Due to the size and distinctive features of trucks on the roads, motor vehicle accidents involving them can turn standard collisions into considerably more difficult situations for drivers involved. For instance, a truck’s height can turn a standard rear-end collision into an override accident, where a truck runs over the rear of a smaller car. If the proportions of the two vehicles are disparate enough, this could result in the smaller car being sheared off at the top.
Likewise, with tall trucks, underride accidents can result from a rear end collision where a small vehicle slides under the side or the rear of a commercial rig.
Because trucks often have a higher center of gravity, they are often more prone to rollover accidents than a sedan, for instance. A commercial rig rolling over on the highways can wreak havoc for nearby vehicles. And if the truck is towing a trailer, the consequences of a rollover can be devastating.
Jackknifed truck accidents can also result from a commercial rig towing a trailer, and if the trailer should detach and “run away,” any vehicle within the vicinity can be caught up in its wake.
Types of Commercial Trucks and Their Inherent Risks on the Roads
Sometimes the function a truck holds can pose a greater threat to drivers on the roads than its features. For example, there are thousands of tanker trucks on the roads each and every day, many of the transporting dangerous or hazardous liquids or materials. Should those tankers suffer a breach as a result of an accident on the roadways, toxic chemicals could spill exposing the community at large to potential danger.
Flatbed trucks often carry cargo affixed to the vehicles for transport, but should an accident occur that causes that cargo to break free, the danger to other drivers is incalculable.
Other types of truck with specific functions that may cause risk on the roads include: construction trucks, which may come with a difficult-to-negotiate blind spot when operating in and around construction workers on sites; garbage trucks, which frequently start and stop in busy traffic conditions; ambulances and fire trucks, which often travel and high rates of speed and operate outside of the rules of the road in emergency situations; and rental trucks, which are often driven by people who are not commercially licensed or experienced to drive a large truck at a high rate of speed.
Other factors drivers should be aware of may cause a trucking accident as well. For example, when driver-error occurs, single-vehicle accidents can result. Likewise, should the truck suffer a defect in maintenance or even design (whether in regards to the truck or the road), accidents can result.
If you’re looking for an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer to help navigate your personal injury claim, we will fight assiduously for your right to the compensation you deserve. Call Bizzieri Law Offices at 773.881.9000. The case evaluation is free, and we never charge a fee unless we recover damages for you.