While a wreck involving any commercial truck accident can be terrifying, tractor-trailers pose a unique threat compared to other types of trucks. Due to the design of tractor-trailers, they can cause jackknife truck accidents. These are a frightening type of crash because they are difficult to avoid.
In a jackknife truck crash, the trailer moves in a different direction from the tractor. A jackknifed 18-wheeler typically swings out across the road, blocking all traffic. If other vehicles can’t stop in time, they have nowhere to escape to, causing a jackknife accident.
What Causes Most Jackknife Accidents?
Jackknife accidents can occur in any situation where the trailer starts to move in a different direction from the tractor. The most common causes of these catastrophic accidents include:
Excessive Speed for Road Conditions
In wet or icy weather, truck drivers often struggle to maintain control over their vehicles. They have even less control over their trailer, since they can’t directly maneuver it. The usual solution to maintaining control over both parts of the vehicle is to slow down. If the trailer has less momentum, it is less likely to slide in a direction different from that of the tractor.
Unfortunately, some truck drivers don’t slow down enough in wet or icy weather. Delivery schedules may encourage drivers to push their limits. Additionally, some drivers aren’t particularly familiar with driving in bad weather. Drivers who typically travel routes in southern states may not realize how much slower they need to drive to stay safe in these conditions.
Shifting Cargo in an Improperly Loaded Trailer
Another big danger for truck drivers is a poorly loaded trailer. If the cargo isn’t balanced throughout the trailer, the trailer is likely to sway or pull during transit. With a bad enough balance, a trailer can even tip over.
Frustratingly, a poorly loaded trailer isn’t always obvious. The driver may not start to feel the effects of the imbalanced trailer until they are moving at high speeds. At that point, it is often too late. Once the cargo starts to shift, it is likely to pull the trailer to one side or another, causing a jackknife.
Equipment Failure
Trailers can weigh several dozen tons. To keep a trailer that heavy steady, you need every piece of equipment to be working properly. Any type of equipment failure can result in a jackknife. A common example is when a tire on the trailer blows out or goes flat. When a trailer loses even a single tire, the driver is likely to lose control of it.
This type of accident is often avoidable, though. Commercial trucks are held to strict maintenance schedules. Typically, a tire only blows out or goes flat when someone ignores that schedule. If maintenance is performed diligently, truck accidents caused by equipment failure should occur rarely.
Driver Fatigue
Another common yet easily preventable cause of accidents is driver fatigue. Federal regulations limit the amount of time that commercial truck drivers may spend on the road each day and each week. In theory, these requirements—which include consistent, mandatory breaks—should limit the number of accidents caused by driver fatigue.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for truck drivers to violate these regulations. Trucking companies operate on strict schedules. If a truck is late arriving at even a single stop, that can throw off several days or weeks of deliveries.
By itself, driver fatigue doesn’t directly cause jackknife accidents. Instead, it decreases the reflexes of the truck driver, making other causes more threatening. For example, a fatigued driver may not notice that the trailer is shaking due to an unbalanced load.
Road Hazards
Typically, truck drivers stick to well-maintained roads like interstate highways. These roads are better designed for commercial vehicles, enabling truck drivers to travel at high speeds. However, sometimes drivers need to take their vehicles on smaller roads and highways.
When they do, road hazards become a more meaningful danger. For example, if a branch falls off a tree, that little bit of road detritus could cause a jackknife accident. If the driver doesn’t notice the danger and avoid it, the road hazard could get caught in the trailer’s tires. Similar to an equipment failure, this can cause the trailer to lose its balance and swing out of control.
What Are the Most Common Injuries in a Jackknife Truck Accident?
Because jackknifed tractor-trailers often span multiple lanes of traffic, resulting collisions are often unavoidable, high-speed, and catastrophic. They can lead to severe and life-threatening injuries for occupants of smaller vehicles.
The sheer size and weight of a jackknifed semi-truck means that any impact can transfer enormous force, causing devastating injuries, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and concussions
- Spinal cord injuries, leading to paralysis
- Broken bones and complex fractures
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
- Severe lacerations and disfigurement
- Whiplash and other soft tissue injuries
Victims often face a long, difficult road to recovery that requires extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and modifications to their home and lifestyle. These types of injuries frequently result in permanent disability, staggering medical debt, and an inability to return to work. That is why skilled legal representation is essential for securing the compensation needed after a crash.
Contact Our Chicago Truck Accident Lawyers at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation
While some jackknife accidents are unpreventable, the majority involve some type of human error. The driver may be driving faster than they should, given the road conditions, or the truck may not have been properly maintained.
If you don’t drive a truck, the best way to protect yourself from this type of accident is to be properly respectful of the danger presented by commercial trucks. If you need help after a crash with one, call Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys to schedule a free consultation with our Chicago truck accident lawyers.
For more information, please contact the experienced Chicago truck accident lawyers at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys today. We offer free consultations.
We proudly serve Cook County, Will County, Kendall County, and their surrounding areas:
Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys – Chicago Office
10 S La Salle St STE 1230, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone:(312) 726-1616
Hours: Open 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Chicago
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 41.8815493,-87.6327515
Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys – Joliet Office
195 Springfield Ave, Joliet, IL 60435
Phone: (815) 726-1616
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Joliet
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 41.5254295,-88.1381011
Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys – Rockford Office
318 N 1st St, Rockford, IL 61107
Phone:(815) 662-0330
Hours: Open 24/7
