Despite semi-tractor trailer trucks being critical links in the country’s supply chain, their sheer size and weight make them a danger to others on the road. When fully loaded, a commercial truck can legally weigh up to 80,000 pounds compared to a standard family vehicle weighing an average of only 4,000 pounds. Large commercial trucks are also about four times the length of standard cars. They have extended blind spots, and require long stopping times. The length of a commercial truck pulling a trailer also means they make wide turns. When a truck improperly makes a wide turn, it sometimes poses a danger to others on the road. Make sure to speak to a truck accident lawyer in Everett for legal guidance if involved in an accident.
What Are Wide Turn Truck Accidents?
Because trucks are long and tall, and traditional roadways are designed for smaller vehicles, making a turn requires specific driving skills. When a truck makes a wide turn it may require deviating from its lane and placing other drivers at risk. Learning and implementing proper turning techniques is critical for qualified commercial truck drivers. A trailer doesn’t follow directly behind the tractor during a turn. When a driver fails to turn properly, it increases the risk of an accident and injuries to vulnerable motorists.
What Commonly Contributes to Wide Turn Truck Accidents in Washington State?
Sometimes other drivers traveling in the same direction as a truck on a multi-lane highway or oncoming traffic on a two-lane highway collide with a truck making an improper or unsignaled wide turn. Common causes of wide-turn truck accidents include the following:
- The driver fails to signal a turn
- The driver fails to check blind spots or has dirty or obstructed mirrors
- A trailer swings too far from the curb, leading other drivers to believe it’s changing lanes rather than turning
- A driver is inadequately trained or inexperienced
- A distracted driver takes a last-minute turn too quickly
- Failure to adjust speed to slippery road conditions or poor visibility
- Drowsy driving
- Intoxicated driving
- Overloaded trailers or sudden cargo shifts causing the trailer to swing or fishtail during a turn
When a driver improperly executes a wide turn, the truck is also at risk of a rollover accident due to a truck’s high center of gravity and the increased risk of a trailer jackknifing and causing a tip-over.
What Types of Injuries Occur In Wide Turn Truck Accidents?
Truck accidents can be catastrophic. Wide-turn accidents sometimes block multiple lanes in an instant, causing multi-car or chain-reaction accidents. Deadly underride accidents when cars become wedged under a truck’s trailer may also result from a wide-turn accident. Injuries in truck accidents may include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Facial trauma
- Internal organ damage
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries to shoulders, ankles, wrists, and knees
- Burns
In some cases, toxic exposures also result from truck accidents when a truck’s hazardous cargo spills.
How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer In Washington Help My Case?
Damages in truck accident claims can have life-altering consequences, such as disability, disfigurement, and permanent impairment. Even less serious injuries can quickly cause financial hardship with damages like medical expenses and income loss. If a loved one died in a truck accident, a wrongful death claim can bring family members compensation and a sense of justice for their loss. The Everett personal injury attorneys at Wells Trumbull have deep compassion for victims of truck accidents. Call Wells Trumbull for experienced truck accident attorneys who can get the best possible results in your case.