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A tractor trailer jackknifing on the road in front of you is the stuff of nightmares. These types of truck accidents can be especially devastating because they can set off a chain reaction, resulting in multiple serious injuries and fatalities. The majority of such injuries and deaths involve drivers and passengers in smaller vehicles, not the truck occupants.
Not all accidents relating to a jackknifed truck concern vehicles hit by the truck. When such a jackknifing occurs on a busy highway, drivers trying to evade the truck or the materials spilling out of it may end up colliding with other vehicles. Anyone involved in this type of wreck should contact a Virginia Beach truck accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Why Trucks Jackknife
The mechanical aspects of jackknifing involves the locking of the truck’s drive, steering axle brakes or trailer axles, causing the cab and trailer to head in different directions and the trailer to fling to one side. Picture a pocketknife folding and the visual emerges.
Trucks jackknife most often in bad weather, especially when roadways are wet or icy, and on curves or winding roads. Driver error, including speeding, distracted driving, fatigue and inexperience may cause or contribute to the jackknifing. Besides the axles locking, hydraulics, brakes or other equipment might fail and cause jackknifing.
Jackknifed Trucks and Liability
Several parties may prove liable for a jackknifed truck accident. Such entities include not only the driver, but the trucking company, as they are responsible for ensuring the truck is well-maintained and that the driver is not working more than the legally permitted number of hours. If it is determined that an equipment malfunction caused the wreck, the truck’s manufacturer or the manufacturer of the faulty products are potentially liable. Improperly loaded cargo might play a role in the accident, and that could involve the company loading materials onto the vehicle. Truck accident lawyers investigate each claim thoroughly, and can determine where liability lies.
Catastrophic Injuries
Anyone lucky enough to survive a jackknifed truck accident may still suffer severe and even catastrophic injuries. The latter are injuries leaving a person permanently impaired with no chance of a full recovery. Severe and catastrophic injuries relating to jackknifed truck accidents may include:
- Burns
- Disfigurement
- Internal injuries
- Loss of limbs
- Multiple fractures
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
Not only do truck accident victims require long stays in the hospital or rehabilitation centers as they recuperate from their injuries, but they may need different living arrangements or major modifications to their homes.
Our Virginia Beach Truck Accident Lawyers Help Victims Claim Compensation for Their Injuries
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a jackknifed truck accident, you need the services of our experienced Virginia Beach truck accident lawyers. We will hold the negligent party responsible for your injuries. Contact us online or call East Coast Trial Lawyers today at 757-352-2237 for a free consultation. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, we represent car accident victims in Chesapeake, Eastern Shores, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk.
