What You Should Know When You Get Involved in a Truck Accident

Accidents of any kind on the road can be life-altering, but truck accidents tend to consistently have devastating impacts on the drivers involved. The weight of an average car on the road is under 5,000 pounds, while the weight of a semi-truck with an empty trailer is roughly 35,000 pounds. Thinking of what could happen if the two collide is a difficult image to envision.

Trucking accidents can be catastrophic and chaotic. In the event that you are involved in a collision with a truck, here’s what you should know.

Truck Accidents Are Typically Far More Severe

Because of the extreme difference in weight between semi-trucks and the average vehicle on the road, truck accidents are usually much more severe. Semi-trucks in the United States are allowed to weight up to 80,000 pounds, including the weight of the cargo they carry. Additionally,  the speed vehicles are typically moving on the highway can make it nearly impossible to avoid a collision when one happens near you.

Jackknife accidents are some of the most commonly seen involving semi-trucks. In these types of accidents, the trailer can tilt and swivel to fold up against the cab of the truck. This means multiple vehicles on the road can get caught by the trailer as it sandwiches against the cab, or create a multiple car pileup behind the truck.

Getting Medical Help Immediately is Imperative

Unfortunately, more severe accidents can ultimately lead to more severe injuries. Because of this, it’s so important to get medical help as soon as possible. Even if you feel you’ve lucked out and walked away from the crash relatively unscathed, it’s typically always in your best interest to seek medical assistance after an accident. 

In many situations, adrenaline is pumping so hard after an accident that you may not even notice an injury right away. This is another reason it’s a good idea to get help immediately, no matter how you feel at the time of the crash.

Truck Accidents Can Be a Little More Complex Than Car Accidents

Determining fault after a truck accident can be complex. There are many laws in place within the trucking industry to help protect all drivers on the road. If the laws have been broken or there’s been negligence in some way, liability can fall anywhere between the driver, the truck manufacturer, the trucking company, the loading company, and the maintenance company.

Because there can be many at-fault parties involved, in some cases they’ll continue to point the finger back and forth at each other, making it difficult to get things resolved in a timely manner.

The complexity of truck accidents makes it even more important to have an experienced lawyer on your side. You’ll want someone fighting in your corner who knows the ins and outs of trucking laws in your state. If you were injured in a Michigan truck accident, be sure to reach out to the knowledgeable team at Christensen Law to help you get the compensation you deserve.