Why do some large trucks jackknife?

Last week, the News3Channel reported that a 54-year-old man died on Interstate 10, east of Grosse Tete, when the cab of his 18-wheeler rolled onto its side and caught fire.

The truck driver, Donald Hunt of Louisville, Miss., was driving west when the semi-truck ran off the road to the right. The trailer began to jackknife but stayed upright, while the cab turned around and rolled over. The Iberville Parish coroner pronounced Hunt dead at the scene.

This illustrates how catastrophic Louisiana jackknife accidents can be. Most jackknife situations occur when the tractor pulls a light or empty trailer, because the trailer’s brakes are made for heavy loads and will easily block the wheels, the skidding wheels immediately losing all traction. The far heavier tractor unit, trying to come to a standstill, will be pushed sideways by the forward moving mass of the trailer until it turns around and, in some cases, rolls over.

Many jackknife accidents occur when the 18-wheeler moves out of its path and the driver suddenly overcorrects, or when he enters a sharp curve at high speed and needs to slam on the brakes while turning. At times, a semi-truck having to brake hard on a forward path will do the same because of poorly maintained or unbalanced brakes.

Jackknifed truck crashes can be devastating, causing death and destruction on a large scale. Not only do they come as a complete surprise, the trailer and tractor often end up blocking the path of vehicles over several highway lanes, including the ones coming from the opposite site. It is not unusual to have a dozen vehicles involved in such a crash with debris and cargo spilled over a large surface.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a jackknifed truck accident, contact immediately the New Orleans attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.