It is estimated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) that one in 10 highway deaths are the result of a collision involving a large truck. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that in 2015 more than 4,300 large trucks and buses were involved in accidents that resulted in fatalities. This number is an increase of 29% from its low in 2009. One factor that can be attributed to the increase in truck accident serious personal injuries and deaths is the disproportionate size of passenger vehicles and commercial trucks involved in the same accident. In a bustling international city like Miami that houses Fortune 500 headquarters and engages in importing and exporting, trucks are on the roads on a regular basis. The risk of being involved in a Miami truck accident is high, particularly given the number of freeways, including I-95, the Florida Turnpike, SR 826 and SR 836.
It is not uncommon for a commercial truck to weigh as much as 20 to 30 times more than a passenger car. Not surprisingly, when a Miami truck accident occurs, there can be devastating results for those involved. Moreover, the weight of the load a commercial truck often carries makes its braking mechanism different than that of a regular passenger vehicle. Specifically, trucks require 20 to 40% more distance prior to coming to a complete stop than your typical car on the road. In 2015, nearly half of all large truck occupant deaths were the result of a truck accident during which vehicles rolled over. The occupant death rate in a rollover truck accident is double that of fatalities from car accidents involving passenger vehicles that rolled over due to the collision.
Truck accidents in which the commercial trailers roll over are typically divided into two types of crashes: tripped or untripped accidents. Tripped accidents happen when a truck veers off the road and makes contact against guardrails, a curb, or uneven ground and a rollover results. On the contrary, an untripped Miami truck accident occurs when the truck’s balance is altered due to speed, uneven ground, or overloading. Common factors that contribute to Miami truck rollovers include wet surfaces, winding roads, uneven roads, soft surfaces, and construction zones.
Another type of truck accident is jackknifing. A jackknife truck accident happens when the wheels of a commercial truck lock as the vehicle approaches a slippery or wet section of the roadway. Even if the truck’s wheels are locked into place, the trailer keeps moving forward causing it to swing out to one side. When this happens, a skilled truck driver has three options to try and control the vehicle:
This decision must be made within a matter of seconds. A jackknife truck accident may involve just one vehicle or can cause a chain reaction resulting in several care collisions and injured victims.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Miami truck accident, contact a Miami truck accident attorney today. The insurance companies have an entire legal team fighting on their side; you and/or your loved ones deserve someone who will fight hard to obtain the justice you deserve. The Law Office Joseph I. Lipsky, P.A. has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of clients. Contact one of their attorneys at 305-821-7333 today for your initial, free consultation.