Jamie Cogburn | January 31, 2025 | Truck Accidents
Any crash with a commercial vehicle has a high risk of serious or catastrophic injury or death. However, jackknife accidents are more likely to involve multiple vehicles. While uncommon, jackknife truck accidents are among the most dangerous types of truck crashes.
Understanding how jackknife accidents happen and who may be at fault can help victims seek the compensation they deserve.
What Is A Jackknife Accident?
A jackknife accident happens when a truck’s trailer swings out to the side, forming a sharp angle with the cab, similar to a folding pocket knife. This can block multiple lanes of traffic and lead to multi-vehicle collisions. Jackknifing usually occurs when a truck driver loses control, causing the trailer to skid out of alignment with the cab.
Accidents involving jackknifing are particularly dangerous for several reasons:
- A semi-truck weighs at least 10,000 pounds and up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded. By comparison, the average car weighs 2,500 to 4,500 pounds. This extreme difference in mass means passenger vehicles struck by a large truck absorb the truck’s massive kinetic energy.
- Jackknifing increases the risk of a multi-vehicle collision. The trailer can swing across multiple lanes of traffic as it jackknifes and the cab continues moving. The crash is much harder for other vehicles to avoid. On a highway, three or more vehicles may be caught in the collision.
- The weight of the truck and potential for multiple collisions increases the potential damage and severity of injuries in the crash. These accidents often have higher fatality rates than other truck crashes.
When a truck jackknifes, the truck driver loses control and the direction the cab and trailer move becomes unpredictable for other drivers.
Usually, the cab continues forward in the same direction while the trailer swings into other lanes of traffic. Sometimes, the momentum can cause the truck to overturn. In other cases, the trailer continues moving in the same direction, but the cab’s tires are locked. This means the cab, not the trailer, is dragged along the road.
How Common Are Truck Jackknife Accidents?
The Large Truck Crash Causation Study found jackknifing was the major factor in about 5% of accidents involving large trucks. In 2020, there were nearly 5,000 truck jackknife crashes in the U.S. About 20% of these accidents caused injury, and 169 were fatal.
What Causes A Truck To Jackknife?
Several factors can cause a truck to jackknife, many of which involve driver error.
Common causes include:
- Braking too hard, suddenly, or excessively. This causes the trailer’s rear brakes to seize.
- Speeding. Driving too fast makes it harder to control the truck, increasing the risk of jackknifing.
- Sharp turns. These turns can cause the trailer to shift and jackknife.
- Overcorrection. This happens when a driver overreacts to a situation and abruptly turns the wheel too sharply in the other direction.
- Improper cargo loading. Unevenly distributed cargo can make a trailer unstable. The trailer may sway and swing out, especially with increasing speed.
- Overloading. The truck’s brakes can fail when the truck is overloaded, or the brakes are too worn for the load.
- Deadheading. Driving a semi-truck with an empty trailer increases the risk of jackknifing by reducing traction.
- Driver fatigue. Tired drivers have slower reaction times, making it harder to avoid dangerous situations that could lead to jackknifing. Sometimes, truck driver fatigue is due to violations of hours-of-service regulations.
- Slippery roads. When the road is oily or wet, it reduces traction and makes it easier for a truck to jackknife.
Brake fade is a common problem with heavy-duty trucks that is often a factor in jackknifing. Brake fade happens when the braking system, including the rotors or brake pads, overheats and loses effectiveness. This problem can be caused by poor braking practices like excessive braking, braking downhill, overloading, and poor maintenance.
Sometimes, mechanical failure is the underlying cause of a jackknife accident. Worn tires, faulty brakes, or malfunctioning steering systems can cause the driver to lose control. These problems may be caused by defective products or poor truck maintenance. Excessive or dangerous braking can exacerbate the problems and lead to critical failure.
Jackknife Prevention
Jackknife accidents have become less common since the anti-lock brakes (ABS) became required for commercial trucks. Research is still ongoing to develop additional protection. Some companies have developed anti-jackknife systems. One system is a device that automatically engages a steel bar into the connection between the trailer and tractor to prevent the trailer from swinging. The truck driver is notified when a potential jackknife occurs.
While technology makes semi-trucks safer, driver training and proper maintenance remain crucial to preventing these dangerous accidents.
Who Is At Fault For A Jackknife Truck Accident?
Determining fault in a jackknife accident can be complex. Multiple parties may share liability to some degree. A thorough truck accident investigation is necessary to determine causation and the chain of events that led to the jackknife accident.
Potentially liable parties include:
- Truck driver. The driver may be at fault due to speeding, failure to adjust to road and weather conditions, overcorrecting, and other errors. Truckers can also be held responsible for failing to inspect the rig and cargo before the trip.
- Trucking company. The company may be liable for negligent driver training, poor maintenance practices, improper hiring practices, or pushing drivers to violate federal safety regulations. If the driver was at fault for the crash and operating within the scope of their job, their employer can also be found liable.
- Service center. If the crash was caused by mechanical failure and poor maintenance, a service center or mechanic responsible for maintenance or repairs may be to blame.
- Shipping or loading company. If the cargo was not properly secured or distributed, leading to instability, the loading or shipping company might be responsible.
- Truck manufacturer. If the accident was caused by a defective part, a company that designs, manufactures, or sells the truck may be held liable.
Sometimes, other parties are at fault for a jackknife truck accident. This may include other drivers or even government entities like a city or state responsible for road maintenance.
A Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help if You’re Injured in a Jackknife Truck Accident
If you have been injured in a jackknife truck accident, a truck accident lawyer can help. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your legal options and how an attorney can help you pursue the compensation you need to move forward with your life.
Contact the Las Vegas Truck Accident Lawyers from J. Cogburn Car Accidents and Personal Injury Lawyers for Legal Help Today
For more information, please contact our Las Vegas truck accident attorneys at J. Cogburn Car Accidents and Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.
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Cogburn Davidson Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers Las Vegas
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