Years ago, the problem was poorly maintained equipment. Then, the economy boomed and companies expanded fleets with modern trucks but the Achilles heel of the trucking industry was revealed — not enough drivers. Today’s truck drivers travel farther, longer, and more often than ever before. As a result, the new highway menace is the sleeping trucker. Traveling at high speeds in enormous rigs these behemoths create carnage on our roadways. Almost everyone has felt the tug in their chest at seeing these massive vehicles bearing down in the rearview mirror. Often times they don’t swerve in time. The result is injury or death. At Fonvielle Lewis Messer & McConnaughhay, we have are skilled at handling these cases.

Don’t get run over twice — contact us for a FREE case evaluation today.

Jackknife: Jackknife accidents occur due to sudden braking or loss of traction, causing the tractor to fold in on itself forming a V-shaped angle.  Common causes are brake failure,  mechanical failures, or improper braking by truck drivers.  These types of accidents can be especially dangerous given the unpredictable nature of the skidding of the trailer.

Rollover: Rollover accidents are some of the most dangerous types of trucking accidents.  These types of accidents involve a truck rolling over onto its side or roof and often can be deadly for anyone involved. Unbalanced loads, weather conditions, and taking turns too fast are often contributing factors in these types of accidents.

Tire Blowouts: Commercial truck tires are put under tremendously heavy loads and stressful road conditions every day.  Tire blowouts can result in truck drivers losing control of the truck or other vehicles swerving out of the way of a truck with a blown tire, resulting in significant danger to nearby vehicles on the road.

Head-on: Head-on collisions occur when a truck and another vehicle moving in opposite directions collide head-on with each other.  Head-on collisions typically occur on highways and interstates, where speeding is common and the volume of trucks is high.  For these reasons, these types of accidents can be deadly and often result in multiple serious injuries.  In addition, other factors such as driver fatigue, falling asleep at the wheel, or distracted driving contribute to the severity in these types of accidents.

Underride: An underride accident is when a tractor trailer stops quickly and smaller vehicles slam into either the rear or side of the tractor trailer causing them to slide underneath it.  Because of the nature of underride collisions, these accidents can cause catastrophic injuries and be fatal.

Other Types of Trucking Accidents: T-bone accidents, Load Spill accidents, Blindspot accidents, Side swipe accidents, Wide turn accidents