All kinds of truck wrecks have the potential to cause serious injuries to people in vehicles struck by the truck, but jackknife truck accidents in West Virginia are particularly frightening because they have the potential to cause widespread damage to people in multiple vehicles.
If you or your loved one recently suffered harm in a jackknife accident, you could be facing a long and challenging road to recovery. Fortunately, the seasoned legal team at Jan Dils can help. We can stand up on your behalf and fiercely advocate for your rights in a truck accident claim against the person or entities responsible for the crash.
A jackknife happens when a tractor trailer truck’s momentum causes it to bend at the hinge between the cab and trailer. In a jackknife, the cab slows or stops and the trailer continues moving, but swings in a different direction from the cab. The resulting positions of the cab and trailer resemble a pocketknife.
Different kinds of jackknife trucking wrecks occur in West Virginia. Depending on the type of crash and the speed with which it occurs, the resulting injuries can vary widely. Jackknife collisions cause the most damage when they occur at high speeds on highways where there are many different vehicles traveling. A jackknifing truck can swing across several lanes of traffic, sweeping and pushing cars in its swinging path into other vehicles or even off the road. Smaller vehicles can get crushed in a fast moving jackknife. People in multiple vehicles can suffer life-threatening injuries.
Our compassionate West Virginia legal team can meet with you to get a full understanding of the toll the jackknife collision has had on your life to help you fight for a damages award or settlement offer that adequately compensates your losses.
Jackknife trucking wrecks happen in West Virginia for a wide range of reasons. Most jackknife wrecks happen because of some degree of truck driver negligence. They often occur when truck drivers fail to recognize dangers, such as changes in road conditions or an emergency in the road up ahead, until it is too late. This type of situation happens when drivers are speeding, distracted, drunk, overly fatigued, driving aggressively or recklessly.
They also happen when truck drivers fail to respond appropriately to a situation on the road, such as slick roads, due to inexperience and lack of training in proper handling of their trucks.
Jackknife crashes can also occur for reasons other than driver negligence. For instance, vehicle malfunctions can also cause a truck to jackknife, like a tire blowout. In that situation, our attorneys could skillfully examine the details of the crash to determine if the tire blow out occurred because the tire was inherently defective in which case the vehicle’s manufacturer could bear the blame or if the tire blow out happened due to lack of regular maintenance of the truck, in which case the truck’s owner or mechanic could be at fault.
Jackknife truck accidents in West Virginia can cause widespread destruction. Fortunately, the legal team at Jan Dils can help you fight back against the responsible parties. Set up a free consultation to discuss the details of your jackknife collision with our personal injury attorneys today.
To Schedule an Appointment, Call Us Toll Free at 1.877.873.8208 or Email Us for a Prompt Response.
Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law
