Given that they outweigh the average commuter car by several tons, any traffic accident involving a tractor-trailer is likely to cause much more extensive damage and serious injuries than a wreck involving only smaller vehicles. There are certain types of crashes that can only happen when a commercial truck is involved and have uniquely devastating consequences all their own.
Jackknife crashes, which involve the cab and trailer of a semi-truck skidding in different directions and at different speeds from each other, are particularly dangerous and often end up impacting multiple people at once. When you are dealing with injuries caused by jackknife truck accidents in Philadelphia, you have help available from a knowledgeable truck crash attorney to enforce your legal rights and demand fair civil compensation for your losses.
In order for the trucks to make tight turns and trailers to be moved separately from cabs, tractor-trailers are designed with a rotating hinge at their corner that connects the cab to the trailer. With those benefits comes a big drawback: because they are not permanently linked to each other, the cab and trailer of a semi-truck each have their own separate momentum when the truck is in motion. A loss of traction can lead to the trailer kicking out to the side or even all the way in front of the cab.
When a truck folds into a jackknife shape during an accident in Philadelphia, it may end up covering multiple lanes of traffic and colliding with multiple other vehicles before it comes to a stop. This makes jackknife wrecks uniquely dangerous and tricky to effectively file suit over.
Incidents like this can stem from a truck driver operating their truck in an unsafe way, a trucking company hiring an unqualified driver or not keeping a truck in good working order, or even another driver negligently getting in a trucker’s way. Whatever the specific circumstances, anyone who causes a jackknife truck crash in Philadelphia by acting negligently on the road may be legally liable for all economic and non-economic losses stemming from the wreck, including:
No matter how long an injury is expected to last, a person hurt through the negligence of another typically only has two years at most under 42 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 5524 to file suit. Someone who fails to file before this statute of limitations expires will almost always have their case thrown out of court for being time-barred and will have virtually no chance of ever recovering civil compensation for that particular accident.
Even if it seems obvious to you that a negligent trucker is to blame for their truck jackknifing and colliding with your car, convincing a civil court—let alone an insurer representing the trucking company—of that can be extremely difficult. Representation from a seasoned legal professional in a situation like this can be essential to getting a favorable result from your lawsuit or settlement demand. A conversation with a lawyer could give you answers to questions you have about filing suit over jackknife truck accidents in Philadelphia, as well as confidence regarding the next steps you should take. Call today to schedule a meeting.