If you live in the Baltimore, Maryland area and have questions about a trucking accident, please take advantage of the expert personal injury website provided by the truck accident experts at The Yost Legal Group.
About half a million large truck (also called tractor-trailer rigs or 18-wheelers) accidents happen in the U.S. every year, and 5,000 individuals die from those collisions, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Even when survivors are lucky enough to walk away from truck accidents, the injuries sustained can be serious and life-changing, from traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries to burn injuries and amputations.
The reason, of course, is not only because of 18-wheelers’ enormous length and width, which makes them difficult to maneuver in heavy traffic, but also because of their weight. An average commercial truck weighs about 80,000 pounds. Attempting to stop an 80,000-pound truck is no easy task. Add in any type of driver error, bad road conditions or mechanical failure, and that can spell disaster.
Here are just a few of the most common types of truck accidents to be aware of when sharing the road with commercial tractor-trailer rigs:
Brake Failure (Downhill): For a truck to come to a stop on a steep downhill slope, the brakes must be cool and in good working condition. In addition, the driver must know the proper braking method to use and the load must be balanced. If any of these factors are absent, a serious truck accident can likely occur.
Truck Rollover: Because of their high center of gravity, big trucks roll over easily, especially if a driver takes a curve too fast or if the rig’s back tires hit a curb or other object. Truck jackknifing can also cause rollovers accidents.
Underride Accidents: When a passenger vehicle impacts the rear of a large truck, and the car slides under the rig, it is called an underride accident. This is one of the most serious types of truck accidents, as the back of a rig is typically at the same level as the top of a passenger vehicle, leaving front-seat passengers at a huge risk for injury.
Head-on Collision: This occurs when a large truck and another vehicle strike each other “head on,” often at full driving force.
Blind Spot Accident: Large trucks have blind sports on both sides of the truck, and in front and back. A truck moving into the path of another vehicle that the driver cannot see is called a blind spot accident.
Wide Turn Accident: This type of accident occurs when a truck driver swings out left or right to make a turn in the opposite direction, and strikes a vehicle or pushes it off the road or into traffic.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
Find Your Personal Injury Or Car Accident Attorney Using Four Simple Tips
By: Colin Daives | 23/12/2009Most people never think of what it takes to find a good attorney to handle their case until it is too late. The purpose of this article is to provide some tips to people that find themselves in similar situations.
Plastic Surgery Blunders Rise
By: catherine | 23/12/2009Have you been a victim of medical negligence? Make a free clinical negligence claim under no win no fee by calling 0800 199 299.
Levaquin Dangers
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009When Penicillin was first broadly marketed in the middle of the last century, it was hailed as a miracle drug. Highly successful in killing many bacterial infections, it was used for almost everything. Just a few short years later, antibiotic resistant bacteria began to evolve, making Penicillin less effective.
What's in Your Birth Control Pills?
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009One of the older elements in the medicalization of women's sexuality is The Pill. Credited by many as freeing women and kicking off the sexual revolution, birth control pills have definitely changed the sexual landscape for men and women. But at what cost?
Levaquin Compensation
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009Some drugs are dangerous and may affect the body in unexpected ways. While Levaquin is approved by the FDA, and proven to kill even the toughest bacterial infections like pneumonia and skin infections, it also comes with some serious side effects that the doctor and patient must consider prior to use.
Lupron Compensation
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009Since its initial FDA approval in 1985 Lupron has made an impact on hormone therapy, primarily in treating advanced prostate and breast cancer. In addition to the benefits provided to millions of patients all over the world, a large number of patients have suffered from serious side effects that in all too many cases have debilitating affects on their lives.
Lupron Dangers
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009Lupron is a popular man-made gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRH analog) used primarily to treat advanced prostate cancer. In effect, it down-regulates gondadotropin secretion for as long as the drug is administered. It reduces the amount of testosterone in men and estradiol in women.
The process of making a claim after a road traffic accident
By: Suzanne Greenfield | 22/12/2009Being involved in a car or motorcycle accident can be a traumatizing experience for everyone involved. Even if you’re lucky and avoid any serious injury, it can be mentally scarring and affect your life in ways you might not immediately consider. Recovering properly from the effects of an accident can be a long process.
Levaquin Dangers
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009 | Personal InjuryWhen Penicillin was first broadly marketed in the middle of the last century, it was hailed as a miracle drug. Highly successful in killing many bacterial infections, it was used for almost everything. Just a few short years later, antibiotic resistant bacteria began to evolve, making Penicillin less effective.
What's in Your Birth Control Pills?
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009 | Personal InjuryOne of the older elements in the medicalization of women's sexuality is The Pill. Credited by many as freeing women and kicking off the sexual revolution, birth control pills have definitely changed the sexual landscape for men and women. But at what cost?
Levaquin Compensation
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009 | Personal InjurySome drugs are dangerous and may affect the body in unexpected ways. While Levaquin is approved by the FDA, and proven to kill even the toughest bacterial infections like pneumonia and skin infections, it also comes with some serious side effects that the doctor and patient must consider prior to use.
Lupron Compensation
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009 | Personal InjurySince its initial FDA approval in 1985 Lupron has made an impact on hormone therapy, primarily in treating advanced prostate and breast cancer. In addition to the benefits provided to millions of patients all over the world, a large number of patients have suffered from serious side effects that in all too many cases have debilitating affects on their lives.
Lupron Dangers
By: Erich Shrefler | 22/12/2009 | Personal InjuryLupron is a popular man-made gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRH analog) used primarily to treat advanced prostate cancer. In effect, it down-regulates gondadotropin secretion for as long as the drug is administered. It reduces the amount of testosterone in men and estradiol in women.
Myopia
By: Erich Shrefler | 19/12/2009 | VisionYour cornea bends light as it enters your eye. A properly shaped cornea focuses that light on the retina. If you are nearsighted your cornea is either too curved or your eye is too long, causing the light to focus in front of the retina. When the light reaches your retina it has started to spread out again and the image is blurry.
Laser Vision Correction
By: Erich Shrefler | 19/12/2009 | VisionIf you dream of freedom from glasses or contact lenses laser vision correction may be the solution for you. LASIK is the most well-known vision correction procedure, but there are several other types of laser vision correction. By reshaping your cornea, your ophthalmologist can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, giving you clear vision without the hassle of corrective lenses.
Astigmatism
By: Erich Shrefler | 19/12/2009 | VisionIf you have blurred vision when looking at objects up close, far away, and in between, it may be astigmatism. Astigmatism causes blurry vision due to an irregularly shaped cornea. Most people have some slight astigmatism but not always enough to cause vision problems.