During my legal career of over 30 years, I have seen and handled a countless number of jackknifed tractor trailer crash cases. Nearly all of them have involved life altering or fatal injuries. Big semi-trucks are a common sight on our public roads.  Although they are a vital part of our transportation system, they can also be very dangerous.  One of the most common types of tractor trailer crashes is called a jackknife. Jackknife crash: when a semi-truck trailer skids towards the truck cab at a 90-degree angle. The term comes from the look of the tractor-trailer after the crash – like a small folding knife. Jackknife crashes may also be considered rollover crashes, although not all roll-overs end in

Train traffic near Lacey, Washington was stopped for several hours on Tuesday after a semi-truck crashed into a train trestle . Last month, a dump truck weighing approximately 15,000 pounds vehicle collapsed an “old, rickety bridge” in Snohomish County. Neither of those crashes should have happened. More and more often, I am seeing these reports of trucks crashing into underpasses, overpasses, trestles or bridges. Each one of these instances is preventable and under no circumstance should such a crash occur. Here’s why. Commercial Truck Route Planning Besides operating a heavy truck safely on our public highways, a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver is required to know and understand all aspects of their route. This is known as route planning: truck

Recently, I read about the truck driver that ran into several stopped vehicles in Colorado. People described the crash scene, where 4 people were killed, as “true carnage.” Many were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The descriptions reminded me of a 2017 rear-end semi crash in Illinois, where 1 man was killed and 3 seriously injured when a semi-truck driver crashed into back of a stopped vehicle, causing a seven-vehicle pile-up. It also reminded me of two rear-end semi truck crashes my law firm has handled. One involved a high school athlete returning home after cross country practice. He was hit from behind at highway speed and pushed into the oncoming lane, where his vehicle hit a pickup

There has been an “unprecedented uptick in fatalities” associated with recycling and garbage truck accidents crashes in 2019, according to the Solid Waste Association of North America. That’s alarming, even as a preliminary number, because garbage trucks are already among the most dangerous heavy trucks. They are often out very early in the morning, when the streets are still dark. Trucks stop and start frequently. Drivers stop in the middle of the road to save time, instead of pulling over. FMCSA’s data for 2017 shows 107 garbage/refuse trucks fatalities, and another 1400+ injuries in garbage truck crashes. About 25% of the people killed or seriously hurt are sanitation workers. OSHA shows 25 fatalities or serious injuries for employees in Garbage