Studies have shown semi-trucks (big rigs, 18 wheelers, tractor-trailers) are more likely to be involved in a catastrophic or deadly accident than any other type of motor vehicle. The likelihood of death in a truck crash is higher than in other types of traffic collisions, with most truck accident fatalities involving passenger vehicle occupants. Sadly, this danger is increasing: there has been a continued rising trend in fatal truck crashes over the past decade. From the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (“IIHS”) analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) (emphasis added):
The number of people who died in large truck crashes was 31 percent higher in 2019 than in 2009, when it was the lowest it has been since the collection of fatal crash data began in 1975. The number of truck occupants who died was 51 percent higher than in 2009.
Of course, a huge number of these vehicles move through Indiana and Illinois, providing the nation with the invaluable service of transporting goods and cargo through the “Crossroads of America.” Trucking is vital to both our local and national economy.
Accordingly, the risk of a serious or fatal truck crash is higher in our part of the country than in other states for truckers and anyone driving alongside these heavy and powerful machines. Of particular concern: the possibility of a semi-truck jackknifing on an Illinois or Indiana road with fatal consequences.
Jackknifing: Inherent Instability of the Semi-Truck
These big trucks are particularly vulnerable to jackknifing. What is jackknifing? It has been defined as “… one of the most common causes of serious traffic accidents involving tractor-semitrailer combinations,” caused by issues of braking and the loss of yaw stability resulting in the trailer (or double) swinging out of sync and toward the tractor itself, forming a “V” shape in the roadway. Li, Bin, and Subhash Rakheja. Jackknifing Prevention of Tractor-Semitrailer Combination Using Active Braking Control. No. 2015-01-2746. SAE Technical Paper, 2015.
Essentially, a jackknife occurs when the tractor-truck continues to move forward while the trailer (or trailers) swings out to the side, forcing the truck driver to try and resolve the out-swing by braking or locking the axles. If the trucker cannot swiftly regain control of the rig, then a jackknife position between the trailer and the tractor-truck (“V”) will result.
Why is jackknifing such a high risk when a semi-truck is involved?
The specific risk arises out of the vehicle’s essential design, where two (or three, e.g., a truck tractor with double-trailers) units are hitched together creating unique stability issues for the overall vehicle. These include:
- Weight – the heavier the overall rig, then the farther the center of gravity from its hitch point, increasing the risk of an accident; and
- Length – the greater the distance between the tractor-truck and the trailer’s center of gravity, combined with the fifth wheel lead, impact the overall stability of the rig and the driver’s ability to control the semi when its wheels are moving.
With this increased risk comes the need for expertise behind the wheel. Automotive engineering experts warn that the heavier and longer these vehicles get (think a burdened double carrying heavy industrial freight), the greater the need for an experienced truck driver to protect against serious risks of axle instability resulting in the potentially deadly danger of a jackknife.
Read, Bako, S. “Stability Analysis of a Semi-Trailer Articulated Vehicle: A Review.” International Journal of Automotive Science and Technology 5 (2021): 131-140.
Liability for Deadly Jackknife Truck Crashes
When there is a serious truck accident involving a jackknife, the initial assumption may be to consider the truck driver as failing in his or her duty of care and safety in driving the rig. It is true that an inexperienced trucker may be more likely to make a mistake with devastating consequences. However, even an experienced driver is not immune to a jackknife accident. Drivers who are speeding, driving distracted or drowsy, or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol may find themselves negligently responsible for a deadly jackknife truck accident.
For more, read:
- Will Teen Drivers 18 – 20 Years Old Be Driving Semi-Trucks on Indiana and Illinois Interstates?
- Inadequate Truck Driver Training and Fatal Truck Crashes in Indiana or Illinois
- Speeding and Serious or Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes in Illinois or Indiana
- Drowsy Truck Drivers: Commuting to Work Contributing to Fatal Truck Crashes
- Semi Truck Drivers and Bus Drivers Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol: 25% of Those Tested?
Aside from consideration of the truck driver, any severe truck crash involving a jackknife must be investigated for other potential causes and contributing factors. These include:
1] Drivers Disrespectful of the Big Truck
Other drivers on the road with the big rig may contribute to the jackknife crash in their failure to drive with proper care and safety. If a 4-wheeler zips in front of a fast-moving semi-truck, for instance, the trucker may have no choice but to hit the brakes to avoid rear-ending the negligent driver. The result may be a jackknife where one or more additional vehicles, sharing nearby traffic lanes with the rig, are involved in a deadly collision.
2] Weather Conditions
Weather conditions can contribute to a deadly jackknife accident when a big rig or semi-truck is being driven on slippery surfaces like ice, snow, sleet, or rain. The challenge of tire traction in these conditions combined with the semi-truck’s stability issues cannot be underestimated. If a truck driver is forced to drive in winter weather conditions to meet a deadline, for instance, then the trucking company may be liable for any jackknife fatalities that result from pressuring the trucker to keep going.
3] Road Hazards
Maneuvering these huge and heavy machines through work construction zones as well as driving through long rural routes poses dangers for the truck driver that include a variety of risks (pot holes, etc.) that can impact stability and result in a jackknife. Those responsible for protecting against the dangers of these road hazards (construction companies, government agencies, etc.) may be found legally responsible for a jackknife crash.
4] Failed Repair or Maintenance of the Truck
The truck driver must depend upon steering, axles, brakes, tires, and other components of the semi-truck to be operating as intended when faced with the possibility of losing stability and entering into a jackknife. If there is a failure of the truck or its component parts, then the trucking company, those responsible for repair or maintenance, parts suppliers and distributors, and more may have legal liability for a deadly truck jackknife accident.
Truck Jackknife Accidents in Indiana and Illinois
Tragically, truck jackknife accidents can domino into a series of collisions and pile-ups where many lives are lost or permanently harmed by a semi-truck’s trailer swinging out of sync behind the tractor-truck. Truck jackknife crashes may have many victims, both in those suffering bodily injuries in the crash as well as loved ones whose lives are forever changed by the catastrophic incident.
Truck jackknife crashes must be zealously investigated on behalf of these victims with particular attention to detail because of the complexities of these cases. Advocates for the victims can be faced with a wide variety of insurance investigators and adjusters, determinedly working together to minimize liability and deflect responsibility for the jackknife accident. In jackknife situations, there may be more than one party who is legally liable for the jackknife accident and its consequences.
For more, read:
- Nuclear Verdicts in Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes
- Will 1980 Legal Minimums for Truck Crash Liability Insurance Coverage Finally Be Increased by Congress?
- Pending Trucking Legislation Before 2021 Indiana Statehouse and the Danger of Fatal Truck Crashes with Faster, Heavier Rigs on our Roads
- Commercial Truck Crashes: FMCSA’s New Study Because of Rising Number of Fatal Semi-Truck Accidents
- Trial Tactics for Plaintiff Semi-Truck Accident Claims: a Practical Guide from Investigation to Trial.
If you or a loved one drives the roads of Indiana or Illinois, it is very important to be aware of the dangers faced by anyone riding the roads alongside or near a semi-truck, big rig, tractor-trailer, or 18-wheeler. There is a great deal of semi-truck traffic in our “Crossroads of America.” Please be careful out there!
