Types of Commercial Truck Crashes
Commercial truck accidents are often very destructive. Their weight and size of them can affect the way they wreck or how accidents occur. For example, here are the most common types of commercial truck crashes.
Rollover Truck Accidents
Large trucks are vulnerable to rollover accidents because of their high center of gravity and unstable loads. When a commercial truck rolls, it is a severe threat to its driver and surrounding vehicles. In addition to the truck rolling, its cargo can also spill onto the road, which may lead to multiple collisions. Rollover accidents often happen when a commercial truck driver is speeding, distracted, fails to perform regular truck maintenance, there is a cargo shift, or when traveling on curved roads.
Underride Accidents
Since commercial trucks sit higher off the ground, it is possible for other passenger cars to slide underneath them in a collision. This is called an underride truck accident. Underride truck accidents can occur from the side or in the rear but are typically catastrophic since the majority of vehicles get crushed. As a result, there is a high chance of fatalities and severe injuries if victims survive.
Jackknife Accidents
Commercial trucks often consist of a trailer and a cab, and a jackknife accident happens when the trailer begins to swing forward to one side of the cab. As a result, the truck ends up resembling a folded pocket knife. There are various reasons why a jackknife crash can occur, for example, from braking too hard and fast, when a truck driver lacks experience, speeding, overcorrecting, a mechanical defect, inclement weather, heavy or imbalanced loads, and more.
Blind Spot Crashes
Commercial trucks have significant blind spots compared to passenger vehicles, often referred to as “No Man’s Land.” Therefore, a truck driver may not see other vehicles around them when making a move, which can be disastrous. There are four significant blind spots on semi-trucks that are responsible for many crashes:
- Left Side Under Mirror and Extending Back: A truck driver may not see vehicles in the lane to their left when they are traveling behind the driver’s door toward the back of the truck.
- Right Side Under Mirror and Extending Back: Similar to the left side, from the right side of the semi’s cab, towards the back is a large blind spot.
- Front of Truck (20+ Feet): Commercial truck drivers cannot see vehicles within the 20 feet zone immediately in front of them.
- Behind the Truck (30+ Feet): There is a large blind spot of 30 or more feet behind the truck.
A good rule of thumb is that if you cannot see the truck driver in their side mirror, they also cannot see you.
Tire Blowout Accidents
When a commercial truck’s tire suddenly fails, the driver can lose control, often resulting in a crash. Tire blowout accidents are frequently caused by worn or underinflated tires due to improper maintenance, tire defects, speeding, mismatched/wrong size tires, overloaded cargo, or dangerous road conditions (e.g., large potholes, bad weather, etc.).
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, speak to an experienced Atlanta Truck Accident Lawyer in a free consultation. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve.