A jackknife truck accident happens when a trailer swings out to form a 90-degree angle, and the vehicle goes into a skid. Jackknife incidents can be extremely dangerous as they can sweep across the highway and cause significant damage to surrounding cars and other motor vehicles. Because of the severity of these crashes, it is important to discuss jackknife truck accidents in Manchester with an experienced truck wreck attorney if you want to file a claim for damages.
What Causes a Truck to Jackknife?
In Manchester, some potential actions that may cause a jackknife truck wreck is driving too fast for the conditions, particularly on wet roads, using excessive speed around a curve, or doing anything that could cause cargo to shift inside the trailer. Sudden lane changing also may cause a tractor-trailer to jackknife.
Jackknifed trucks can become a great danger to all other motorists. The vehicles that are behind the tractor-trailer are often unable to stop in time to avoid colliding with it, and the sliding trailer may hit all cars in front of it as it sweeps across the road.
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How Can Truckers Prevent a Jackknife Accident?
A truck driver choosing to operate safely for the weather and road conditions and maintaining speed accuracy are some safety precautions that could prevent their vehicles from jackknifing. Mechanical and tire checks on a truck and its trailer also should be done before every trip. Routine checks are an important step to preventing jackknife accidents in Manchester because it ensures that a truck is road safe before it travels anywhere.
Establishing Negligence
Negligence is the failure to do something that could have prevented an injury from occurring. If a jackknife truck wreck occurs in Manchester and people are injured, an investigation will take place. This investigation may involve the police, an accident reconstructionist, insurance adjusters trained in collision reconstruction, and possibly the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
The FMCSA is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). Depending on their findings, there may be a determination of liability on the part of the driver, a mechanical failure of the tractor-trailer, or no liability at all because there was nothing the trucker could have done to prevent the outcome.
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Contact an Attorney for Help After a Jackknife Crash in Manchester
In addition to these accidents being extremely deadly, they also can be difficult to handle from a legal standpoint. This is because multiple parties could be liable in these situations. In addition to the drivers and their employers being potentially at-fault, brokers, as well as shippers or logistics companies, may be liable, especially if the tractor-trailer jackknifed because the cargo was loaded improperly. In general, the earlier a lawyer with experience in jackknife truck accidents in Manchester becomes involved, the sooner the responsible parties can be determined.
If a tractor-trailer swung and hit your vehicle, you may be entitled to seek compensation from the liable parties. For more information about how to pursue this type of claim, call today.
