When someone is involved in a truck accident, a lot of things are probably going through their mind. There will likely be questions like “How injured am I,” “How damaged is my vehicle,” “What is this going to cost,” and countless others. A seemingly more distant question may be, “How do I go about getting justice for this experience?” If you suspect that your truck accident was the result of someone else’s negligence, you may want to take legal action.
Luckily, our lawyers can help. We have represented truck accident victims in lawsuits before and are here to assist you after your accident. We can collect evidence, interview witnesses, and fight hard for you in court so that you get the justice and financial compensation you deserve.
For a free analysis of your case, call Legal Care New Jersey’s truck accident attorneys at (732) 838-9769.
Types of Truck Accidents in Vineland, NJ
A truck accident can take a variety of different forms, all of which are very dangerous. On your end, it may not matter that much what “type” of truck accident you experienced. The important bits are that you were injured in a truck accident, and it is someone’s fault. However, it does matter very much to our truck accident lawyers for a couple of reasons.
First, it helps us frame the argument for your case. It is not very convincing to go before a judge and talk about a truck accident without having the details of how it happened and what kind of accident it was. Second, the details of the type of truck accident you experienced can inform the legal process. For example, if the type of accident is not one likely to be caused by driver error, then our lawyers know that another party may need to be included in the lawsuit.
While there are far too many variants of truck accidents to include in this kind of article, we will go over some common and dangerous ones in the section below.
Fishtail Accidents
Fishtailing happens when a truck’s rear tires are not getting a good enough grip on the road to compensate for the trailer’s movement. What results is that the trailer or rear portion of the truck moves back and forth from left to right. This is dangerous for two main reasons. First, it is difficult for the truck driver to control a vehicle moving in this way. They may not be able to avoid another car or stop their truck in time if they let the swaying get too bad. Second, other motorists will likely have a hard time predicting what a fishtailing truck is going to do. The truck moves erratically, so a driver may not be able to get out of the way of a sudden movement or predict where the truck is likely to go next.
Jackknife Accidents
Jackknife accidents happen when the trailer of an 18-wheeler or similar truck folds in on itself – resembling a pocket knife opening and closing. The trailer swings around the connection point, eventually impacting the truck cab and sending the vehicle out of control.
While jackknife accidents may superficially appear to be similar to fishtailing, the reality is that they happen for somewhat different reasons. Anything that leads to severe enough fishtailing can lead to jackknife accidents.
Underride Accidents
An underride accident happens when a smaller vehicle collides with a large truck and partially slides under it. Underride accidents are arguably the deadliest kind of truck accident. This is because while the lower portion of the truck is struck by the motor vehicle, the part of the car that is hit is usually the passenger compartment. This frequently results in grisly injuries or death.
Fortunately, trucks are almost universally required to have “Mansfield bars” on the rear of the trailer. These bars help prevent other cars from sliding underneath. However, not all trucks may have this feature, and an underride accident involving the side of a trailer will not have this safety feature at all in most cases.
Traffic Violation Accidents
Just like a person driving any other car, van, or motorcycle, truckers can get into accidents if they do not follow the rules of the road. In fact, you could argue that speeding or aggressive driving is more dangerous in an 18-wheeler or similar truck just because of the sheer size and weight of the thing. A speeding, erratically driven truck is likely to cause much more severe damage than a similarly driven mid-size sedan.
Who to Sue in a Vineland, NJ Truck Accident Lawsuit
Another important facet of your truck accident case is knowing who to sue. It is important that you sue the right parties in your truck accident lawsuit because you can only get damages from defendants that have caused your injuries. Suing everyone vaguely related to your accident might appear overzealous. That being said, you should not at all be dissuaded from suing multiple parties. If you believe that many different groups are responsible for your injuries and have evidence to prove it, you should take them all to court.
Generally, the truck driver will be part of your lawsuit because they were driving the truck when the accident happened. However, you also may want to consider suing their employer, as they can often be responsible for the driver’s actions under certain circumstances. Finally, consider bringing in truck manufacturers or designers as parties to the action if a truck defect contributed to your accident.
Talk to Our Vineland, NJ Truck Accident Lawyers Today
Legal Care New Jersey has truck accident attorneys who can help you with your case when you call (732) 838-9769.
