Q: What are some of the distinctive properties of trucks that every lawyer needs to consider when representing victims of Truck Accidents that make them different from the usual automobile accident case?

A:

Because semitrucks are so massive, they can be extremely unwieldy so victims seriously injured in cars that collide with trucks need to consider the following:

• Different types of trailers add variables that effect a truck’s maneuverability. For example, tankers may get pushed or swayed by the sloshing of liquid it carries making it suspectible to rollovers.
• The size of big rigs makes it more difficult to stop a tractor trailer quickly; a semitruck traveling 65 mph takes 420 feet to stop while it only takes a car 162 feet to stop.
• Surprisingly, trucks without a trailer and empty trucks require greater stopping distances.
• Tractor trailers and cars contain completely different brake systems. If semis’ brakes lockup, the trailer may swing out to the side, and trucks travelling downhill may have brakes that heat up and fail.
• Trucks often lack adequate safeguards to prevent a type of accident called “underrides.” These occur when a truck stops suddently and a smaller passenger car is unable to stop before crashing into the rear or side of the truck’s trailer, and the impact cuts off the entire cab of the car, injuring the occupants.
• Other factors that might interfere with the driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle include the general condition of the cab, obstruction of the mirror or dashboard, line of driver sight, and blind spots on the truck.