A truck wreck can be a very dangerous situation. If it happens suddenly, you may have no time to react. Because of the way these vehicles move, however, there are sometimes a few seconds of time that you can use to save your life or, at the very least, avoid becoming part of the wreck yourself.
In icy or wet conditions, there is a risk that a truck may jackknife. This occurs when the trailer folds into the cab. It’s a deadly situation and, to prevent it from happening, the driver needs one thing above all others: room to maneuver. If you see a truck starting to slide, get out of the way. Pull over to the side of the road if you need to. The trucker will appreciate the consideration when they’ve straightened the rig out and it might just save your life.
In some cases, you may see a truck wreck waiting to happen before the people who are involved even know what’s going on. This is particularly true around entrance ramps. Drivers sometimes fail to give the right of way to trucks when merging. If you see someone in front of you doing this, don’t follow them. They’re heading for a big rig crash and you don’t want to be anywhere near it when it happens. Despite the obviously bad matchup, some drivers actually try to muscle semis around on the road. Stay away from drivers who get into these situations.
Trucks have to make wide right turns to get their trailer into the lane properly. Some drivers will creep up alongside the truck, assuming that the lane to the right of the vehicle is available. Pay close attention to trucks when they’re turning. If you see drivers ahead of you doing this but it seems like they shouldn’t be, don’t follow them into the space alongside the truck. Those drivers may well not know what they’re doing.
A truck accident attorney can help you if you’ve been injured by a negligent driver. If you’ve followed all the rules and went out of your way to share the road and were still injured, it’s worth it to talk to one of these attorneys. They may be able to help you pursue a case against the trucking company. Sometimes, these companies will offer you a check. Don’t take it until you get an attorney’s advice.
