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Common Types of Trucking Accidents

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Anyone who has driven on the highway or in a commercial district has encountered semi-trucks while on the road. These massive vehicles are transporting goods throughout the country and the world, making them a mainstay of roadways everywhere. The trucking industry is critical to the world economy, as we have seen in recent years.

But due to the vast size and sheer weight of a tractor-trailer, they are prone to causing massive damage in the event of a truck accident, often leading to multi-car pile-ups.

Accidents involving large commercial trucks cause some of the worst injuries and devastating personal injury claims in Tennessee. Given the incredible size and force of these trucks on the road, victims in smaller vehicles have little protection when an accident occurs.

Truck accidents can happen for many different reasons, but certain types of truck accidents happen more often than others. At Mitch Grissim & Associates, our team of professionals is prepared to zealously advocate for you after an accident. Call the office or contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation with a truck accident lawyer. When you are dealing with a large trucking company, you need an expert who understands the law on your side.

Types of Trucks

There are several types of trucks that you could encounter on the road. There are tanker trucks, garbage trucks, semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, tow trucks, and others. All of them tend to be larger than passenger vehicles and can cause severe injuries in an accident. If drivers are not following safety standards when operating large trucks, it may put you in danger.

Common Types of Truck Accidents

Many common types of truck accidents can occur with tractor-trailers and other kinds of large commercial trucks. The size and weight of commercial trucks make controlling them more difficult, especially when reacting to circumstances around them.

Semi-trucks need more space to slow down than other vehicles. It also takes longer for them to accelerate and turn. This decreased mobility makes it harder for truck drivers to respond to other drivers and situations on the road to avoid accidents.

Head-On Collisions

The most devastating types of truck accidents are head-on collisions. Not only is the combined speed and force of both vehicles massive, but the weight of commercial trucks makes even the slowest form of head-on collisions lead to extremely dangerous or even fatal injuries.

Whether the actions of other drivers led to the truck veering into your lane or the driver’s negligence, you are likely to suffer devastating effects from this type of event.

Jackknife Accident

Jackknife accidents typically happen when a truck tries to brake quickly or brake in inclement weather conditions. The weight of the trailer brings it forward against the cab, forcing the cab into a 90-degree angle. This makes semi-trucks impossible to maneuver and avoid other vehicles until they come to a stop.

The weight of the trailer creates a scenario where the truck driver loses control of the vehicle and is virtually helpless to prevent damage to other cars, making jackknife accidents very dangerous.

Truck Rollover Accident

Rollover accidents happen more often with commercial trucks than almost any other type of vehicle because of the heavy load and high center of gravity. If the cargo becomes dislodged and makes the truck off balance or if the truck loses control on the road it can lead to the truck rolling over.

If truck rollovers happen, all sense of control of the vehicle is completely gone. Just like in jackknife accidents, a rollover accident leaves the driver helpless to prevent collateral damage until the truck has come to a stop.

When other motorists are involved in rollover accidents, the size and weight of the truck can crush nearby vehicles and cause catastrophic personal injuries.

Underride Accidents

Many cargo-hauling trucks have a very high bottom, making underride accidents possible. Underride accidents occur when a smaller vehicle collides with a truck and slides underneath it.

This type of accident can cause horrific injuries to passengers, including decapitation or severe head and neck injuries that can be fatal.

Tire Blowout Accident

Accidents caused by tire blowouts are also common with large, commercial trucks. Tire blowouts can occur because the tire was not serviced properly or was underinflated. It could strike something in the road that causes a blowout, or it could happen because of a manufacturing defect. When a blowout occurs, a driver can lose control of the vehicle, striking other cars on the road.

Often on the highways, you will see torn-up tires. This happens because many truck tires shred to pieces when they blow out, which happens often due to the weight they are supporting. Though not all tire blowouts result in accidents, they can be dangerous as road debris for other vehicles.

Wide Turn Accident

When a large truck needs to make a right turn, the driver often swings the truck left first. Known as a wide turn, if the driver is not paying attention they may strike another vehicle that is passing in another lane. As the wide turn is occurring, there is also the possibility of striking vehicles or pedestrians on the right side, as well.

Truck drivers are specifically trained to make wide turns safely, but that doesn’t mean that every turn will be done correctly. If the truck driver fails to account for other vehicles and objects that will fall within the radius of the turn, they can cause a truck accident.

Blind Spot Accident

Because commercial trucks are so much longer than normal vehicles, they have much larger blind spots than other cars. If a driver does not check their blind spots before changing lanes or turning, the commercial truck can hit, crush, or force another car off the road next to it.

Another side effect of the size of a truck is that other vehicles are in the blind spots for much longer when passing or being passed. This increases the likelihood that truck drivers will not see you if they are being negligent and failing to adequately check their blind spots, leading to an accident. Convex mirrors are meant to help truck drivers avoid blind spot accidents, but it all depends on if they are used.

The best way to avoid blind spot accidents as a passenger vehicle is to try to pass trucks quickly and move through those areas faster so that the length of time that you are less visible to the driver is shorter.

Rear-End Truck Accidents

Rear-end accidents also happen frequently with large, commercial trucks. This type of accident can happen where stops are expected, like at a stop sign or stoplight, but the most devastating rear-end accidents happen when a stop is not expected, such as during a gridlock on the interstate. When a truck driver is not paying attention and fails to brake in time, rear-end collisions can cause catastrophic injuries or death to those in the other vehicle.

Rear-end truck accidents are often caused by negligent drivers who cut in front of a semi-truck too closely. If they slow down at all, truck drivers may be forced to brake suddenly and there is not enough space due to the weight of the tractor-trailer.

To avoid rear-end collisions with semi-trucks, allow ample space when passing before you move into their lane in front of them. Additionally, trucks take longer to respond to a red light, so leave plenty of space behind you when approaching intersections.

If you get into this type of truck accident, the back of your car could crumple easily versus the weight of the tractor-trailer.

What to do After a Truck Accident

These common types of truck accidents can happen to anyone. There may be negligence on the part of the driver when a large commercial truck runs into you, poor road conditions that caused the semi-truck to swerve into oncoming traffic, or any number of circumstances that led to the truck accident.

If you have been involved in a truck accident that resulted in serious injuries to yourself or your passengers, and/or damage to your vehicle, then you should get in touch with truck accident lawyers as soon as possible.

Truck accident cases are very common, and Tennessee law allows injury victims to seek compensation for damages incurred in an accident with large trucks. Why call truck accident attorneys to help with your claim?

We Have Experience Proving Fault Lies With Truck Drivers

When commercial truck accidents occur because of the negligence of the driver, they will have a truck company, insurance company, and other entities on their side attempting to avoid a large payout of damages to truck accident victims.

A truck accident attorney from our firm has dealt with this situation in the past, helping clients earn the compensation they deserve for their suffering. Our law firm will help you prove that you are innocent of fault after all types of truck accidents.

We Hold the Truck Driver Accountable

Semi-truck accidents happen, but when they are caused by negligence, that behavior needs to be corrected. Filing a claim and holding the responsible party accountable can help ensure that these mistakes will not be repeated. Either the punishment will convince the driver to be more cautious moving forward, or training programs will be improved to prevent future truck accidents.

Either way, truck accident attorneys will make sure that the driver is held accountable for their negligence. A free case evaluation will help you understand our process if you have questions.

We Assist with Your Recovery

One of the most difficult aspects of being involved in truck accidents is the injuries, property damage, and financial burden that you experience as a result. A serious injury could lead to ongoing medical expenses, physical therapy, emotional distress, or other negative effects. There could also be delayed injuries that crop up later.

It is your right to pursue a fair settlement to make up for these financial losses after a semi-truck driver runs into you and creates truck accident victims. This money can help pay for medical bills, lost wages, or other financial ramifications that resulted from truck accidents.

We Defend Your Rights

The law involving truck accidents is complicated, and proving fault is as well. The trucking company may try to assert that your actions led the driver to lose control of the truck’s trailer.

Our firm will work to defend your rights under the law and protect your interests during the claims process. Large trucks are owned by trucking companies with vast resources, which can be intimidating to go up against.

With our expertise involving past truck accidents, we are not afraid to advocate on your behalf and pursue the justice you deserve. When you have questions about your claim status, our team will give you a free consultation to discuss.

Reach Out to Our Truck Accident Attorneys Now

Other motorists are in extreme danger in large truck crashes because of the limited protection that smaller vehicles offer from the massive weight of tractor-trailers and other trucks. Since the trucking industry will always be necessary, it is important to know a truck accident attorney who can help you after collisions with large trucks.

Call Today

If you or someone you know has been devastated by a trucking accident, contact the law firm of Mitch Grissim & Associates today to schedule a free case evaluation of your personal injury claim with one of our Nashville truck accident lawyers now.

We vow to uphold the rights of all our clients and help them physically and financially recover from all types of truck accidents, which is why we offer a free consultation to answer any questions you may have upfront.

Resource:

one.nhtsa.gov/Research/Crash-Avoidance/Heavy-Truck-Research

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