Driving in colder weather can be challenging due to slippery roads, reduced visibility, and increased traffic. One particular hazard is the jackknifing of semi-trucks. These large vehicles can quickly lose control, swinging out of control and forming a V-shape with their trailers. The suddenness and severity of these accidents can lead to devastating consequences, including injuries and fatalities. Jackknifing semi-trucks can often flip over and slide down the highway, leaving little chance for other vehicles to avoid a collision.
What is a Jackknife Accident?
Jackknifing is the term used to describe when the semi-truck trailer pushes the truck's cab to one side as it crashes or loses control. It creates a shape that resembles a pocket knife or a jackknife. Jackknifing is unique to large trucks and towing vehicles because of its shape, as it loses control on the road. The physics and weight distribution that work against trucks and their trailers create the perfect scenario for a semi to jackknife unexpectedly.
Causes of Jackknife Accidents
Unfortunately, one of the most common and deadly types of collisions that happen with semi trucks are jackknife accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, jackknife accidents are responsible for almost 10% of fatal accidents involving large trucks. These accidents are so dangerous because of how quickly truck drivers lose control and jackknife, where trailers often flip so that the traffic around them doesn’t have enough time to react. It’s part of a semi-truck driver’s training to ensure they do everything possible to avoid a jackknife accident.
Common Jackknife Accidents Are Caused By:
- Improper braking
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Driver fatigue
- Overloaded trucks
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Inclement Weather
- Mechanical failures
- Inexperienced drivers
- Curved roads
A More In-Depth Look
Many factors lead to a truck and trailer jackknifed on the highway, but the leading cause is braking, especially at high speeds. When a truck driver hasn’t maintained their brakes, or they brake too suddenly, the trailer can swing in the opposite direction of the cab and create that jackknife L shape. Maintaining similar speeds between the cab and the trailer is essential to keep the truck from jackknifing. Many jackknife accidents occur on curves and in inclement weather as the trucks can’t maintain control. Traveling on curves doubles the risk of a jackknife accident, and steering must be experienced to make it around the curve safely. Performing pre-trip inspections and following all guidelines and laws while on the road will keep everyone safer.
Improper Braking
The most common cause of a jackknife accident is speeding and improper braking. Large trucks require more distance to stop their vehicle safely, especially with a full load of cargo, and if a truck driver brakes too hard or too suddenly, it can cause the trailer to sway. If the truck is on a wet or icy road, it won’t have enough time or traction to stop safely, causing jackknifing.
Driving Experience
Having a truck driver behind the wheel who is trained and experienced is the first step to avoiding devastating accidents such as jackknifing. Truck drivers with industry experience won’t feel pressured to rush on their deliveries and will adjust their driving behaviors for adverse weather conditions. An experienced and adequately trained driver will have a better chance of regaining control and will be following the safest driving practices so as not to fall victim to driving errors such as:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Fatigue
- Sudden lane changes or turns
How a truck’s trailer is loaded can also contribute to jackknife accidents. If the cargo is not correctly secured in the trailer, it could shift during transport and cause the trailer to be unbalanced. If the truck is mid-turn or on poor road conditions, it can cause the driver to lose control. There are strict regulations on the maximum weight for trucks because overloading a truck can also significantly increase the risk of an accident.
Mechanical Failures
The slightest malfunction when it comes to semi-trucks can cause devastation. Whether it is a tire blowout, brake failure, or mechanical malfunction, these small failures can cause a large and heavy truck to lose control in traffic. Regular maintenance and inspections are vital to catching these repairs before they lead to an accident on the road. While trucking companies are responsible for ensuring their vehicles are in safe working conditions, it’s up to the drivers to perform pre-trip inspections.
Inclement Weather
Inclement weather conditions are significant factors in the cause of jackknife accidents. Slippery roads from ice and rain can cause trucks to lose traction, making it difficult to stop and maneuver safely. Strong winds can push or tip a trailer, causing a jackknife or rollover. Drivers should take extreme caution in bad weather conditions by reducing their speed or stopping until the road is safer.
Dangers of Jackknife Accidents
Semi-truck accidents are dangerous due to the sheer size of the truck and trailer, but jackknife accidents are particularly deadly. One of the main reasons is that it is exceptionally swift and out of control when it moves into a jackknife position, creating a wide path of damage. With the size and speed of the accident, passenger cars can’t avoid the devastation of the accident, and the truck can’t be stopped as it loses control. The real danger of a jackknife accident is that it causes multiple accidents and severe injuries to all parties.
A jackknife accident has the potential to be so violent in the devastation that most survivors have lasting significant psychological trauma. Post-traumatic stress and nightmares are prevalent in survivors of accidents due to witnessing and surviving the accident. The consequences of jackknife accidents go beyond the damage of the accident to create devastating and lasting consequences for all.
Potential Injuries from Jackknife Accidents
Passenger cars don’t stand a chance when it comes to a jackknife accident, and nothing can stop an out-of-control semi-truck as it crashes down a highway. In a jackknife accident, the trailer sways out to the side, potentially blocking all lanes of traffic, and other vehicles might not have time to stop before they crash into the truck, or by attempting to avoid the accident, they crash into other cars.
These significant accidents can cause severe medical injuries such as:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Broken Bones
- Internal Injuries
- Psychological Trauma
- Wrongful Death
How to Prevent Jackknife Accidents
Preventing jackknife accidents is complex because sometimes it’s just about losing control or it’s completely out of the driver’s control. But doing everything you can to prevent a jackknife accident as a driver will help keep you and others safe.
As a driver, it’s your legal responsibility to follow all federal rules and regulations.
- Stay up to date with federal regulations
- Ensure that you are taking your mandated breaks
- Perform all trip inspections
- Refrain from drugs and alcohol
All drivers want to arrive at their destination safely, and semi-truck drivers have many more factors to consider when remaining safe on the highway.
Safe driving habits are what prevent the most accidents.
- Maintain a safe following distance
- Adjust speed for weather conditions
- Brake gently and gradually
- Avoid aggressive maneuvers
- Avoid unnecessary lane changes
- Plan route with safety in mind
- Avoid distractions
What To Do After a Jackknife Accident
Once a jackknife accident has come to a complete stop and traffic has stopped, safety and medical care are prioritized. Ensuring everyone’s safety means waiting until all traffic has stopped moving, watching for fire and smoke, and calling medical services immediately.
After being involved in a jackknife accident, you should:
- Call 911 immediately
- Get medical attention
- Document the scene
- Exchange information with other drivers
- Gather witness statements
- File accident reports
The next step is to work toward the legal procedures and insurance claims. This complex step is best done by consulting and working with a truck accident lawyer who can help you and your loved ones navigate the legal process and negotiate with insurance companies.
After a jackknife accident, hiring an attorney is the most beneficial step in the legal process. Your lawyer can negotiate on your behalf with your insurance provider. Handling the legal capacities and insurance procedures is where your attorney can provide support and guidance while you focus on your family and healing.
Who is Liable in a Jackknife Accident?
Truck accidents have a complex liability system because multiple parties may be liable. While driver negligence is often to blame for jackknife accidents, sometimes, there are factors outside of the driver's control that may contribute to the accident. Determining and proving the liability after a jackknife accident can be challenging, but determining liability with a skilled truck accident lawyer will be easier.
Parties who may be liable for the accident are:
-
- Truck Driver: Through negligent driving, speeding, driving under the influence, improper braking, or even turning too aggressively.
- Trucking Company: Failing to ensure driver training, enforcing safety regulations, or maintaining the truck puts an unnecessary and negligent danger to increasing the risks of an accident.
- Truck Manufacturer: Manufacturers may be liable for an accident if a defect or mechanical failure contributed to the accident.
- Maintenance Provider: A third-party maintenance provider may be liable if it fails to perform proper, complete, and reported maintenance on the truck.
- Third-Party Cargo Loaders: If a third-party cargo loader loaded the cargo of the truck involved in the accident and failed to ensure that the load was secure or overloaded the truck, they may be held liable for the accident.
- The Government: There are also instances where a government agency may be held liable if a road defect like road maintenance or improper signage contributed to the accident.
Legal Help After a Jackknife Accident
While hiring an attorney may seem like an added expense, they will become such a valuable resource to your case, and it often results in a much higher settlement or verdict that you can obtain.
By helping you navigate the legal process, an experienced truck accident attorney can help you in vital ways, like:
- Investigating the accident
- Gathering the evidence to support your claim
- Identify all liable parties
- Calculate the total damages, including future expenses or lost wages
- Negotiate with insurance companies
- Represent you in court should it go to trial
If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck jackknife accident, don't wait to seek legal help. Richard Schwartz and Associates are here to fight for your rights and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to get started by visiting our website or calling us at (601) 988-8888.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a jackknife accident?
A jackknife accident is when a truck loses control while driving, and the trailer folds in on the cab, making a jackknife shape at a 90-degree angle.
What are the risks associated with a jackknife accident?
The risks associated with an accident that is this violent are potential multiple car accidents, severe bodily injuries, and lasting trauma to survivors.
How can I prevent jackknife accidents?
Jackknife accidents are best prevented by slowing down and driving cautiously in inclement weather. Safety is part of our driving habits; speed is why these accidents are so dangerous.
What should I do if I’m involved in a jackknife accident?
You should always seek medical attention, even if you don’t feel injured on the accident scene. After establishing your physical safety, you should consult and hire an experienced truck accident attorney to represent you in your claim.
