How Jackknifing Can Lead to a Serious Truck Accident

Jackknife Truck Accident

Various types of trucking accidents can occur and cause serious injuries. A common type of trucking accident that stems from troubles with braking is the jackknife accident, which can result in serious injury, severe injuries, and even death in many cases. But what is jackknifing and how can it be prevented through cautionary steps? These are aspects we will look at a bit more closely today.

How Jackknifing Occurs 

Jackknifing is a more common accident than you may have thought. These accidents occur when trailers attached to tractor-trucks swing out at a 90-degree angle from a truck, causing chaos on the roads. Usually, the trailer will swing wildly and could hit other vehicles and people along the way, as the driver will lose all control of the vehicle. In other cases, it could lead to immense property damage, as a truck will stop at nothing once this accident starts. If the truck driver was speeding at the point of the accident, there is also a good chance that the truck could roll over onto its side, which spells out bad news for any nearby passenger vehicles, as they could be hit within an instant.

Jackknifing Truck Accident

So how do these accidents really happen? They occur when a truck driver suddenly begins to brake. Large trucks can sometimes take long amounts of time to stop when they are in the midst of driving, which is why many drivers will leave plenty of space. Because a tractor-trailer has brakes on several axles, if some wheels lock while others keep rolling, the truck can become difficult or even impossible to steer. The truck will even jackknife sometimes when a truck driver does everything possible to drive carefully, such as in emergency situations where a child runs out into the street. Truckers must always drive cautiously and carefully to avoid these commercial truck accidents at all costs.

The braking system of big trucks is not the same as smaller cars and vehicles. A tractor-trailer has brakes on the steering axle, the drive axles, and the trailer axles. If the front (steering) wheels lock and skid, the truck tends to keep going straight no matter how the driver turns the steering wheel. If the drive wheels lock, the rear of the tractor can slide sideways and the trailer can push the tractor around, causing a sudden jackknife. If the trailer wheels lock, the trailer can swing out, which is often called a trailer jackknife.

Avoiding A Jackknifing Truck Collision

Truck drivers learn a lot about these big commercial vehicles while they are training to become drivers. This is why you don’t often see these accidents in person because drivers always learn complex techniques to control their vehicles to the best of their abilities. Here are some ways, however, how jackknifing accidents can be prevented:

• Keeping a safe distance from other vehicles sharing the roadways, especially when there are bad conditions on the roads
• Braking in a straight line before a turn commences and never increasing speed close to a turn
• Spreading out braking as long as possible so that urgent stops are not made
• Releasing the brakes and driving into a skid if the truck starts skidding

Even with precautions taken, these accidents tend to happen on our roads every year. If you have been the victim of a jackknife crash and sustained severe injuries, we want to help. At the Accident Law Group, we have experience handling these serious cases and can help in your time of need. Call us today at 602-333-3333.

Sources

Arizona Commercial Driver License Manual (ADOT MVD)