Large commercial trucks can be difficult to drive safely and control, putting other drivers on the road at risk for an accident. Longer and heavier trucks with more axles can present even more difficulty and can run the risk of jackknifing.
Jackknife truck accidents in Richland can cause massive damage to other cars and property, not to mention serious injuries to other drivers or pedestrians. Therefore, if you have been injured in these types of accidents, it is essential that you obtain compensation. Our skilled truck collision attorneys at Telaré Law can help you bring a lawsuit to pursue damages for your injuries.
When a large truck pulling a trailer changes direction too quickly or brakes suddenly, the trailer can swing out to the side and resemble a jackknife folding. At that point, the driver will have little control over the trailer, which can even flip onto its side and slide, therefore causing a “jackknife” accident.
This sudden change in direction and speed can happen for a number of reasons. A truck driver might be distracted and suddenly need to brake or swerve to avoid crashing into another car or obstacle on the road. Similarly, a fatigued driver could be falling asleep and waking up just in time to yank on the wheel, potentially causing jackknife. And hazardous road conditions, such as rain, sleet, snow, and ice, could cause a truck trailer to slide out from behind the cab as well.
Injuries coming from a jackknife accident include injuries you might expect from a regular car accident. But with the extra weight and force of a larger truck capable of jackknifing, any injuries will likely be even more dire and harder to treat. They include the following:
After a crash, medical attention should come before anything else, but after treating your injuries, you should think about how to hold a truck driver or company responsible for causing the jackknife accident. Working with a Richland attorney as soon as possible can improve your ability to get compensation for your injuries.
Bringing a personal injury claim based on a jackknife truck accident involves a series of steps. You must first file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations, which is set for three years from the date of the accident by Revised Code of Washington § 4.16.080. If you do not act fast enough to bring your claim within that time, you will lose your legal right to sue.
Additionally, you must prove your case, which will likely come from negligence. Negligence is the legal concept of one person’s unreasonable behavior causing another person’s injuries, even if not intentional. A negligence claim requires four elements: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation of injuries, and injuries expressed as legal damages.
For a jackknife truck accident, you would have to show that the truck driver in question had a duty of care. Drivers have a duty to drive safely, and truck drivers have a heightened one—breach of that duty through the driver’s actions or lack of care while driving, the connection between their actions and the accident that caused your injuries, and how your injuries qualify as legal damages (medical costs, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering all count, but extra punitive damages might not).
Finally, you also need to consider your own actions on or near the road leading up to an accident. State law features a system of negligence that assigns fault to any party, including the victim bringing the claim. Under RCW § 4.22.005, you can see your compensation reduced by the percentage of your own fault for your injuries, though being partly responsible will not prevent your claim unless no one else caused your injuries.
A truck wreck lawyer in Richland can support you and your case from shortly after the jackknife accident to a final judgment in your favor.
If a truck jackknifes and injures you, you might not know what to do next. But you do not have to face the legal process alone.
Instead, our lawyers at Telaré Law can take on your injury claims based on jackknife truck accidents in Richland. With our attentive approach to you and your case, we can fight on your behalf for the compensation you are due. Call our office as soon as possible to get your claim started.