According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), most of those who die in large truck accidents are occupants of passenger vehicles. Trucks can weigh many times as much as a car. The sheer force of a heavy and large truck slamming into a passenger vehicle can cause horrific injuries and fatalities. There can be several different types of truck accidents, including:
Jackknife Accidents
A jackknife accident occurs when a truck folds in on itself. This type of accident typically happens when a driver loses control of their truck and trailer, for example, due to speeding and having to brake suddenly.When a jackknife crash occurs, a trailer might swing to the other side of the road and into any oncoming vehicles’ path causing tragic accidents. A qualified and trained driver should know how to avoid jackknife accidents.
Underride Accidents
In an underride accident, a car crashes into the truck and can get trapped underneath the trailer. It is not unusual for the roof of the car to get crushed or sheared off in these types of truck accidents. Serious underride accidents typically have fatal consequences for any car occupants involved. Those that survive an underride crash may have serious and disabling injuries.
Rear-End Accidents
Rear-end accidents between cars are typically not dramatic and may involve only minor injuries, especially when they happen at low speed. However, getting into a rear-end accident with a truck is very much different and can have tragic consequences for car drivers and occupants. The force of a large and heavy truck crashing into a car can potentially result in serious injuries. Rear-end accidents typically happen due to truck driver distraction, driver impairment, or reckless driving.
Rollover Accidents
Rollover truck accidents can be deadly for anyone involved, including the truck driver as well as any other road users. A rollover accident typically happens when a tractor-trailer approaches a curve too fast. When the driver suddenly changes direction, a trailer may continue into the original direction and pull the truck with it, causing a rollover accident. Rollover accidents can also happen due to material failure, such as a tire blowout.
Contact Us for Legal Help Today
Unfortunately, accidents with trucks rarely end well for any car drivers and occupants involved. Accidents with big rigs can be driver-related or happen due to lack of vehicle maintenance, wrong loading of cargo, and other reasons. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) statistics show that in the year 2017 alone, almost 5,000 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes.
Accidents with large trucks can cause life-changing injuries that may need expensive long-term medical treatments and therapies. Some accident victims can end up permanently disabled and may never be able to work again, with their lives altered beyond recognition. If this happened to you or a loved one, you could potentially have legal recourse and recover compensation.
Truck accidents can be complicated and potentially involve a number of at-fault parties, including the driver, trucking company, maintenance company, and truck manufacturer, among others. A Jacksonville truck accident lawyer can assess your case thoroughly and fight for the compensation that you deserve.
While you get better, we can deal with the legal side. Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our team members: (954) 525-0050.
