A jackknife might be a safer kind of pocket blade, but it is one of the most dangerous kinds of truck accidents. A jackknife accident is a crash involving a sharp “L” shaped angle between the trailer and the cab of a semi truck. These accidents are often deadly for the drivers closest to the truck, and can cause severe injuries as well as large amounts of property damage across several lanes of traffic.
A jackknife accident is one of the most traumatic kinds of highway accidents that can occur. Frank Azar Car & Truck Accident Lawyers is dedicated to representing individuals and families facing these catastrophic and life-changing situations and helping you come away with the best possible settlement from your claim.
What Causes Jackknife Truck Accidents?
When a semi-truck skids, but the attached trailer does not stop or slow down, it results in a jackknife. This kind of imbalance can be the result of many elements, including:
- Badly loaded or imbalanced cargo
- Poor driver technique, especially weaving, sudden turns, or sudden braking
- Speeding
- Curved roadways or poorly maintained highway conditions
- Malfunctioning brakes
- Blown out tires
- Locked wheels
- Broken trailer hitch
- Defective steering equipment
- Driver fatigue
- Bad weather and slick roads
A trailer is most likely to jackknife when it is almost empty, or very lightly loaded.
What Percent of Truck Accidents Are Jackknifes?
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, around 5% of truck crashes are jackknife accidents. Despite being less common than other types of truck accidents like rear-end collisions or underrides, jackknife crashes are especially deadly and often involve at least one fatality.
Why Are Jackknifing Trucks So Dangerous?
Jackknifing trucks are dangerous for the semi truck driver as well as other cars, pedestrians, and passengers on the road. The driver is experiencing a sudden loss of traction, and must react immediately to steady out their swaying vehicle. However, even experienced drivers can be harmed in a jackknife crash, or cause irreparable damage and injuries to others. This is because jackknifing trucks and their trailers are typically out of the driver’s control once the motion begins. Since jackknifes often also take place in busy stretches of traffic or on mountainous, curving roadways when a driver takes an unbalanced turn, these conditions can also cause additional damage and pileup crashes behind the trailer.
Remember that big-rigs weigh several tons, even when they’re not loaded: an empty 18-wheeler weighs about 35,000lbs, and a fully loaded one is supposed to top out at no more than 80,000. There is significant force behind these accidents. In collisions with overloaded trucks, the force involved can be far greater. Once a driver loses control, it is almost impossible to get it back.
What Kinds of Injuries Can a Jackknife Accident Cause?
A jackknife accident usually causes catastrophic injuries, and the damage can reverberate across multiple lanes of traffic. Some examples of common injuries from a jackknife accident include:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Partial or total paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
- Neck injuries
- Crush injuries, such as tissue and organ damage
- Lacerations and cuts
- Broken bones and fractures
- Chronic pain
- PTSD
How Can a Colorado Jackknife Accident Lawyer Help with a Jackknife Case?
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a jackknife accident, a Colorado truck accident lawyer can represent your claim for damages. Your medical bills, long term managed care, changes to your employment, loss of your vehicle, and more can all be accounted for in a jackknife accident lawsuit. What is more, Frank Azar Car & Truck Accidents attorneys fight to include every moment of the pain and suffering you have experienced in your final settlement figure. We know that a jackknife accident is especially deadly and often traumatic for those who survive it. In wrongful death cases, we may be able to help bring solace to loved ones by suing not only for medical costs but also funeral expenses, burial costs, and additional compensation.
When you are negotiating after a commercial vehicle crash, you will likely be dealing with skilled insurance defense lawyers who are determined to bring down their company’s total number by any means possible. You need experienced advocates by your side who are confident in their ability to litigate, and not just settle your case.
Frank Azar Car & Truck Accident Lawyers will focus on proving liability in order to build your claim. Colorado is a modified comparative negligence state, meaning that the amount you are found to be liable in the crash reduces your overall payout from a claim. That being said, in a commercial truck crash, multiple parties might be liable for the harm done, thereby increasing your sources of compensation. At Frank Azar Car & Truck Accident Lawyers, our Colorado jackknife accident attorneys help injured clients take on all liable parties. In a truck accident case, that might be not only the driver, but also the cargo loaders, maintenance mechanics, as well as the company behind the big rig. If any of their actions caused the crash, you may have a case against multiple parties, which can help cover the enormous costs and destruction caused by a jackknife accident.
As Colorado’s largest personal injury law firm, Frank Azar Car & Truck Accident Lawyers has the stamina to stand up to insurance defense attorneys with deep pockets. Our firm’s Strong Arm Approach has helped us average the highest settlement awards in Colorado personal injury cases. Our selective approach allows us to maintain this formidable reputation, meaning that when you show up to court with a Frank Azar Car & Truck Accident attorney by your side, the insurance defense knows you mean business.
Call our Colorado Truck Accident Lawyers for Help After a Jackknife
Frank Azar Car & Truck Accident Lawyers have multiple office locations across Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Greeley, Pueblo, and more. We offer years of experience dedicated to helping our clients recover from devastating injuries and handle the fallout of large truck accidents. Contact us today for a free consultation.
