San Antonio Truck Accident Lawyer

What kinds of truck accidents can cause injuries?

Just like passenger vehicles, commercial vehicle drivers can cause rear-end and T-bone collisions, and even hit-and-runs. But because of their size and shape, there are some types of accidents that are unique to 18-wheelers and larger commercial trucks. They include:

• Head-on collisions. Head-on collisions can cause devastating injuries in any scenario, but they are especially deadly when a semi-truck is involved. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reports that “thirty percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in two-vehicle crashes with a large truck in 2020 were in vehicles struck head-on by the truck.”
• Jackknife accidents. When a trailer slides in a different direction from the cab – typically creating an “L” or “V” shape, it’s called a jackknife. These accidents are dangerous because the trailer can be more than 50’ long and can easily cross multiple lanes of traffic.
• Underride collisions. This is when a vehicle, motorcycle, cyclist, or pedestrian slides under the side of the truck because the truck doesn’t have side guards on it. This type of crash can easily crush a person or smaller vehicle, and the injuries are often fatal.
• Blind spot accidents. The blind spots (sometimes called “no zones”) on a big rig can extend up to 30 feet behind it, 20 feet ahead of it, and multiple lanes on either side of it. For this reason, a truck on a highway can easily hit drivers on any side, and trucks in depots or warehouses can back over workers who may be behind them.
• Cargo spills. Cargo must be properly secured and stored. When it is not, it can fly out of the top or side of the truck. Other motorists can be hit with flying debris or end up in accidents if they swerve to avoid cargo in the road.
• Rollovers. Any vehicle can rollover, of course, but truck rollovers can be deadly. Not only can they spill cargo all over the road, but they can also crush multiple vehicles at once.
• Tire blowouts. When there are 18 wheels on a vehicle, a driver might not notice if one of them blows out – but other drivers will, especially if the debris goes sliding into the roadway.

Commercial trucks take a long time to get up to speed and require a longer time to slow down or stop. Drivers need to proceed around curves, into turns, and into lower gradients with caution. Any failure to do so may result in a devastating crash with serious, potentially fatal injuries.