What Are Common Injuries Sustained By Truck Drivers?

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Truck drivers can sustain injuries due to collisions or repetitive motions, but strains and sprains are the most common, with around 50% reporting them. Drivers face a number of factors that can make them more susceptible to injury, including poor diet, long hours, and a lack of sleep and physical activity.

As more trucks are getting on the road, more truck drivers are at risk of serious injury. Learning what dangers drivers face can help them avoid these while on the road and find out how to obtain compensation should they suffer an injury.

What Injuries Do Truck Drivers Suffer?

While on the road, truck drivers can suffer a wide range of injuries, relating both to accidents and the nature of their work. Some of these may occur in an instant, while others will build up and progress over time.

Broken Bones

Truck drivers can face broken bones in an accident or simply as they load and unload their trucks. They often carry heavy loads and have poor diets and little exercise. This can lead to a general weakening of their bodies, leaving them unable to handle heavy objects. Heavy loads also present dangers to healthy truckers and can easily crush their body parts.

Strains and Sprains

Strains and sprains are two other highly common injuries that truckers face, and for similar reasons. Risk factors include the following:

Poor diet
Sedentary lifestyle
Reduced muscle strength
Repetitive nature of the work

These risk factors can leave truckers susceptible to injuries to tendons and the muscles themselves. While these may get a chance to heal if the trucker is given time to recover, such as through a workman’s compensation claim, they can become permanent if the trucker isn’t allowed time to rest.

Back Injuries

Back injuries are among the most serious injuries that tuckers can suffer. These can occur as a result of heavy lifting, or simply due to sitting for long periods of time. Back injuries can easily become permanent and are difficult to care for even when they are relatively minor. Back injuries may lead to chronic pain, nerve damage, and potentially even loss of motion.

Cuts, Bruises, and Lacerations

A truck is a piece of heavy machinery, and it’s very easy for a driver to suffer bruises, cuts, or lacerations in their operation of it. This may occur during loading or unloading of goods, as a driver is on the road and shifting gears, or even when a driver is getting into their truck. They may also occur during a collision.

What Happens if a Trucker is Injured on the Road?

If a trucker is injured on the road, it’s vital for them to seek out the appropriate medical care as soon as possible. You may also be able to seek out a worker’s compensation claim, or a settlement with the other driver’s insurance company. According to Pintas & Mullins law firm, there is no average settlement amount in truck accidents because the details of each case can vary widely, but one customer got $7.4 million compensation after a truck accident injury.

Truck drivers are essential workers that keep our economy running, but they face many dangers in their occupation. It’s important for truckers that suffer an injury while on the road to seek out the appropriate compensation. Depending on their injuries, they may need ongoing medical care and could face reduced earning potential over their lifetime. Acting fast is also important because the longer they wait to file a claim, the less likely they will see a win from it.