A jackknife truck accident happens when a truck’s trailer moves at an angle to the cab. The trailer can collide with vehicles in adjacent lanes, and a jackknife often causes the truck to overturn.
Jackknife truck accidents often cause severe, permanent, and even fatal injuries to occupants of smaller vehicles. They rarely happen unless someone is negligent. A legal professional could identify the negligent parties who contributed to the accident and ensure they pay appropriate compensation for the harm they caused. Anyone hurt in a jackknife truck accident in San Mateo should call a local attorney immediately.
A San Mateo attorney representing someone hurt in a jackknife accident must identify why the truck crash happened and who contributed to it. In many cases, identifying the cause is easy— truck driver error is behind most jackknife accidents. Excessive speed and sudden or forceful braking are common factors in these collisions. These accidents often occur when the weather is poor, and the truck is travelling too fast for conditions.
When truck driver error causes a jackknife, the company that employs the driver is liable. If the driver is an independent contractor, the trucking company might still be liable if it imposed an unreasonable delivery schedule that required the driver to speed or did not investigate the driver’s training and record before contracting with them to haul the load.
Empty trailers are more prone to jackknife than full trailers, but an unbalanced load could cause a jackknife. In that case, the company that loaded the truck could be forced to pay compensation to anyone injured in the accident. Malfunctioning brakes could lead to a jackknife, and in that case, the manufacturer and maintenance company could be liable.
Truck jackknife accidents are especially dangerous because they often happen at highway speeds. The force of a collision or even a sideswipe from a trailer can destroy a smaller vehicle and cause severe injuries.
Cuts, sprains, and bruises are common in any vehicle accident. The massive size of a tractor trailer and the force it exerts when it hits another vehicle at speed sometimes results in people being expelled from their vehicles. Some of the more severe injuries common in jackknife accidents include the following:
In addition, the psychological impact of being involved in a jackknife crash can be long-lasting and debilitating. A person suffering severe injuries might be hospitalized for weeks or even months, require one or more surgeries, and need significant rehabilitation. They are likely to have some permanent disability, loss of function, and pain resulting from their injuries. A San Mateo attorney could help an injured person and their family document the physical and mental impact of the jackknife crash injuries to support a claim for damages.
The parties responsible for causing the accident must cover an injured person’s losses, including their out-of-pocket expenses and the loss of their quality of life. Damages could include payments for the losses the person will suffer in the future due to their injury, such as ongoing medical procedures and nursing care. When the injury impacts the person’s ability to earn a living, compensation will include their lost income and reduced future earning capacity. Physical pain, disability, humiliation, loss of companionship, lost ability to enjoy life, and emotional anguish are also compensable through damages.
California Civil Code § 3294 allows an injured person to seek exemplary damages when they can prove a defendant’s conduct was especially egregious. Exemplary damages are rarely available in injury cases, but if the truck driver’s conduct was intentional or reckless—for example, if the trucker was drunk, or driving substantially above the speed limit—a court might award them in a specific case. A San Mateo lawyer could explain further when they review the jackknife truck collision case.
Jackknife truck accidents in San Mateo can cause devastating injuries. It is critically important to engage a knowledgeable attorney as quickly as possible to gather evidence and start building a case for damages. Reach out to a lawyer with substantial experience negotiating with trucking industry insurers. Call today to get started.
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