How a Truck Accident Varies from a Car Accident

Truck accidents encompass many types of trucking vehicles, from semi-trucks to tractor-trailers, to 18-wheelers or even fire trucks. Accidents that involve large trucks are responsible for thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries every single year! Your typical commercial truck is much larger and heavier than a passenger vehicle, which is why the accidents and injuries tend to be much worse. Truck accidents pose unique concerns.

Unique Trucking Accidents 

Many truck-related accidents are much different than a passenger vehicle accident, in the following ways:

Jackknifing: Jackknife accidents sometimes happen for commercial trucks. When they occur, the driver usually has no time to react, and stem from disabling the front brakes on the truck. Whichever party was responsible for doing so, is the one responsible for damages.

Fuel Fires: Sometimes trucks catch fire when the fuel comes in contact with battery spark. In an accident, the battery can sometimes become crushed and these fires begin. 

Rollover: Rollovers in truck accidents are also unique in their own regard. They are actually one of the major causes of deaths in trucking accidents, making them especially dangerous. Some of the elements that lead to rollover accidents include driver error, truck malfunction, or the conditions of the highway at the time. 

Braking: Brake malfunction can also lead to a truck accident, sometimes pushing liability onto the driver or the party responsible for maintaining the truck’s brakes. Brakes can sometimes overheat and malfunction as well.

The injuries in trucking accidents tend to be much more debilitating, leading to a greater chance of injuries than a vehicle-on-vehicle accident. This is due to the fact that commercial trucks are much larger, sitting at up to 80,000 pounds or more! Truckers are required to carry insurance with higher liability limits for the very reason that those in a passenger vehicle are sure to sustain injuries in one of these accidents. If you have been injured, there may be more available to you in the event of an accident. Call us today to find out how we can help. We have useful information that could help you with your truck accident claim.