The Main Types of Truck Accidents: A Simple Guide
When large truck accidents occur, the most common victims are the occupants in smaller vehicles. The size difference between trucks and cars can be such that trucks weigh over 30 times what a regular car might.
It’s important that truck drivers and car drivers understand the dangers of the road and the rights that the law provides in case of accidents.
Accident Types: Jackknife
A jackknife accident occurs when the back part of a big rig swings forward while the cab stays straight, putting the two rig pieces at a right angle to each other. This can happen when the driver slams on the brakes, but the momentum of the back part of the rig seeks to continue forward.
Tractor-trailer accidents often display a jackknife pattern.
Accident Types: Blind Spots
Blind spot accidents occur when a truck tries to change lanes, but there are unseen cars in its blind spots. The longer a truck is, the bigger its blind spots tend to be. In fact, considering how large the blind spots in many trucks are, like those involved in tanker truck accidents, it’s only due to the impressive skill of truck drivers that there are so few blind spot accidents.
Tire Blowout
Like any other vehicle on the road, trucks can suffer from tire blowout accidents. The greater the weight on a truck, the easier it is for a tire to blowout. Trucks have various regulations to help prevent tire blowouts.
Common Causes of Accidents
Some of the most common causes of accidents on the road are caused by poor driving conditions. Some of these are under the power of other workers, like those who work in construction. Others are under no one’s control, like weather conditions.
Bad weather can make it difficult to see the road clearly. It can also change the properties of the road itself, making it slippery.
In other cases, the road’s properties are naturally poor for driving. This occurs when roads are riddled with potholes or lack shoulders for drivers to retreat to in case of emergency.
Road construction is essential to fix these kinds of road problems. However, during the construction itself, the roads are temporarily filled with obstacles that can make driving more complicated.
How Can an Attorney Help?
Truck driving is an important service that our society depends on. The law has been designed to protect our truck drivers and their essential work.
However, in many cases, a driver in an accident will have to take the initiative. If they wait for someone to find them and tell them what rights they have, they may wait forever. That’s why it’s important to take the initiative to find quality legal counsel.
An attorney can help you understand all the options available to you. Once you’ve decided what you want to do, they can also help you with all the necessary paperwork, filing deadlines, and other legal requirements.
Finding a good lawyer for your truck accident can make sure you don’t forfeit your rights by inaction.
Know Your Rights When Involved in Truck Accidents
We hope you learned something helpful in this brief piece on truck accidents and how the law protects drivers. To learn about the latest in film news and read interviews with movie directors and actors, check out our other pages.
