Trucking accidents are a dangerous reality to driving. Unfortunately, they can lead to significant injury and cost. Recovering from a jackknife truck accident and returning to daily life may feel like an insurmountable task. Contacting an experienced North Charleston truck accident lawyer may provide the peace of mind to focus more on your recovery and less on the stress of the medical bills.
Our North Charleston jackknife truck accident lawyer can work with you to fight for the maximum compensation you are due. Recovering from an accident is a long, arduous process, and you deserve to have someone fighting for what you deserve. You should not have to pay the price for someone else’s negligence.
Defining a Jackknife Truck Accident and How They Happen
What defines a specific type of accident is typically how the vehicle or truck collides with the other car, truck, or object. A jackknife truck accident occurs when the trailer slides or turns separate from the cab, similar to a folding knife or jackknife. Some of the ways this can happen may be:
Improper Loading
Loading cargo is crucial to ensuring a safe trip. If cargo is not appropriately balanced, it can shift in transit, throwing the trailer off balance. This imbalance can easily cause the trailer to turn and push the cab out of line.
In this instance, the liability of the accident may not be the driver’s fault. If the cargo was loaded improperly by those responsible for ensuring it is done safely, the truck driver has no control over the trailer behaving erratically. When this happens, the driver may only be found liable if there was something inappropriate in the way they handled the truck in response. A personal injury lawyer in North Charleston can help you.
Improper Braking
Many times, improper braking can cause this kind of truck accident. When a truck breaks too quickly, it may cause the cab to slow down faster than the trailer, allowing the trailer’s momentum to push the cab and the trailer out of control. Frequently, exceeding the speed limit can contribute to the inability to slow down or stop safely.
Improper braking may occur due to a truck driver’s failure to pay attention, resulting in a jackknifed truck. However, it can also happen when someone pulls in front of the driver, going too slowly without giving the truck enough room to stop safely. A cause for this that is out of the hands of both drivers may also be poor brake maintenance from the trucking company or mechanic.
Driver Inattention
While inattention can certainly cause improper braking and even potential poor response time if cargo shifts, it can cause many more problems than that. Inattention can cause the truck to drift, maybe coming off the road and causing the jackknife, or fail to miss debris or potholes in the road that could throw the trailer out of sync with the cab.
Truck Accident Injuries
The injuries sustained in a truck accident can vary from minor to severe. Many of these injuries may mirror those of a car accident, but some of the ones seen are:
- Bruises or lacerations
- Head trauma or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Internal bleeding
- Broken bones
- Wrongful death
- Crush injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
For many people, minor injuries may not require hospitalization. However, moderate injuries may require a hospital stay or more intensive and frequent follow-up through the healing process. In a severe injury, surgery or hospitalization may be required, as well as follow-up for rehabilitative therapies.
Every person and accident is different. After a jackknife accident with a truck, you should seek evaluation and treatment from a medical professional. Even if you feel you have not sustained an injury at the scene, you should seek evaluation because adrenaline may mask the severity of some injuries.
Truck Accident Damages
Our North Charleston jackknife truck accident attorney can help you assess your losses to determine the appropriate damage claims. Some of these may be known as economic damages, primarily based on specific costs, and some may be noneconomic damages, which are more related to emotional stress and costs.
Some of the damages our jackknife truck accident lawyer in North Charleston may claim on your behalf are:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Anticipated future medical costs
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Loss of quality of life
Many of the injuries sustained may be life-altering in ways that extend beyond just the physical healing process, and you deserve to be compensated accordingly.
Every case is different. If you have sustained injuries in a jackknife truck accident, you should reach out to our team, who can guide you on what is most appropriate for your case. We will work with you to fight for your maximum compensation.
Wrongful Death
If a jackknife truck accident has killed a loved one, you may be eligible for compensation based on wrongful death. Recovering compensation for your loss can provide funds to assist with medical costs associated with the accident, as well as funeral costs or supplementing the decedent’s income. Compensation will not replace what you have lost, but it may allow you the financial peace of mind to grieve in your own way and heal the way you need to without worrying about finances.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are awarded in a lawsuit when the court has determined that the liable party acted in bad faith or intentional malice. They are meant to punish the liable party for exceptionally abhorrent behavior and not necessarily as an award to the victim. The jury must award these types of damages, which the defendant does not ask for.
Call a Jackknife Truck Accident Attorney in North Charleston Today
If you have been injured in a jackknife truck accident, you should not have to face the legal system alone. Recovery from injuries can be stressful and taxing, leaving you vulnerable to being taken advantage of in settlement negotiations. You should not face these alone, and our jackknife truck accident attorney may be able to help.
Call Shelly Leeke Law Firm today for a free case consultation. During this consultation, you can discuss the details of your case with our team, and they can help you determine what compensation you may be eligible for. Do not let yourself settle for less than you deserve.
