Every time your wife or kids drive on the highway, they become instantly paranoid about having to drive near a semi-truck. They literally grab the wheel so tightly that their knuckles turn white. Their eyes are constantly darting from one mirror to the next and they instinctively slow down to 45 mph at the mere sight of an 18-wheeler.
You just don’t get it. A truck is the same as any other vehicle on the road. What is the matter with them? It’s not like a truck will suddenly crash into you without warning...right?
Wrong!
Different Types of Truck Accidents
“Screech!”...”Bam!”...“Crack!”...“Crunch!”
Anyone who has been in a truck accident can verify that these words aren’t just clever Batman sound effects. They’re actually rather frighteningly real descriptions of what you hear as you await the horrors and pain of a truck barreling toward you and your family.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, truck accidents kill over 5,000 people, and cause over 100,000 serious injuries every year. The majority of these crashes result when a trucker loses control of his rig for one reason or another. Unfortunately, that loss of control and whatever caused it, can result in several different types of catastrophic collisions and crashes.
Equipment Failure Accidents:
Tire blowouts.
Tire blowouts are incredibly difficult to control in a small vehicle—in a truck it becomes virtually impossible. Once the weight of a truck is thrown off by a flat tire, or the pressure of a blowout, the entire truck becomes dangerously uncontrollable.
Malfunctioning air-brakes.
Brake failure can cause a severe wreck when trucks are going downhill; if the brakes malfunction, the weight of the trailer can push the cab and the truck—making it unstable and uncontrollable.
Load problems.
Lost-load collisions happen as a result of unsecured cargo falling out of the back of the trailer. Loose cargo can either directly hit other vehicles or cause dangerous debris to scatter on highways and interstates.
Collisions:
Rollovers.
The most common crash type for truckers occur when the truck’s tires fail to grip the road and slide sideways. This causes the truck’s trailer to lose balance and topple over.
Rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, and T-bones.
These types of collisions generally occur at intersections or merging areas, and fault is equally blamed on truckers and motorists alike. Although, control is still a determining factor for the trucker, improper driving by motorists share a lot of blame for these types of catastrophic collisions.
Jackknife crashes.
A jackknife crash generally occurs when the semi-truck driver brakes suddenly and the trailer either swings sideways, or continues going forward while the cab of the truck stops. The force of the moving trailer essentially causes it to create an acute angle with the cab. This can not only cause crash delays, but can also cause serious injuries if the trailer or cab swings into traffic.
Underride crashes.
Underride crashes are usually fatal as they result from vehicles crashing into the trailer at such speeds that the force of the collision causes them to become lodged underneath the trailer itself.
Finding Help After a Truck Accident
If you’ve ever been a victim of a truck accident, you know that the pain, emotional damage, and stress is almost too much to bear on your own. Treatment can not only be long and arduous for you and your family, but also financially ruinous. That is why we fight to protect people like you to make sure they get the compensation they deserve for their damages.
Have You Been Injured In A Texas Truck Accident?
If you've been injured in a truck accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident injury attorney as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.485.8888 to schedule your free consultation.
