What Are the Different Types of Truck Accidents?

Large commercial trucks are integral to the nation’s supply chain, bringing necessary goods and services into our urban and rural communities. As much as we rely on large trucks, their looming presence on the roadways causes excess traffic congestion, impedes traffic flow, and poses a serious threat in a collision with a smaller vehicle. Around 5,000 deaths per year have occurred in recent years due to accidents involving commercial trucks, with as many as 75% of the deaths occurring to those in smaller vehicles.

Understanding the different types of crashes and collisions associated with commercial trucks helps truck drivers and those sharing the roadways with these immense vehicles avoid accidents.

Common Types of Commercial Truck Accidents

Commercial trucks include semi-tractor-trailer trucks, large box trucks, and similar over-sized commercial vehicles. When fully loaded, these vehicles outweigh standard passenger cars by as much as 76,000 pounds, presenting a deadly hazard in a collision. Common commercial truck accidents include the following types:

• Rear-end collisions: this occurs when drivers fail to leave adequate space between the front of their vehicle and the back of another (tailgating). A rear-end collision occurs when a truck driver tailgates another vehicle and collides or when a motorist in a smaller vehicle collides with the back of a truck
• Side-impact collisions, or T-bone accidents: these accidents mostly occur in intersections or when one vehicle improperly exits a driveway or parking lot
• Jackknife accidents: when a truck’s trailer slides sideways, out of alignment with the cab causing the driver to lose control and end in a crash with the cab and trailer forming an angle similar to an open jackknife shape
• Rollover accidents: common when trucks make sharp turns or take sharp curves at too high a speed
• Truck tire blowouts: tire blowouts can cause a truck driver to lose control of the truck and also send dangerous shrapnel into the roadway, causing accidents to smaller vehicles
• Wide-turn accidents: the extended length of trucks with trailers necessarily make wide turns, sometimes causing collisions when they depart from their lane to manage a turn
• Underride accidents: when a smaller vehicle collides with a large truck, it may wedge or become lodged under the trailer
• Override accidents: When a truck has a rear-end collision with a smaller vehicle directly in front of it, the truck’s large tires may cause the cab of the truck to climb up and over the smaller car
• Head-on collisions: when a truck deviates from its lane on a two-lane roadway or crosses a median into oncoming traffic, it causes a head-on collision
• Sideswipe accidents: these occur when a truck driver makes an unsafe lane change and strikes a glancing blow off the side of another vehicle
• Roadway departures: when the driver of a large commercial truck loses control and runs off the road there may be a rollover or collision with obstacles or pedestrians

Who Is Liable in a Commercial Truck Accident?

Determining fault and liability in a commercial truck accident is often challenging. It requires a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the accident to learn the cause and any contributing factors, and then a determination of liability. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, liability could lie with the truck driver, the driver of a second vehicle, the trucking company, a truck maintenance company, a freight loading company, or the manufacturer of a defective part.

How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer Help My Case?

Commercial trucking companies use powerful insurance providers who often dispute claims or undervalue them. Sometimes they assign an undue portion of blame to the victim to lower the amount they have to pay on the claim under the state’s comparison negligence insurance laws. An experienced truck accident attorney helps by investigating the accident, documenting evidence of liability, carefully calculating damages, and making a strong, compelling case. They negotiate for the maximum compensation available for damages like medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. Call a St. Louis truck accident lawyer at The Floyd Law Firm today for experienced legal guidance throughout your claim.