Any truck accident, depending on the circumstances, has the potential to claim one or more lives. This is true even in a relatively low-speed collision or in an accident where the other vehicle has top-rated safety features. Commercial trucks are large and heavy, weighing up to 80,000 pounds or even more. They may also carry hazardous cargo like gasoline, lumber, chemicals or even cars or heavy machinery. When a smaller vehicle is involved in a collision with a semi-truck, tractor-trailer or tanker truck, the results may be catastrophic.