Most Common Types of Tractor-Trailer Accidents

Car accidents are unfortunately all too common. Some can cause serious injuries or even death on the road. If you are involved in an accident with a semi-truck, the chances of sustaining devastating injuries are much greater. The consequences of your accident could result in heavy medical bills and treatment. You may decide to pursue an injury case, but it will be helpful to understand the type of accident. Your settlement could depend on what caused the incident.

Rollover

When vehicles are going too fast, and the driver loses control, it could flip and roll. A rollover with a semi-truck has the potential to be disastrous. This can happen if the truck driver doesn’t slow down enough when going around a curve. Rollovers not only pose a danger to the truck driver but to other cars and motorcycles on the road as well.

Jackknife

Because of their sheer size, it takes a semi-truck much longer to come to a complete stop. If a truck driver is following the preceding vehicle too closely and has to some suddenly, there’s a chance the truck will jackknife. When this occurs, the trailer will skid outward, coming to a 90-degree angle to the cab. In a jackknife incident, the trailer can hit other vehicles, causing terrible damage or harm to drivers or even pedestrians.

Rear-Ending

You’ll see rear-end collisions on the roads and highways. Semi-trucks aren’t excluded. If a tractor-trailer hits your car from behind, chances are good that there won’t be much left of your vehicle, and you could be left with major injuries. Just like with cars, if a semi rear-ends another vehicle, the driver is likely going too fast or following too closely.

Blowout

Semi-trucks put a lot of miles on tires, so it’s not unusual for flats and blowouts to happen. if these occur on the freeway at high speeds, the driver of the semi could lose control and slam into other cars. Any other car, truck or motorcycle in the vicinity could innocently suffer the consequence.

Losing the Load

Trucks carry heavy loads. You hope these items are secure, but on rare occasions, the materials can fall out of the trailer. This alarming occurrence will cause cars to swerve, possibly resulting in extensive damage and pileups.

Tractor-trailer drivers need to be aware of these causes of accidents. If you are the innocent victim of one of these crashes, contact an experienced injury attorney today to discuss your options.