Jackknife Accidents in Ocala, FL
Any truck accident can be devastating and traumatic. When a big rig completely folds in on itself in a jackknife accident, it can take out multiple vehicles and cause horrific injuries and property damage. If you were injured in a truck accident, you could be entitled to recover compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers is dedicated to helping injured victims like you recover the money they deserve after life-altering accidents such as Ocala FedEx and UPS accidents, Ocala intersection accidents, Ocala left-turn accidents, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bus accidents, and other types of cases. We have over a century of combined experience handling personal injury and insurance claims—and we’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for victims in the process.
Call our Ocala, FL law firm today at (352) 351-3258 or contact us online for a free consultation. We have the experience, training, and knowledge to fight for your future. Call now to let us get started.
How Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Jackknife Accident in Ocala
Recovering from a truck accident takes time, rest, and patience. Your first priority is getting better. That doesn’t mean that you have to give up on fighting for the money you deserve.
Our Ocala personal injury lawyers will put you on equal footing with the insurance companies and aggressively pursue the compensation you’re owed. Our success has earned our lawyers the highest ratings—including a perfect “10” on Avvo and an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
When you hire our award-winning legal team, we’ll:
- Investigate your accident and determine the cause
- Collect evidence to support your claim
- Hire experts, such as accident reconstructionists, engineers, and trucking industry experts to analyze the evidence and testify on your behalf, if necessary
- Handle all communications and negotiations with insurance companies
- Present your compelling case to a jury, if necessary
We’re never afraid to take a case to trial, so we’ll never try to convince you to take a settlement that’s less than fair.
We offer free consultations, so call now to schedule your appointment with a top-rated injury lawyer in our Ocala, Florida law office. You don’t owe us a dime unless we win, so you have nothing to lose.
How Common Are Jackknife Accidents?
Fortunately, jackknife accidents aren’t all that common. The most recent national data available from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicate about 1% of large truck crashes in 2019 involved a jackknife incident.
However, about 3.4% of fatal large truck crashes in the U.S. in 2019 involved a jackknife occurrence. About 1% of injury crashes involved a jackknifed rig.
Chain Reaction
A jackknife occurs when a truck can’t stop in time. More fatalities and injuries occur when the jackknife was a subsequent event rather than the first event in an accident. Of the 172 fatal crashes in 2019 involving jackknife accidents, the jackknife was the first event in 41 accidents. But in 131 fatal accidents, the jackknife was a subsequent event. So, a dangerous accident was already in progress in some of the worst jackknife accidents.
In over half of the accidents involving non-fatal injuries, the jackknife was a subsequent event.
That’s not the case in accidents where there were no physical injuries. In the 4,000 jackknife crashes where only property damage occurred, a jackknife occurrence was the first event in 3,000 cases, and it was a subsequent event in 2,000 crashes.
What Causes Jackknife Accidents?
A jackknife accident occurs when a trailer being towed skids forward toward the towing vehicle. This makes the truck and trailer rig form the shape of an L or a V, like a folding knife.
A trailer may lose traction and skid out of control in any number of situations.
Some common causes of jackknife accidents include:
- Improperly loaded or secured cargo
- Excessive speed
- Bad weather
- Defective brakes
- Poor maintenance
- Driver inexperience
- Road obstruction
Whether caused by the truck driver or another party (or both), it’s essential to determine the precise cause(s) of your truck crash. We are highly skilled at investigating complex accident cases, and we have a trusted network of experts who can help explain the technical aspects of your case to a jury.
What Injuries Occur in Jackknife Accidents?
Due to the size and weight of tractor-trailers, injuries in trucking accidents tend to be severe, if not fatal.
Jackknife accidents can cause injuries such as:
- Whiplash
- Concussions and other brain injuries
- Amputations
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries
- Crushing injuries
- Wrongful death
We carefully calculate your damages to include any long-term medical needs. We also take into account any reduced earning capacity due to your injuries.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Ocala Jackknife Accident Lawyers
Were you injured in a jackknife accident in Ocala, FL? The trusted lawyers at Allen Law Accident & Injury Lawyers have been standing up for victims of preventable accidents since 2007. We’ve brought countless cases to successful conclusions—through meaningful settlements or winning verdicts at trial. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients over the years.
Let us put our 100+ years of experience to work for you. Your initial consultation is free, so call now.
