Commercial Truck Rollover Accidents

Most truck accidents involve collisions on the road. However, some accidents are even scarier—a large, heavy commercial truck can tip over and land directly on top of nearby cars and pedestrians. These rollover accidents are fortunately rare, but they can cause devastating injuries, even death.

Different commercial trucks have different risks, and no two rollovers are alike. For that reason, you need a seasoned Virginia Beach truck accident lawyer to investigate and advocate on your behalf, and file a claim within the statute of limitations.

Tractor-Trailer Rollovers

A tractor-trailer has two parts—the cab in front and the trailer that carries goods. Because they are tall and thin, tractor trailers are inherently unstable. However, the way that cargo is loaded can also increase the instability.

When a tractor trailer rolls over, the trailer can crunch vehicles in the adjoining lane. Even if the trailer does not land on anything, vehicles following behind now must veer out of the way so that they don’t crash into it. A rollover on the open highway can cause vehicles to pinball off each other and usually shuts down traffic for hours.

There are some common situations where we see tractor-trailer rollovers:

• A driver takes a curve too fast
• A distracted driver jerks the wheel to avoid an accident
• Unbalanced cargo renders the trailer unstable and prone to tipping over
• An intoxicated or impaired driver overcorrects before going off the road

The key in a rollover is to identify the person to blame for the wreck. As you can see, a negligent truck driver is often to blame because he has been careless or reckless. However, in some situations, the workers who loaded the cargo bear primary responsibility for the crash.

Dump Truck Rollovers

Dump trucks are squat and wide, so they are usually not at risk of tipping over on the open road. If anything, the greater risk is that material will come flying out of the box in the back and strike a motorist. However, when a dump truck has its box elevated, then the truck could easily land on its side.

Some of the more common reasons why a dump truck might roll include:

• Parking the truck on an uneven surface and then raising the box
• Material being stuck at the top of the box and not flowing easily out the end
• Problems with raising the box, often due to hydraulics
• Load shifting, which causes the rear wheels to shift
• Uneven tire pressure in the rear wheels

A dump truck should be regularly inspected and maintained so that it works properly. The material also must be loaded in the box with care. The use of box liners can improve the flow of material, but some companies that want to cut corners might not use them or replace worn ones.

Were You Hurt? Contact a Truck Accident Attorney in Virginia

Breit Law PC has helped many people injured in rollover accidents involving different types of commercial trucks. If you are struggling to obtain compensation, please contact us. Our team can spring into action to obtain information about the truck that hit you. Our consultations are free and no risk.