Accidents involving 18-wheeler trucks can cause devastating injury to the people involved. The size and weight of these vehicles often make collisions involving trucks much more serious than accidents involving other types of vehicles. Commercial trucks can also be involved in accidents unique to vehicles with a trailer, such as jackknifing accidents. Jackknifing accidents can cause widespread damage and can involve multiple vehicles, making these types of accidents particularly dangerous to other motorists. As a result, sorting out the legal issues involved in a jackknifing truck accident requires an experienced Newnan truck accident attorney. Shane Smith is an experienced Newnan truck accident attorney that can help you determine your legal rights.
What is Jackknifing?
When a truck Jackknifes, the trailer attached to the truck swing out from behind it and “folds” next to it, resembling a folding pocket knife. When a trailer jackknifes, it can swing out at a 90-degree angle to the cab sweeping across lanes of traffic and hitting any vehicles in its path. These types of accidents can cause widespread destruction of property as well as serious injury. Jackknifing can also pull the cab of the truck over, causing even more injury and destruction. If the trailer itself rolls over, there may be an additional danger if the truck was carrying hazardous materials. Sometimes, a truck driver may attempt to deliberately jackknife his or her vehicle to stop in the event of brake failure.
What causes trucks to jackknife?
One major cause of jackknifing is sudden braking. If a driver needs to suddenly brake, both the trailer and the truck can begin to skid. Skids such as these often result in jackknifing. In addition, sudden downshifting, improper braking, cornering too quickly, or slipping during acceleration all could also cause jackknifing.
Because Jackknifing often occurs in emergency situations, the mere fact that a truck jackknifed is not enough to show negligence on the part of the driver or trucking company. More commonly, the person or party who caused the condition that caused the truck to jackknife may be held legally liable if the condition was negligently created.
Contact a Newnan truck accident attorney for a free consultation
Contacting a Newnan truck accident lawyer is the first step in determining whether you have a legal claim as the result of a truck accident. Because accidents involving semi-trucks involve highly specialized issues that are unique to the trucking industry, it is important to retain an attorney who is experienced in handling truck accident cases. The attorneys of Shane Smith Law are dedicated Coweta County truck accident attorneys and know how best to represent people injured in these types of accidents. To schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys, contact us today at (980) 246-2656