Jack Knife Truck Accidents
Any motor vehicle accident involving a commercial truck has the potential to be dangerous and deadly, but jackknife wrecks often produce especially catastrophic consequences. Because these kinds of crashes involve a truck’s trailer kicking out sideways from or even skidding ahead of its cab, the tractor-trailer involved may end up impacting multiple other vehicles, causing immense harm to both drivers and passengers inside.
Individuals involved in jackknife truck accidents often find themselves dealing with broken bones and soft tissue damage. More commonly, however, drivers can experience life-altering injuries like brain injuries and spine damage, internal organ damage, and crushing injuries leading to limb loss. If you recently got hurt in such a wreck, you should speak with a semi-truck collision lawyer as soon as possible about your legal options.
How Negligence Could Cause a Jackknife Wreck
There are various reasons a truck could end up jackknifing, many of which stem directly from a truck driver’s recklessness or carelessness. With potentially up to 80,000 pounds of vehicle components and cargo under his or her control, any trucker who exceeds the speed limit, brakes too suddenly, or fails to account for inclement weather conditions greatly increases the risk of his vehicle jackknifing.
However, not every jackknife crash can be traced specifically back to driver negligence, nor is a commercial truck driver always the best party to name as the defendant in an ensuing civil claim. In many situations, trucking companies can be held vicariously liable for the irresponsible actions of their employee, and in some cases, the companies may even be directly to blame for a jackknife wreck—for example, if the driver is forced to speed to make unreasonable delivery quotas.
Jackknife wrecks can also stem from improperly loaded cargo, mechanical failures, and even reckless actions by other drivers on the road, all of which may impose civil liability on someone other than the trucker directly involved in the wreck. An attorney could help advise on who should bear fault for a particular incident based on the circumstances and take legal action accordingly.
Recoverable Damages in Truck Accident Claims
Comprehensive recovery following a jackknife truck accident often requires thinking in the long term rather than just the short term. Because commercial trucks significantly outweigh the average commuter car, they tend to cause exponentially greater harm when they collide with other vehicles, potentially impacting victims years or even decades into the future.
While Ohio Revised Code §2315.18 caps non-economic damages at the greater of three times economic damages or $250,000, this cap does not apply to accidents resulting in catastrophic disability or disfigurement. With that in mind, a skilled truck accident lawyer may be able to help pursue significant compensation for numerous types of losses, including:
- Past and future medical expenses, including those for rehabilitative and in-home care
- Medical equipment and home modifications necessitated by a disability
- Loss of past and future earning capacity
- Loss of vehicle
- Physical pain and emotional anguish
An Attorney Can Help After a Jackknife Truck Accident
In the wake of any serious accident, taking prompt legal action can be crucial to preserving your future physical and financial wellbeing. After jackknife truck accidents, civil recovery often becomes even more important because of the debilitating injuries these types of wrecks often cause.
A lawyer at Tittle & Perlmuter could help you pursue a fair outcome to your case and seek the financial restitution you deserve. Call today to learn more.
