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A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, roughly 20 times the weight of an average passenger car. That difference in mass alone explains why a truck accident so often ends very differently than a crash between two ordinary vehicles. Some types of truck accidents are especially dangerous, carrying a much higher likelihood of catastrophic injury or death, and understanding them can help you drive more defensively and know what you’re dealing with if you’ve already been in one.
Conner, Marr & Pinski represents victims of serious truck accidents throughout Montana. Call us today at (406) 727-3550 to discuss your situation.
The sheer size and weight difference between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle means that even a relatively minor truck collision can produce far more serious consequences than a similar crash between two cars. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, large trucks are involved in thousands of fatal crashes each year, and the occupants of the smaller vehicle involved are disproportionately the ones who suffer fatal or catastrophic injuries. In 2022 alone, large trucks were responsible for over 6,000 cragses.
Not all truck accidents carry the same level of danger. Certain crash types are consistently associated with more severe injuries and higher fatality rates, and recognizing them helps explain why these particular scenarios deserve extra caution.
An underride collision occurs when a smaller vehicle slides underneath the trailer of a truck, typically during a rear-end or side collision. Because the trailer sits higher off the ground than a car’s crumple zones and safety features are designed for, underride collisions frequently result in catastrophic injury or death, even at relatively moderate speeds.
A jackknife accident happens when a truck’s trailer swings out at an angle to the cab, often during sudden braking or a loss of traction, folding the vehicle much like a pocketknife closing. This can cause the truck to skid across multiple lanes, blocking traffic entirely and creating a serious risk of multi-vehicle collisions.
Truck rollovers often occur when a truck takes a curve too quickly, makes a sudden evasive maneuver, or is carrying an improperly secured or top-heavy load. A rolling truck can crush nearby vehicles or spill hazardous cargo across the roadway, creating additional dangers beyond the initial collision.
Commercial trucks have significantly larger blind spots than passenger vehicles, and drivers who linger in these areas risk not being seen at all.
Trucks generally have four major blind spots, sometimes called “no-zones”: directly in front of the cab, along both sides of the trailer, and directly behind the trailer. It is important to keep in mind that when sharing the road with semi-trucks, if you cannot see the truck driver’s face in their side mirror, there is a good chance they cannot see you either.
Trucks often need to swing wide to the left before completing a right turn, which can create a dangerous squeeze for vehicles or cyclists positioned to the truck’s right, unaware that the truck is about to cut back across their path.
A blown truck tire can send large chunks of rubber into surrounding lanes, and in more serious cases, cause the driver to lose control entirely. Similarly, improperly secured cargo can shift or fall from a moving truck, creating a sudden and often unavoidable hazard for the vehicles traveling behind or beside it.
While underride crashes involve a car sliding under a truck, an override crash involves a truck riding up over a smaller vehicle, often in a rear-end collision where the truck’s height and momentum overwhelm the car’s structure entirely. These crashes frequently occur when a truck driver, whether fatigued, distracted, or following too closely, fails to stop in time.
Truck driver fatigue remains one of the most persistent contributing factors in serious truck accidents, particularly given the long hours and tight delivery schedules common in the industry. Speeding and impaired driving further compound the danger, since a truck’s already significant stopping distance grows even longer at higher speeds, leaving little room for error once a driver’s attention or judgment is compromised. Our related article on truck driver fatigue accidents covers this issue in greater depth.
Poorly maintained brakes, tires, and mechanical systems significantly increase the risk of a serious accident, as does cargo that exceeds a truck’s rated weight capacity or is improperly distributed. Both maintenance failures and overloading fall squarely on the trucking company and its maintenance practices, rather than on the driver alone.
While truck accidents are often caused by trucking company negligence, drivers sharing the road can take steps to reduce their own risk, including avoiding a truck’s blind spots whenever possible, maintaining a safe following distance to allow for a truck’s longer stopping distance, never cutting in front of a truck and immediately slowing down, being especially cautious around trucks making wide right turns, and staying alert for tire debris or shifting cargo, particularly on highways.
If you are involved in a truck accident, taking the right steps can help protect both your health and your legal rights:
Truck accident cases often involve multiple potentially liable parties, including the driver, the trucking company, and sometimes a cargo loading company or parts manufacturer, making a thorough personal injury lawsuit investigation essential.
Since 1974, Conner, Marr & Pinski has represented injured Montanans, farmers and ranchers, and small business owners in complex trials, recovering millions of dollars for clients along the way. Our truck accidents team understands how to preserve critical evidence like driver logs and maintenance records before it disappears, and we handle cases involving catastrophic injuries as well as, in the most tragic circumstances, wrongful death claims on behalf of grieving families.
We have appeared before the United States Supreme Court and dozens of courts across the country, and companies know we have the experience, expertise, and resources to take a case all the way to trial when that is what it takes to get our clients a fair result. If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Montana, contact our office at (406) 727-3550 for a consultation.
Rear-end collisions are among the most common types of truck accidents, often resulting from a truck’s longer stopping distance combined with driver fatigue, distraction, or following too closely behind the vehicle ahead.
Liability in a truck accident can potentially extend to the truck driver, the trucking company, a cargo loading company, or a parts manufacturer, depending on the specific facts of the crash. A thorough investigation is typically necessary to identify every party who may share responsibility.
