Half a million traffic accidents, all involving large trucks, claim 5,000 lives every year in the U.S. A multitude of factors, including speeding, reckless driving, defective equipment, inexperienced drivers, overloaded trucks and more, contribute to these accidents.

You can read more about the causes of truck accidents here. Or to discuss a specific truck accident, contact Baltimore’s Yost Legal Group directly for a one-on-one conversation at 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529).

The types of tractor-trailer rig accidents range from moderately minor incidents, like a truck scraping the edge of a tunnel to far more serious issues, like rollover accidents.

Underride accidents:
Known as one of the most fatal types of 18-wheeler accidents, an underride accident occurs when a smaller vehicle, such as a passenger car or truck, hits the rear end of a tractor-trailer rig and slides under the large truck. This can be because driver negligence, bad road conditions and mechanical failure. Severe brain injury often results, if the passengers in the smaller vehicle survive.

Truck-auto rear-end and side collisions:
These types of incidents occur when a tractor-trailer rig read-ends the vehicle in front of it or hits the smaller vehicle at a “T” angle. These accidents are often caused by truck driver fatigue or failure to brake in enough time to stop at a safe distance.

Head-on collision:
When a large tractor-trailer rig and a passenger vehicle collide as they are heading toward each other, especially at high speeds, it is rare that a fatal truck accident tragedy does not result. This is simply because of the size and weight of large trucks compared to other vehicles

Truck rollovers:
Rollovers happen all too easily because a large truck has a high center of gravity. Simply taking a curve too fast can cause the truck to roll over. Even a truck going less than 10 miles per hour can roll over if the back of the rig has jackknifed. Jackknifing happens when the drive axle brakes on an 18-wheeler truck lock up, causing there to be no directional control of the steering axle. Jackknifed rigs create a sideways “pull” that can cause the truck to roll over.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a large truck accident like these, you need a personal injury lawyer who can conduct a top-notch crash investigation on your behalf. If you live in the Baltimore, Maryland area, please contact the traffic accident specialists at The Yost Legal Group for assistance at 1-800-YOST-LAW (1-800-967-8529).

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