When it comes to truck accidents, even the smallest collision can be deadly. If you’ve ever stood next to a semi-truck, you know just how big they are. As a result, trucks can pose a dangerous risk to other motorists. Below are some of the most common types of truck accidents.
Rollover
When a truck driver loses control, the truck can roll over onto its side. This might occur due to fast speeds, steep inclines/declines, hitting a curb, over correcting, etc.
Jackknife
A truck jackknifes when its brakes lock up, causing the trailer to skid. The truck will come to a stop when the trailer forms a 90-degree angle with the cab. Often, the driver has no control over the truck while it is jackknifing.
Underride
An underride accident occurs when a smaller vehicle hits the back of the truck and goes underneath the trailer part.
Rear-End
As in a traditional car accident, this occurs when a truck rear ends another vehicle. If a truck driver fails to realize how much distance they need to stop, they may rear-end the car in front of them.
Wide-Turn
A wide turn happens when a truck driver often first steers to the left before steering back to the right when making a right turn. This sort of turn can hit vehicles on either side of the truck.
What Causes Truck Accidents?
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study, large truck accidents occur due to one of the following variables:
- Critical Event: an action or event makes a collision unavoidable
- Critical Reason: driver error, vehicle failure, or an environment condition caused the accident. The FMCSA found that 87% of large truck accidents are caused by driver error, including fatigue, physical impairment, distraction, etc.
- Associated Factors: the persons, vehicles, and environmental conditions present at the time of the crash (brake problems, traffic flow, road problems, speed, etc.) Both mechanical and human errors can cause truck accidents. For example, a tire may be defective in design, or may have been incorrectly manufactured, or incorrectly installed. Or a driver may have failed to comprehensively perform an inspection of their truck. Any of these errors can lead to a truck accident.
Hire an Attorney!
If you’ve been injured in a trucking accident, you might be entitled to carry out legal action against the driver or truck company. Find a lawyer with extensive experience securing the maximum fair compensation in auto accident cases.
