The cab of a semi-truck—in other words, the tractor part of a tractor-trailer—generates all the forward momentum for the vehicle, while the trailer is just pulled behind the cab and attached to it only by a single rotating hinge. This means that each section of a tractor-trailer has its own unique momentum, which can lead to the trailer skidding at a different speed or direction from the cab during a crash.
Truck wrecks that involve the trailer kicking out to the side of or in front of the cab like this are known as jackknife crashes, and they are extremely dangerous, even by the usual standards of big rig collisions. If you were recently hurt in a jackknife truck accident in Flagstaff, getting help from the seasoned truck accident attorneys at Phillips Law Group may be essential to ensuring you get paid fairly for the harm you have unfairly sustained.
Who Could Be Liable for a Jackknife Wreck?
Since jackknife truck crashes in Flagstaff and throughout the state of Arizona almost always stem from a truck losing traction with the road surface and going into a skid, speeding is a particularly common cause of this sort of wreck, as are things like failing to account for inclement weather and driving while drunk or distracted. At the same time, though, maintenance problems like faulty brakes and bald tires can also contribute to causing this kind of incident—and unlike negligent driving behaviors, this problem is not always the fault of the truck driver directly involved in an ensuing wreck.
With this in mind, it is often appropriate to demand civil restitution from more than one person over injuries caused by a jackknife crash. Depending on the circumstances, partial fault may lie not just with whoever was driving the truck in question, but also with that driver’s employer, a mechanic who failed to keep the truck in reasonably safe condition, a manufacturer who produced defective truck parts, or even a local government body that failed to properly maintain roads.
Getting Around Legal and Procedural Obstacles
Of course, someone injured through a Flagstaff jackknifing truck accident can also be found partly to blame for their own injuries based on their own negligence—for example, if they, too, were speeding when a truck jackknifed in front of them. In this kind of scenario, a court or insurance company may assign that person a percentage of comparative fault for their damages and, in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes §12-2505, reduce the amount of money available to that person by that same percentage.
It is worth noting as well that A.R.S. §12-542 gives most personal injury victims just two years to file suit after initially sustaining harm, no matter how severe that person’s damages are or whether they will ever fully recover in physical terms. Getting around these and other roadblocks during the civil litigation process will be much easier with guidance from a qualified attorney.
A Flagstaff Attorney Can Help Following a Jackknife Truck Accident
Seeing a jackknifing truck ahead of you is a terrifying experience, especially on mountainous roads like the ones around Flagstaff. In the aftermath of such a wreck, it can be vital to be as calm and proactive as possible about enforcing your right to civil recovery since you may have less time than you think to start the legal process.
Phillips Law Group has been locally owned and operated in the Grand Canyon State for more than 30 years, and we are not afraid to take your case to trial if a settlement will not get you paid what you deserve. Call today to discuss with one of our team members how we can help you after a jackknife truck accident in Flagstaff.
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