Common Types of Trucking Accidents
The injuries you sustain in a truck accident may depend on the type of accident. Common types of truck accidents include:
- Cargo shifts – If cargo on a transfer truck is not properly secured, the transfer of weight when it shifts suddenly can cause the truck driver to lose control of his or her vehicle. It may also tip the truck and cause it to roll over.
- Cargo spills – Improperly loaded cargo that falls from a truck can hit other vehicles or cause vehicles to crash when drivers swerve to avoid spilled cargo. If hazardous material is spilled, it can cause environmental damage as well as personal injury.
- Head-on collisions – Vehicles hit head-on in 30 percent of truck-car crashes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. A head-on collision that occurs because a truck has crossed the center line may be a consequence of truck driver impairment such as drunk driving or fatigued driving. It may also be caused by distracted driving.
- Jackknifes – This accident occurs when the cab and trailer of a large truck slide toward one another like a folding pocketknife (a rotating motion technically known as a “yaw”). Drivers can jackknife their rigs by losing traction when they hit the brakes too quickly, exceed safe speeds for rain, snow, ice or a sharp turn or because of a cargo shift.
- Rollovers – Large trucks’ high center of gravity increases their risk of rolling over, particularly in curves or on highway entrance and exit ramps or because of the sudden transfer of weight in a cargo shift.
- Sideswipes – A truck that skids or yaws because of improper speed or sudden braking can depart its lane and sideswipe other vehicles. Improper lane changes or oversteering in a curve can also cause a sideswipe accident.
- Underride – Passenger vehicle occupants can be seriously injured or killed if their vehicle hits a commercial truck and, because of the height of the truck, slides under the trailer. An underride can damage or even sheer off the upper portion of a car, leaving anyone sitting upright exposed to serious harm.
Underride guards are required on the rear of most large commercial trucks, but many fail, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. Underrides can occur in rear-end collisions, sideswipes and T-bone / side-impact collisions, in which vehicles collide at right angles.
Contact Our North Carolina Truck Accident Lawyers
If you have been badly hurt in any type of truck accident, the attorneys of Hardison & Cochran can help you to seek compensation for your injuries, damage to your vehicle and your other losses.
Our truck accident lawyers have in-depth knowledge of trucking industry regulations and of victims’ rights based on more than 30 years of experience with assisting truck accident victims in Raleigh and throughout North Carolina.
Contact us today to schedule a free review of your case.
Sources / More Information:
- Large Trucks, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Truck Underride, NHTSA
- Large Trucks, Insurance Institute of Highway Safety
