You may have seen it on the news or driven past it on a highway: a large truck turned over and extensive debris all over the road.
Unfortunately, these scenes are not uncommon, and rollover accidents are among the most serious accidents that can occur.
Understanding what causes rollover accidents is important since these crashes often result in serious injury. Their causes shed light on who may be held responsible for the negligent actions that lead to significant injuries in truck accident victims.
Uneven Loads
A rollover accident can occur if the trailer is loaded unevenly and one side ends up much heavier than the other. The moment the truck driver makes a sharp turn, the heavier side goes with it.
As a result, that weight pulls the rest of the trailer, causing the truck to land on the heavier side. This danger may be averted if the truck’s trailer is loaded so that weight is evenly distributed from the start.
Strong Winds
Many trucks travel through areas with wind speeds high enough to create a rollover risk. You may even have seen a large truck sway a bit from the wind on the highway.
If the trailer is unevenly loaded and weight distribution is off, the truck is more susceptible to strong winds pushing it over. Properly loaded trailers should only be susceptible to extremely high winds, but those not loaded correctly could experience rollover accidents.
Contact Fieger Law After a Truck Accident
In the trucking industry, an uneven cargo load is considered negligence, and individuals have the right to seek compensation for any injuries they may sustain as a result of this kind of accident.
But if you’ve been hurt in a collision with a truck, don’t wait to seek legal help. These cases are complex, and the trucking company will have their own lawyers working aggressively against you.
Contact the Michigan truck accident lawyers at Fieger Law today for a free consultation, and let us fight to get you a fair settlement from the trucking company.
Originally published December 14, 2018.
