What Are the Most Common Jackknife Truck Accident Causes and Injuries?
Over 400,000 big rig truck accidents occur every year in the United States, resulting in about 5,000 deaths. Only about three percent of all truck accident fatalities are truck drivers. The remainder are drivers and passengers in the other vehicles involved. This figure is hardly surprising since a fully loaded commercial truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Jackknife accidents are among the most common kinds of truck accidents. A jackknife accident occurs when a large truck folds in on itself at the joint between the cab and the trailer, resembling the shape of a folding jackknife. This can cause a truck to skid across multiple lanes of traffic, with catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, jackknife accidents are among the most common truck accidents. Common Causes of Jackknife Truck Accidents Space limitations prevent a full explanation of all possible causes of jackknife accidents. Following are explanations of some of them. Improper Braking It takes a truck a long time to stop. If