Car Accident Lawyer
The roads are filled with big trucks. These large commercial vehicles are responsible for getting consumers the goods they need from coast to coast. Without semi-trucks, packages wouldn’t get delivered, food wouldn’t make it to the supermarket and cars wouldn’t be on showroom floors.
For all the good semis do, there is a downside. Accidents that involve semi-trucks are some of the most fatal across the board. The size and weight of these vehicles make it almost impossible for drivers to walk away after colliding with them. While an accident can happen in any situation, some are more common than others. Explore some of these events and the signs that often precede them.
Jackknife
The physics that come into play when a tractor-trailer loses control often make it harder for a driver to steer their way to safety. A jackknife accident is one that may occur quickly and end in massive damage and impact on other vehicles around it. This type of incident is usually caused by a truck driver slamming on the brakes quickly, often in reaction to a sudden stop ahead. The trailer may start to slide sideways, at a 90-degree angle to the cab of the truck. When it does this, there is no way a driver can correct it, and the result is often a sweeping action of the vehicles in the trailer’s path.
Rollover
The weight of an empty semi is heavy, but when it’s full, it can be almost doubled. Navigating a curvy road with this type of load may prove too much for drivers in some cases. When a driver can’t control the rig around a curve, either due to speed or angle, the load the trailer is carrying may shift and cause it to rollover. The truck often winds up on its side, and in some cases, the contents of the haul may be scattered on the road. In mountainous areas, the spill may cause secondary accidents among the drivers coming up the road behind.
Brake Failure
Trying to stop a vehicle in certain instances is difficult. Imagine, now, a truck driver trying to come in a stop suddenly. Brakes in semi-trucks are a vital component of the rig, and if they go out, the consequences may result in the truck careening out of control and plowing through other vehicles on the road.
If you are out driving and notice that a tractor-trailer is driving erratically, you may want to pull over and wait. Finding yourself involved in an accident, let alone one with a semi, may result in life-changing injuries. Contact a Canoga Park truck accident attorney for more questions about the process of recovery.
Thanks to Barry P. Goldberg for their insight into personal injury claims and common semi truck accidents.