Warwick Jackknife Truck Accident Attorneys
If you’ve been injured in a jackknife trucking accident in Warwick, you don’t have time to stress about which attorney you should call for help filing a claim for damages. You’ve got injuries, medical bills, insurance, and your family’s welfare to think about. The Warwick truck accident attorneys of Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. have over fifty years’ experience helping people like you get compensation for physical and mental pain from personal injury, and we’re the law firm you need. We’re ready to take on the burden of getting compensation for you.
We’ll handle the insurance adjusters and the trucking companies and help you get justice for your injury claim. If you’ve been injured in a jackknife trucking accident in Warwick, call Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. at (401) 751-8855 today for a free, no-obligation consultation, and let us put our decades of expertise to work for you.
Why Should I Choose Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd.?
First and foremost, you’ll pay nothing upfront. Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. works on a contingency-fee basis. That means we only get paid if we succeed in getting you a settlement or damages for you or your family’s injury in a jackknife accident. If we don’t win, you don’t pay a dime.
Second, Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. is a family business, and we treat their clients like family. We’ll take the time to get to know you and listen to the details about your accident so we can argue your case effectively, even if it means filing suit against big insurance companies.
Third, we know what we’re doing. Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. is a personal injury practice, plain and simple. Personal injury is all we do, and we’re skilled at it. When you choose Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. to handle your personal injury claim, you know you’re going with the best.
What is a Jackknife Accident?
An 18-wheel truck is much larger and heavier than a passenger vehicle. A typical truck is over 60 feet long and, when fully loaded, can weigh over 80,000 pounds. The cab and the trailer are not one solid piece; they are “articulated” at the connection between the trailer and the cab. This articulation makes the truck more maneuverable in tight spaces. However, there is no direct connection between the driving wheels of the truck and the wheels at the rear of the trailer.
A jackknife occurs when the trailer wheels lose traction, which allows them to slide along the road while the driving wheels on the cab maintain traction, usually during heavy braking. The truck itself slows down faster than the traction-less trailer wheels, and the rear of the trailer slides alongside the cab, forming a V shape, like a folding knife, or jackknife.
Why Is a Jackknife Accident Dangerous?
When the trailer wheels on an 18-wheel truck lose traction, and the rig starts to jackknife, what you’re left with is a 53-foot long trailer skidding uncontrollably along the roadway. If it’s loaded, that means around 60,000 pounds of uncontrollable weight moving across multiple lanes of traffic. Jackknife accidents usually occur when road conditions are bad due to rain, ice, or snow, and they happen quickly, so the danger is two-fold. First, the trailer skidding on the road can strike pedestrians or other vehicles before it comes to a stop. Second, other vehicles on the roadway can strike the trailer after it comes to rest, possibly blocking two or more lanes of traffic.
What Causes a Jackknife Truck Accident?
Large trucks have three braking systems that work together to slow the vehicle: one for the steering axle at the front, one for the drive wheels at the rear of the cab, and one for the trailer wheels at the rear of the trailer. When the driver is forced to stop quickly, sometimes the brakes on the trailer can lock up before the wheels on the cab. This causes the wheels to lose traction, and if road conditions are bad enough, the trailer will start to slide ahead of the cab, causing a jackknife.
Common Injuries from a Jackknife Truck Accident in Warwick
Injuries resulting from a truck accident are usually more severe than injuries from passenger car accidents due to the added size and weight of the truck. These types of accidents carry significant risks.
Some injuries that result from jackknife truck accidents include the following:
- Concussions
- Whiplash
- Broken Bones
- Internal injuries
- Spinal Injuries
- Paralysis
- Contusions
- Traumatic brain injuries
Who is Liable in a Jackknife Trucking Accident in Warwick?
Determining liability in a trucking accident is more complex than in an accident involving only passenger cars. Truck drivers and trucking companies are required to carry more insurance than passenger vehicles due to the value of their trucks and the loads they haul.
Liability also varies depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident. For example, a truck driver may be following the rules of the road when the accident occurred, but if it’s discovered that the driver had already been on the road for the maximum number of hours that day, the trucking company can be held responsible if the excessive hours were driven at their direction.
If the truck is overweight, then the shipping company or cargo loaders of the freight might be responsible.
Due to this shared responsibility, each party may be carrying a separate insurance policy, which means more adjusters reviewing the accident to try and clear their clients from any liability. This is one of the reasons it’s important to have an experienced attorney assisting you with filing a claim for damages. A lawyer can deal with the insurance companies and investigate the accident while you recover or get treatment for injuries.
How Much Compensation Can I Get for My Injuries?
This also varies, depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident. Generally, the more severe the accident, the more compensation you should request. If the cause of the accident was bad road conditions and cannot be attributed to negligence by the driver or the trucking company, your claim will probably not be successful. However, if it’s found that the driver wasn’t driving safely enough for the conditions or that the owner of the truck didn’t maintain it correctly, you may be entitled to a larger sum.
Call Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. Today for a Free Consultation
Let our family help your family get through the traumatic experience of a jackknife truck accident in Warwick. Call (401) 751-8855 today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let us get you on the road to receiving the compensation and justice you and your family deserve.
