Jackknife Truck Accident Attorneys

There are different types of trucking accidents. A jackknife truck accident occurs when the truck cab and the trailer end up at an angle that resembles a jackknife and its protective handle. Generally, a jackknife truck accident occurs when the truck’s drive wheels lock up, usually during wet or slippery conditions. While road and weather conditions are certainly contributing factors to jackknife truck accidents, more often than not these dangerous accidents occur as a result of negligence by the truck driver. Our Pennsylvania truck accident lawyers will investigate the case to see if negligence was the cause your jackknife truck accident and get you the compensation you deserve.

There are three braking options truck drivers have in the event of an emergency. The truck driver has the option to:

• Lock the steering axle brakes – When the truck driver chooses to lock the steering axle brakes it causes the big rig to move ahead on a straight path, regardless of the wheel angle. If the truck is headed toward a barrier or median it will continue on that path until it hits or stops, whichever happens first. The straight path leaves other drivers at less risk because they can see the direction the semi is heading and hopefully have time to compensate their driving to avoid a wreck.
• Lock the drive axles – When the truck driver chooses to lock the drive axles, or drive wheels, the end result is usually a jackknife accident. By locking the wheels the excess energy in the cab and the trailer has nowhere to go, as its means of travel has been locked, so the excess energy then forces the trailer forward. Jackknife truck accidents are so dangerous because as the trailer is careening out of control it has the potential to go across other lanes of traffic wiping out all that is in its path.
• Lock the trailer axles – When the truck driver locks the tractor trailer axles the motion in the trailer is suddenly halted which then pushes its excess energy onto the cab. All the excess energy being suddenly transferred forward causes the driver to lose directional control over the entire vehicle which can end in numerous types of dangerous tractor trailer accidents.