In West Virginia, drivers face a number of dangers when they are out on the roads. One hazard that they may not be anticipating is the one caused by fracking. The byproduct of fracking is wastewater and it must be disposed of someplace. This means that there are numerous large trucks on the road that can only increase the level of danger for other drivers.

There was a study of North Dakota roadways to determine the effects of fracking on road accidents. North Dakota is the center of fracking in the United States. The study found that there were more fatal crashes and the costs associated with accidents increased. This is consistent with the fact that accidents with large trucks have a higher fatality rate and more significant injuries. An increase in the number of wells led to an incremental rise in fatal accidents, suggesting that the two may be directly linked.

Local governments can take steps to protect drivers on the road through traffic control. For example, they could have dedicated lanes for large trucks. Alternatively, energy companies can build their production mechanisms in ways that can reduce the amount of water that needs to be trucked out, but that would require that they invest more to cover their costs of production.

Truck accident injuries are more severe and generally have higher damage awards than the average car accident. People will usually need the services of a personal injury attorney to help negotiate a settlement with the insurance company for truck accidents or take the case to court if a settlement cannot be reached. These cases may tend to be more complicated than other accident cases given the injuries that are involved and the difficulty that a plaintiff may have of estimating their own damages. Thus, an attorney could be helpful.