Missouri Truck and Auto Accidents
Differences between truck accidents and car accidents
There are several reasons why auto accident injuries differ greatly from big rig accident injuries. Here, our Missouri truck accident lawyer breaks down the science and pragmatics of the truck accident, revealing the root causes of injury severity in Missouri big rig accidents.
Relative mass
Scientists tell us that the ant is incredibly strong, able to carry many times its body weight. Yet what chance has the ant under the foot of a human pedestrian? Likewise, what chance does a car have in the path of a truck that cannot stop or swerve in time to prevent impact?
The primary reason for the greater severity of injuries that motorists suffer when they are hit by an 18-wheeler is the significant difference in the size and weight of the tractor-trailer versus the car. Add to this the force involved when a big rig is in motion and you have a lethal disaster in the making—far more deadly than anything car drivers experience in a regular car accident.
Making matters worse, the 18-wheeler takes considerably longer to slow, stop, or swerve than a car does due to the truck’s greater mass. Many accidents result because of the truck’s lack of maneuverability, while its greater force increases the destruction it causes, literally crushing cars in impacts.
High center of gravity
While any motor vehicle is capable of rolling over in an accident, trucks are particularly vulnerable to rollovers because of the higher center of gravity. Stability increases when a vehicle is low to the ground or has the bulk of its weight in the lower half of the vehicle—as is the case with cars. Compared to trucks, cars are more stable, better able to resist the force of side winds and better at staying under control in cornering. With trucks carrying a high center of gravity, the risk of tipping over is much greater.
The rollover tendency is not just risk to the trucker. A rollover accident often puts nearby vehicles at risk of being crushed under the weight of the tipping tractor-trailer.
The jack-knifing risk
A physics problem unique to big rigs and other vehicles towing a trailer is the jackknifing tendency. Jack-knifing is the term for what happens when the trailer—much heavier than the cab of the truck—continues forcefully in a forward direction when the truck driver tries to slow the rig down under difficult conditions, such as slippery roads, high winds, uneven road surfaces, and curves. The force of the back half of the 18-wheeler shoves the cab, causing it to wrench backwards, like a closing jack-knife. When this happens, the truck continues forward, but the cab is facing backward. The trucker has no control of the vehicle. Serious and deadly accidents often result from a jack-knifing.
Extended liability in 18-wheeler accidents
When you have been injured in a tractor-trailer accident and the trucker is at fault, the ensuing lawsuit is much more complicated than in a normal car-to-car accident lawsuit. There are often several defendants other than the truck driver that may include:
- The truck owner
- The trucking company
- The insurance company representing any of these parties
- The manufacturer of the truck or its parts
Furthermore, truckers have regulations governing the licensing and operation of their vehicles. Many other factors combine to make trucking lawsuits legally challenging. Therefore, only seek representation from an experienced trucking accident attorney in Missouri. If injured in a truck accident, contact our Missouri truck accident lawyers from The Hershewe Law Firm, P.C.
