Why do some semi-trucks have spikes on the wheels? You may have seen them before—you’re traveling down the highway, look to your left or right, and notice that the 18-wheeler beside you has a cluster of shiny metal spikes attached to the wheel.
A jackknife truck accident is one in which the cab and the trailer fold in on each other as the vehicle comes to a stop. In some cases, the cab and the trailer may come apart, which can increase the risk of serious injuries or fatalities to the truck’s driver and others in the vicinity of the damaged vehicle. Let’s take a closer look at what causes this type of accident and what to do if you are involved in a crash caused by a commercial truck.
By their mere presence, commercial trucks 20-30 times the size of a passenger vehicle pose a threat to other cars with which they share the roads. And these giants of the highway become weapons in the hands of drivers who are reckless behind the wheel. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 97% of individuals who are killed in tractor-trailers accidents are the drivers of the smaller passenger vehicles, not the truck drivers themselves. Truck drivers have a duty to bear this fact in mind while operating their vehicles.
As a firm of personal injury lawyers in Jackson, we have represented our clients in many legal cases involving commercial trucks. The law gives injured parties and surviving family members of wrongful death victims the means to take action against those who wrongfully caused harm to another. But most of these truck accidents can be prevented by simple acts of vigilance. We as involved citizens owe our friends and neighbors the watchful attention and care we would give our own family members. In this way, we can all play our part in making the roads safer for everyone.
When you’re driving in a regular-sized vehicle, it’s normal to feel some concern while driving alongside a commercial truck. It makes sense—large trucks are up to 30 times bigger than passenger vehicles, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This feeling also makes sense because the fatalities of truck accidents are occupants of passenger vehicles 67 percent of the time, compared to truck drivers who are the victims 16 percent of the time.
If you’ve been involved in a collision with a large truck that wasn’t your fault, then you could use the help of a lawyer. A truck accident attorney from Pittman Roberts & Welsh, PLLC can provide you with the legal representation you need after a crash in Jackson.
When truck drivers are on the road, their focus on safety is most likely centered around driving and making sure their vehicle is ready for the road. What they may not expect is to experience issues at truck stops. However, between the stop itself and the other people they may encounter, negligence is always a possibility. Sometimes, negligence can cause injuries. Let’s take a look at how dangerous truck stops can be and what you can do if you’ve been injured at one.
When you’re in a car and driving next to a tractor-trailer, it can already be scary enough. But when the truck is about to lose control, the situation becomes even scarier by the second. If you don’t know the warning signs of a truck driver losing control of their rig, then the danger can escalate and become deadly.
If you’ve been in a truck accident in Jackson, you could benefit from having an experienced truck accident lawyer stand up for you against the negligent or reckless driver or trucking company at fault. Truck accidents can cause serious injuries and can easily turn deadly, so representation from Pittman Roberts & Welsh, PLLC ensures that you’ll get compensation for those injuries and damages.
Seeing a tractor trailer laying on its side or flipped over is frightening for a lot of reasons. Not only is it dangerous for the driver of the truck, but it’s also dangerous for all of the cars and drivers in the truck’s path. You might not realize, but large trucks can rollover easily if the conditions are right.
Because of their design, tractor trailers rollover more often than regular vehicles. They have a higher center of gravity, which can be thrown off more easily than a passenger vehicle. They also have more weight that might not be evenly distributed, which makes them easier to tip over.
In fact, 48% of fatal large truck accidents were rollovers, compared to only about 36% of fatal accidents of regular sized vehicles, as reported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Overturning of semi-trucks is the most dangerous event that could happen to a truck, and is the leading cause of fatalities in truck accidents, according to he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Truck drivers deliver a wide variety of goods and services. Because of the variation, it’s crucial for the trucks to be loaded properly. When improper techniques are used, truck accidents are a real possibility. Trucking companies and truckers should be aware of the federal laws regarding loading. It’s also important to understand the type of truck that needs to be used for the service or product that’s being hauled. When the laws aren’t abided by and incorrect loading techniques are used, other travelers can end up seriously injured or worse.
Trucks are the heartbeat of America’s highways. 18-wheelers cross the highways and boulevards of the nation, bringing goods to local consumers. Since they are an important part of commerce, there are thousands of big rigs on the roads every day.
Because of the omnipresence of truckers on the roads, trucker safety is extremely important. An unsafe trucker can put many lives at risk. The sheer size and weight of the vehicle makes it more likely to cause substantial damage to other vehicles on the road. When a trucker causes injury to an otherwise safe driver because of some negligence, injured parties may endeavor to hold him or her responsible for the harm they cause.
Truck accidents occur far too often
In any given year, hundreds of thousands of accidents involving large trucks occur on the nation’s roadways, including many here in Mississippi. Numerous truck drivers suffer injuries or die in these accidents right along with other motorists.
Like anyone else on the road, truck drivers may drive at least 10 miles over the speed limit on occasion. Considering that these large vehicles don’t exactly stop on a dime, this behavior puts lives at risk.
Truckers also drive for many hours a day, and they are likely to suffer from common risks such as drowsy driving and distracted driving. Visual, manual and cognitive distractions can contribute to the likelihood of an accident. Text messaging, typically illegal in all states, is especially dangerous because it combines all types of distraction.
Too many trucking companies fail to provide their drivers with written safety policies to help keep them from engaging in risky driving behaviors as they travel the country’s roadways.
Fostering safety
Law enforcement, trucking agencies and truckers themselves can come together to ensure greater safety on the roads. Truckers have families at home waiting on them, and the other drivers on the road hope to come home to their families as well. Distracted driving and other unsafe driving behaviors do not only affect the person operating the vehicle. It can also mean life or death for other innocent people.
In a perfect world, everyone would embrace safe driving practices so that everyone makes it home each day, but sadly, such a world does not exist. If you suffered injuries, or lost a loved one, due to the neglectful actions of a truck driver, you have the right to seek legal recourse.
You are not alone if you feel nervous and intimidated sharing the road with big rigs. When a truck passes you on the left, you may wonder if the driver will see you before moving the truck back into your lane. When a big truck follows too closely behind you, you may worry about what might happen if you should have to stop suddenly.
If you or a loved one has recently experienced the trauma of an accident with a tractor-trailer, you may have special reasons to feel vulnerable on the highways. Still, about 25 percent of all motorists report discomfort when driving around large trucks. In response to this, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently issued a report about the benefits of new safety devices in trucks.
