Underride and Jackknife Crashes: How They Happen and Who May Be Responsible
Underride and jackknife crashes are two tractor-trailer crash types that often cause severe injuries. In an underride crash, a smaller vehicle slides partly or fully under a trailer or truck body. In a jackknife, the tractor and trailer fold toward each other, often across several lanes. Each raises its own evidence questions for an 18-wheeler accident lawyer.
What makes underride crashes deadly
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) notes that large trucks are taller and have greater ground clearance than cars, so a lower vehicle can slide beneath a trailer, and strong underride guards can prevent that. When a car goes under a trailer, the trailer can strike the passenger compartment, which bypasses much of the crash protection built into the front of the https://josueaqoe988.oakmontscope.com/posts/insurance-tactics-after-a-semi-truck-crash car.
Rear impact guards on trailers are governed by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 223 and No. 224, found at 49 CFR 571.223 and 571.224, and 49 CFR 393.86 addresses rear impact guards on vehicles already in service. IIHS reports that NHTSA finalized an upgraded rear guard standard in 2022. In a June 2024 report to Congress under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NHTSA put the annual average at 89 deaths among light passenger vehicle occupants in two-vehicle crashes where the passenger vehicle strikes the side of a trailer or semi-trailer and underrides it. A truck crash attorney will want to know whether the trailer had a compliant guard and what condition it was in.
What causes a jackknife
Most jackknife crashes begin with a loss of traction. State commercial driver manuals explain that locked trailer wheels make the trailer tend to swing around, and that this is more likely when the trailer is empty or lightly loaded. Hard braking, speed too fast for conditions, wet or icy pavement, out-of-adjustment brakes and shifting cargo can all contribute. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 121 covers air brake systems, including antilock brakes, but antilock brakes reduce wheel lockup rather than preventing every skid.
A photograph of the folded rig shows where the vehicles ended up, but not which unit lost control first. A tractor skid and a trailer swing can look similar at rest, so reconstruction relies on tire marks, ECM speed and brake data, brake adjustment readings and the load records. A tractor-trailer crash lawyer will usually ask for the brake inspection history and the bill of lading for exactly that reason.
Rollovers and blocked lanes
FMCSA's Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2022 reports that overturn, or rollover, was the first harmful event in 4 percent of fatal crashes involving large trucks. A jackknifed or overturned rig can block several lanes, which can lead to secondary collisions with vehicles that cannot stop in time. Poor trailer visibility at night is another recurring issue in underride cases, so investigators check the retroreflective sheeting required on many trailers under 49 CFR 393.11. A truck wreck attorney may review the police crash report and scene photos for lighting and visibility problems.
Who may be responsible
Responsibility can extend beyond the driver: the trucking company for maintenance and training, the loader for cargo securement under 49 CFR Part 393, and the manufacturer if a guard or brake component was defective. An 18-wheeler accident lawyer will usually ask that the trailer, the guard and the brake components be preserved before any repairs. Each state has its own statute of limitations and fault rules, and this general information is not legal advice or a prediction about any claim.
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