Truck accidents are incredibly dangerous experiences. Very few motorists or pedestrians who are hit by 18-wheelers, semi trucks, or other big rig vehicles leave the experience unscathed. Recovery periods for injuries sustained in truck accidents can often take many months if not years. In some cases, injuries from truck accidents can be permanent and forever alter how you live your life.
With so much at stake after a truck accident, you do not want to leave anything to chance. You need experienced attorneys who are ready to work tirelessly to get all the evidence and information about your case and fight hard for you in court.
Get in touch with our truck accident lawyers from The Carrion Law Firm by calling (718) 841-0083 to get a free case analysis.
Types of Truck Accidents in Huntington, NY
Truck accidents can happen in a variety of ways. We will go over some of the kinds of truck accidents our truck accident lawyers can represent you for in a truck accident lawsuit below. Different accidents can happen for different reasons, which can determine who you bring to court to sue.
Rollover Accidents
Rollover accidents are when a commercial truck tips over to one side, potentially crushing any vehicle driving next to it. Additionally, rollover accidents create an obstacle on the road that other drivers may not be expecting, and they could crash into the overturned truck if the drivers do not have enough time to react.
Rollover accidents are often caused by a truck trailer being imbalanced. Commercial trucks, especially tractor-trailers, are much more top-heavy than ordinary vehicles. This means that truck drivers operating these vehicles have to be very careful when turning or making sudden moves on the road, lest the truck loses its balance and rollover. Oversteering or turning too sharply are common causes of rollover accidents. In addition, an improperly loaded or overloaded trailer can contribute to a rollover accident taking place.
Fishtailing Accidents
Fishtailing is when the rear wheels of a vehicle cannot gain traction with the road and swerve back and forth from side to side in a “fishtail” motion. These accidents can be caused by poor road conditions like icy weather or roughly paved roadways, equipment issues like substandard tires or some sort of defect in the axle of the vehicle, or improperly loaded trailers. A fishtailing trailer could easily sideswipe another vehicle and seriously injure the driver.
Jackknife Accidents
A jackknife accident is when the trailer of an 18-wheeler pivots around the linking mechanism to the truck cab and folds in on itself like a pocketknife. For that reason, jackknife accidents are nearly as dangerous to the truck driver as they are to other motorists. A rapidly moving trailer swinging around like a lever is incredibly hard to predict, so other motorists could get hit by surprise or not be able to move out of the way effectively. In extreme cases, the linking mechanism could snap, and the trailer could go flying down the roadway. However, substandard construction or another defect with the linking mechanism likely would have a part to play in that kind of accident.
A common cause of jackknife accidents is improper braking from the truck driver. The trailer of an 18-wheeler moves of its own accord and follows what the cab is doing, so the trailer will not stop when the rest of the truck does. Jackknife accidents are prone to happen when the truck driver comes to a sudden stop.
T-Bone Accidents
A T-bone accident is when a truck hits another vehicle perpendicularly. These accidents are incredibly devastating for any passengers located on the impacted side since they are very close to the area of impact and face the full brunt of the oncoming truck.
T bone accidents are frequently caused by driver negligence. A trucker who is not paying attention, drunk, or misjudges how soon they need to hit the brakes can cause a T-bone accident through their incompetence.
Causes of Truck Accidents in Huntington, NY
The cause of your particular truck accident is an extremely important part of your truck accident lawsuit. One of the things you need to prove in court to be able to recover damages is that the defendant caused your injuries. Therefore, going over your case with our truck accident lawyers and figuring out the cause of your accident can help to have us file the best lawsuit possible on your behalf.
Tired Drivers
Driver fatigue is a serious problem in the trucking industry. Driving a vehicle while extremely tired or fatigued is about as dangerous as driving after a night of heavy drinking. One does not need to work hard to imagine the destruction that can be caused by a truck driver who cannot react properly to the driving situation around them.
Because of how dangerous tired driving is, there are rules that put limits on how long a trucker can be on the road continuously. For example, truck drivers must take a 30-minute break after eight hours of consecutive driving and may only drive a maximum of eleven hours after ten consecutive hours off duty.
Inexperienced Drivers
There is currently a shortage of truck drivers in the United States. Accordingly, trucking companies are looking to fill the ranks of their fleets and may hire drivers who either do not meet their usual standards or are not quite ready to go out on the road. Less experienced truckers could run into a road situation that they do not know how to deal with and get in an accident.
Talk With Our Huntington, NY Truck Accident Lawyer Today
Our truck accident lawyers are ready to review your case when you call The Carrion Law Firm at (718) 841-0083.