicine’s overview of traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of TBI can take days to appear, so it’s best to get checked out by a doctor immediately following any accident, especially if you’re experiencing confusion, inability to concentrate, drowsiness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, or other TBI symptoms.

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can affect the bones and discs of the spine and cause chronic pain or partial to complete paralysis. The National Library of Medicine covers these outcomes in its spinal cord injury overview. Symptoms vary depending on the area of the spine that was injured and the severity of the injury and may include loss of sensation, loss of bladder or bowel control, stinging sensations, difficulty coughing, and other SCI symptoms.

Broken bones and internal organ damage are also common injuries resulting from high-impact collisions, and internal bleeding is not always immediately obvious, so emergency evaluation matters even when a person feels stable at the scene.

Burns and lacerations, often caused by shattered glass or a deploying airbag, add real physical and emotional strain during recovery. Airbags save lives in a crash, though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes in its overview of airbag safety that they can also cause injury when they deploy.

After any accident, especially those involving a truck, all people involved should seek prompt medical attention whether or not there are apparent injuries or symptoms. Adrenaline can mask serious injuries. Your health and safety always come first.

Seeking Compensation for Future Medical Care and Lost Wages

A catastrophic truck accident injury often continues to affect your life long after hospital treatment ends. Spinal cord damage and severe brain injuries can require years of rehabilitation, assistive equipment, and ongoing medical care, and for some victims, that care continues for life. Broken bones that require surgery may need additional procedures long after the initial treatment ends. When injuries prevent you from returning to work, or from working in the same capacity as before, the financial strain adds to the physical pain you are already managing.

Our team looks at all physical, financial, and emotional trauma resulting from an unexpected accident and fights to get you the best outcome possible for your future. We will work to secure you fair compensation for all past, present, and future damages related to the accident. Beyond today’s medical bills, that often means future surgeries, therapy, lost income, and other long-term support truck accident victims and their families may need to heal and move forward.

Recovering Non-Economic Damages for Pain and Suffering

Not every cost from a truck accident shows up on a medical bill or a pay stub. Pain, physical impairment, and the emotional toll of a traumatic event are real losses, and South Carolina law lets you seek compensation for emotional trauma as part of your personal injury claim. (SC Code 15-38-15). We work to fully understand and document how the truck accident and resulting injuries have changed your daily life so that pain and suffering are never left out of your recovery.

Contact a South Carolina Truck Accident Lawyer Today

A serious truck accident can disrupt medical care, income, and daily life all at once. Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC has recovered significant results for clients injured in serious truck accidents throughout South Carolina, including a $5,000,000 tractor-trailer settlement and a $2,250,000 South Carolina truck accident settlement.* Call us today at 803-888-2200 for a free case evaluation directly with an award-winning truck accident attorney, and let our team put our experience to work for you.

*Disclaimers: Any result the endorsed lawyer or law firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients. This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.

Author: William H. Yarborough, Jr
My name is Will Yarborough, and I am a partner and personal injury attorney at Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC. My practice primarily focuses on car and truck accident cases, and I represent injured people across the state of South Carolina.

I’m committed to ensuring that every single client gets the compensation and justice they deserve following serious and unexpected accidents.

You don’t have to go through the aftermath of an accident on your own. If you have any questions about the information in this article or are interested in becoming a client at Cavanaugh & Thickens, LLC, give me a call today. I’d be honored to help.