Large commercial trucks of all kinds can cause jackknife truck accidents. Our jackknife truck accident lawyers handle accidents involving semi trucks, delivery trucks, garbage trucks, fire trucks, cement trucks, dump trucks, refrigerator trucks, tanker trucks, coal-carrying dump trucks and landscaping trucks, among others.

In most cases, a collision between a large commercial truck and one or more other vehicles is likely to cause serious injury or death for the people in passenger vehicles such as sedans and sport utility vehicles. Some of the most dangerous of all truck accidents are jack knife truck accidents. Jack-knife truck accidents can be traced back to a range of contributing factors, the most common being loading mistakes, driver inattention, speeding and other forms of recklessness, and slippery roads. A study conducted by the Federal The circumstances that lead up to most truck accidents are horrifying, for they tell a story of an all too preventable tragedy. Highway Administration (FHWA) and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute investigated truck size and load weight and their impact on truck maneuverability, stability and safety. The study identified particular problems related to the way a large truck was loaded that cause jackknife truck accidents. If a large truck’s load is not carefully balanced and secured, or if the truck is under-loaded or empty, the vehicle is at risk for causing a jackknife truck accident. Jack-knife truck accidents cause injurious and fatal incidents on roadways each year.

The trucking industry is central to our way of life in the United States, but it need not be as dangerous as it is. Most jackknife truck accidents around the country are thought to be preventable. But some trucking companies make cost cutting measures which, while appealing for a company’s bottom line, out trucks at risk for causing jackknife truck accidents. Companies that provide prompt and timely delivery of goods and services are positioned to profit the most, establishing a dynamic where speed and efficiency are vital to corporate success. It is widely accepted that fatigued drivers are a hazard on our roads and are more likely to cause jack-knife truck accidents throughout the nation. Federal regulations have been put in place to optimize safety by limiting truckers’ hours on the road, but some trucking companies still influence their operators to log more hours than are legal.

For each case, our jackknife truck accident lawyers investigate for safety compliance. Not following safety regulations can constitute negligence, and may be grounds for a successful civil case. As seasoned litigators, our truck accident lawyers aim to achieve justice for individuals and families who have been harmed because of a jackknife truck accident. Our lawyers offer free case review for jack-knife truck accidents claims.

Causes of Jack-Knife Truck Accidents

Jackknife truck accidents are not the most common form truck accidents take, but they are undeniably catastrophic. In a study of 500 fatal large truck crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that over 5% were jack-knife truck accidents. In comparison, of 82,000 large truck accidents that caused some sort of injury but no fatality only 1.6% were jack-knife truck accidents.

Jack-knife truck accidents occur when the front section of a large tractor-trailer (known as the tractor or cab) halts quickly and the trailer does not. Still moving forward, the trailer is prone to swerving wildly back and forth. Jackknife truck accidents can cause huge multiple vehicle accidents when the truck’s massive trailer swings into other lanes of traffic. The operator of the tractor trailer may lose command of the truck and crash into traffic in nearby lanes, inflicting serious damage to anything and anyone in its path. When the trailer’s angle becomes 40 degrees or less in relation to the tractor, a jackknife truck accident is inevitable.

Jack-Knife Truck Accidents Caused by Brake Failure

There are numerous kinds of brake problems that can contribute to the causation of a jackknife truck accident, including brake fade, brake fires and imbalanced brakes, particularly when the rear brakes are compromised. Each of these circumstances can be related to lack of maintenance to the brake system or defective brake parts, and our team of lawyers conducts a thorough investigation into each case to rule out brake failure or lack of maintenance as a factor in a jackknife truck accident.

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