If you’ve spent much time on Mississippi highways, you’ve likely seen warning stickers on the back of semi-trucks cautioning of the dangers of wide turns. Sadly, wide-turn accidents involving large trucks are common in Mississippi. And when a large truck collides with a smaller passenger car, anyone in the car is likely to suffer catastrophic injuries. These injuries often lead to expensive medical bills.
If you’ve been hurt in a wide-turn crash, the Jackson truck accident lawyers at Derek L. Hall, PC can help you seek compensation for your injuries. Our truck accident attorneys have over two decades of experience, including many claims involving wide-turn accidents. With our help, you can demand compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and other losses stemming from the accident. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.
Why Do Trucks Need to Make Wide Turns?
Large trucks often have warning stickers about wide turns because of the challenges involved in navigating sharp corners. Their turning radius is much wider because semi-trucks and similar vehicles are longer than passenger cars. If the truck doesn’t take a turn at a wide angle, the truck’s trailer or body can cut the corner too sharply. The truck may collide with the curb, pedestrians, cyclists, or other vehicles when this happens.
Semi-trucks’ towing trailers have a slightly easier time navigating corners because there’s a pivot point where the trailer is hitched to the truck. Still, buses and other large commercial vehicles are built as one solid frame. This means drivers of these vehicles need to make especially wide turns to navigate a sharp curve safely.
Wide-turn accidents can happen regardless of whether a truck turns left or right. However, these accidents are more common when a truck’s turning right, as it’s harder for truck drivers to see what’s happening on their right side. Trucks also need to take right turns at a wider angle than left turns in many instances.
Wide-Turn Trucking Accident Statistics
Few studies focus directly on how wide turns cause many truck accidents. For example, the latest Highway Safety Plan from the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety reports 13 people died in crashes involving large trucks in a recent year. Still, there’s no further information detailing how the crashes happened.
However, other research indirectly indicates wide turns may be a common cause of truck crashes. Research from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shows that more than 1,100 fatal crashes and another 46,000 injury crashes nationwide occurred at an intersection or were intersection-related in one recent year. Most wide-turn crashes happen at intersections, making this data extremely troubling.
Additional research from the FMCSA states that in one year, about 3.6 percent of all fatal truck accidents and about 16.6 percent of all truck crashes with injuries happened when a truck sideswiped another vehicle. Though sideswipe accidents can happen under many different circumstances, one of the most common causes is a truck making a wide turn.
Determining Fault in a Wide-Turn Trucking Accident
Determining fault in a wide-turn truck crash can be quite difficult. Trucks making a turn at an intersection have the right-of-way. Additionally, drivers should be wary about passing any truck on the right. Drivers can get themselves in trouble if they try to pass a truck on the right as the truck’s turning, as they can get caught between the turning truck and the side of the road.
However, there are also many ways a truck driver could be at fault for an accident due to the driver’s negligence. Some examples of truck driver negligence that can cause wide-turn accidents include:
- Not signaling before making a turn
- Not checking their blind spots before starting a turn
- Taking a turn at too sharp of an angle or an unsafe speed
- Being distracted by their phone, music, a navigation device, etc.
- Being impaired by drugs or alcohol behind the wheel
Truck drivers aren’t the only party who could be liable for your injuries in a wide-turn accident. Many truck accidents result from mechanical defects, especially with a truck’s tires. If the truck has a tire blowout as it’s turning, the driver could lose control and hit another vehicle. The tire manufacturer could be found liable for the crash in a case like this.
Trucking companies can also be held liable for wide-turn accidents in some cases. These companies are responsible for ensuring their drivers are safe on the road. If the company knowingly hired a driver with a poor safety record or a history of impaired driving, the company could be found liable for a crash. Trucking companies can also be liable for accidents if they fail to properly vet drivers before hiring them.
Figuring out who’s liable for a wide-turn crash is one of the key jobs of a truck accident attorney. Your lawyer can look at the accident and determine who may be guilty of negligence based on the available evidence. There may be multiple parties liable for your injuries. Your attorney can help you file a claim against each party to demand compensation for your losses.
Pursuing Compensation After a Wide-Turn Trucking Accident
Under Mississippi law, you have the right to seek compensation for many different losses stemming from a truck accident. With help from a truck accident lawyer, you can demand compensation for the following:
- Lost wages and reduced earning potential
- Medical bills and related expenses
- Damaged personal property
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
Talk to an Experienced Injury and Accident Attorney at Derek L. Hall, PC in Jackson, MS Today
If you’ve been hurt in a Mississippi wide-turn truck accident, the attorneys at Derek L. Hall, PC want to help you seek fair compensation for your injuries. Contact us today for a free initial consultation to learn more about how we can help fight for compensation while you focus on your recovery.
