Every year, commercial truck accidents take thousands of lives in the United States. These tragedies can often be prevented with due care exercised by truck companies and their truck drivers. Unfortunately, acts of negligence and recklessness lead to dangerous types of truck accidents daily, along with many cases of related injuries and deaths handled by experienced Denver personal injury attorneys at Manning Law.
Rollover Accidents
A truck rollover accident occurs when a big rig or tractor-trailer turns onto its side. This is a frightening type of truck accident that leads to a total loss of vehicle control by the truck driver. Since large commercial trucks have high centers of gravity, truck drivers must take extra care to brake correctly and use caution around corners. Negligence behind the wheel, such as speeding, increases the risk of a big rig tipping or toppling over.
Jackknife Accidents
A truck jackknife accident describes a loss of vehicle control due to the trailer of the truck swinging out at an angle away from the cab. A jackknifed truck may slide into other motorists on the road or roll over. A truck might jackknife due to a truck driver using the improper braking technique or because of poor weather and wet roads.
Override Accidents
An override accident is one of the deadliest types of truck accidents. It occurs when a large truck drives up and over or on top of a smaller passenger car, often crushing the occupants within the car. Tractor-trailers are much taller than the average motor vehicle. When a big rig strikes the back or side of a smaller car, the large tires may ride up and over the smaller vehicle. The weight of the truck – which is about 20 times that of the standard car, on average – can crush the roof.
Underride Accidents
An underride accident occurs when a passenger car slides or becomes wedged beneath the trailer of a large truck. This can occur due to the height disparity between a passenger car and the bottom of a trailer. In a collision between the two vehicles, the car may end up beneath the truck’s trailer. Underride truck accidents can lead to devastating head and brain injuries, decapitations, and spinal cord injuries.
Blind Spot Accidents
Commercial trucks have large blind spots. A truck driver’s vision is limited in the area surrounding the truck on all four sides due to the length of the trailer. If a smaller vehicle is hovering in a blind spot, the truck driver may fail to notice the car. This could result in a devastating sideswipe, merge or lane-change accident. The truck may crash into the side of the other vehicle or force the other driver to take corrective action that results in the car leaving the road.
Lost Cargo Loads
A unique factor often involved in truck accidents in Colorado is the presence of cargo. Hazardous cargo such as flammable substances could lead to a deadly truck accident, as they may explode or catch fire in an accident. Other truck accidents are caused by lost cargo loads (cargo spills), which can enter the road and strike other drivers. Finally, if an imbalanced or poorly secured load shifts in transit, this could cause a rollover truck accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of truck accident in Colorado, contact a Denver truck accident attorney at Manning Law without delay to request a free case consultation.
