Jackknife crashes are a dangerous type of commercial truck accident. These semi-truck accidents often involve multiple vehicles. Additionally, the large truck can rollover as it jackknives, crushing passenger vehicles beneath the tractor-trailer.
Our Tampa jackknife truck accident lawyers at Catania and Catania Injury Lawyers have over 120 years of combined legal experience. They have substantial experience handling truck accident cases, including jackknife truck crashes.
Contact our law firm to schedule your free consultation with one of our truck accident lawyers in Tampa, FL. The best way to protect your right to fair compensation is to seek sound legal advice as soon as possible after a truck accident, call us at (813) 222-8656.
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How Our Tampa Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help With Your Claim
Truck accidents are terrifying. They often result in severe injuries and costly damages. That’s why you can’t afford to go it alone after a truck accident. You need a Tampa truck accident lawyer to help you get justice and compensation after your wreck.
Catania and Catania Injury Lawyers has recovered over $500 million for injured victims. Our legal team works diligently to see that negligent truck drivers and trucking companies are held liable for the injuries and damages they cause.
When you hire Catania and Catania Injury Lawyers to handle your accident claim, you can expect us to:
- Quickly begin gathering information to prove fault and liability before the evidence is destroyed or lost
- Contact the trucking company to demand that it preserve the truck’s black box data and other evidence from the crash
- Identify all parties and insurance providers liable for the claim
- File claims with insurance companies and monitor those claims
- Determine if truck accidents involved defective truck parts or malfunctioning truck systems
- Monitor the Florida statute of limitations for filing truck accident lawsuits
- Document your damages and calculate the value of those damages
- Work with trucking experts, engineers, medical experts, accident reconstructionists, and other experts in Tampa, Florida, to build a strong case
- Represent you in court to argue your case in front of a jury, if necessary
Contact our law office today to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our Tampa jackknife truck accident attorneys.
How Does a Jackknife Truck Accident Happen?
Jackknife truck accidents occur suddenly. In most cases, the sudden application of the truck’s brakes can trigger a jackknife truck accident. Applying the brakes suddenly causes the truck’s drive wheels to lock. As a result, the trailer swings out to one side as it continues forward.
The result is the tractor and the trailer folding into a 90-degree angle or “V” shape, much like a jackknife when you fold the blade into the knife. Depending on the circumstances, the tractor and/or trailer could roll over during the accident.
What Factors Contribute to Jackknife Truck Accidents in Tampa?
Some factors that may result in a semi-truck jackknifing include, but are not limited to:
- Sudden braking
- High rates of speed
- Going too fast around a curve
- Defective truck parts and equipment failure
- Improperly secured loads that shift or come loose
- Truck driver negligence, including drunk driving, improper lane changes, distracted driving, fatigued driving, and drowsy driving
In some cases, another driver may contribute to a truck accident involving a jackknifed rig. For example, another driver may have cut off the truck or slammed on brakes in front of the truck. A jackknife accident might occur if the truck driver locks down the truck to avoid a collision.
The parties who contributed to the cause of the truck accident can be liable for injuries and damages caused by the truck crash. Parties that could be liable for truck accident damages include:
- Commercial truck drivers
- Trucking companies
- Truck and parts manufacturers
- Other motorists
- Repair and maintenance companies
- Shippers and loaders
- Federal or state agencies (defective and dangerous roads)
Once we identify the parties who caused the accident, we can proceed to file claims and negotiate settlements. However, if the other party refuses to pay a fair amount to settle your injury claim, we can proceed to file a lawsuit and go to trial. While we understand you may want your case to settle as quickly as possible, we want to make sure you receive the best possible settlement.
What Damages Can I Recover for a Jackknife Truck Crash in Tampa, FL?
The types of damages you can recover for injuries caused by a jackknife truck include economic and non-economic damages. Examples of those damages include:
- Pain and suffering caused by physical injuries
- Loss of income and benefits, including future reductions in earning potential and lost wages
- Reimbursement for medical costs and expenses, including nursing care
- Cost of personal care and help with household chores
- Long-term care for permanent impairments
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Reduced quality of life and loss of enjoyment of life
- Wrongful death damages
Our Tampa truck accident lawyers fight for maximum compensation for truck accident claims. We understand that money does not undo the pain and suffering you experienced, but it can reimburse you for monetary losses and give you the means to pay for ongoing care.
Other Types of Truck Accidents We Handle
Our attorneys can help you if you’ve been recently involved in any type of trucking collision, including:
- Logging accidents
- Amazon van accidents
- UPS and FedEx delivery truck accidents
- Wolfcamp Shale truck accidents
Contact Our Tampa Truck Accident Law Firm For Help
Jackknife truck accidents cause devastating injuries for accident victims. Unfortunately, the occupants of other vehicles are often the ones that are killed or injured in large truck accidents.
Reach out to our law office online or call us at (813) 222-8656 to discuss your case during a free consultation with one of our jackknife accident attorneys in Tampa, FL.
