Large trucks do not handle like normal vehicles. Therefore, navigating a corner turn is typically not an issue for most drivers, but truckers always have to be mindful of wide right turn accidents. Any accident involving a large truck is likely to feature significant damage. If your vehicle became swept up by a large truck’s wide movements, you may be wondering what you can do next.
By continuing with the rest of this article, learn more about those types of accidents and how best to deal with them.
What Is a Wide Turn Truck Accident?
Turning is tricky when you are in the driver’s seat of a large truck. However, instead of worrying about your vehicle’s position and executing a proper turn, there are numerous other things that truck drivers need to worry about. It is easy to make a mistake while executing a wide truck turn. Since you are occupying so much space on the road, you are way more likely to hit another motorist.
Truckers can also do everything right and still get involved in a turning accident. The sheer size of the vehicle they are driving makes it incredibly difficult for them to move carefully. Wide turn truck accidents are often not as bad as jackknife accidents. Even so, these truck accidents still possess immense potential for causing damage.
Examples of Wide Right Turn Crashes
Large trucks trying to complete wide turns can become involved in all kinds of accidents. First off, those trucks may be involved in squeeze play accidents. Squeeze play accidents occur when passenger vehicles and trucks turn at the same time. As both vehicles turn into the new road, the passenger vehicle that previously occupied the inner lane may get squeezed by the truck’s large frame. The car may end up hitting the side of the road if it cannot squeeze past the turning truck.
Blind spot accidents that feature large trucks are also fairly common. These accidents tend to happen when a stationary passenger vehicle is situated too close to a truck. Then, as traffic resumes, the truck driver may start moving without knowing there is a car beside them, resulting in a nasty crash.
Turning trucks are also more susceptible to tipping over. This kind of accident may happen if the truck is trying to turn too quickly or carrying too much cargo.
CDL Rules Regarding Turning
A trucker must undergo additional education and training before obtaining a commercial driver’s license. As part of their education and training, they will learn the basics of turning while driving a large truck. Also, among the things commercial drivers learn is the right speed when turning. For example, if you are behind the wheel of a large truck, you must approach turns slowly.
Per this article from Smart Drive Test, truckers should execute right-hand turns in third gear while moving at a speed of 9 mph. For left-hand turns, they can go to fourth gear and chug along at 12 to 15 mph.
Truckers must also do their best to keep their trailer positioned next to the curb. They should also go wide to finish the turn to avoid squeezing any nearby vehicles. Lastly, truck drivers need to give themselves as much room to operate as possible. For example, if they are at an intersection in Bexar County, they should first go to its widest spot before attempting the turn.
Who Is Liable in a Wide Turn Accident?
Wide right turn accidents involving large trucks happen more often than anyone would like. If you are ever involved in one while driving around San Antonio, you should work with a truck accident lawyer at a reputable San Antonio personal injury law firm to determine who should be held responsible for what happened. In many cases, you can place the blame squarely on the driver.
A trucker should know how to execute turns properly, even if they can be complicated. If they go into a turn too fast or fail to check their surroundings, they should receive the blame for the accident. Then again, the fault could also lie with the trucking company.
Trucking companies should hire only adequately trained drivers. If an investigation reveals that the driver involved in the accident did not hold a commercial license, the company may be on the hook for damages as well.
The trucking company’s partners can also receive blame. They would bear the blame if the accident directly resulted from improper cargo loading.
Regardless of who caused the crash, you and your truck accident lawyer must act immediately. The statute of limitations for these cases in Texas is only two years. So file the lawsuit as soon as possible, so you do not brush up to that deadline.
18 Wheeler Accident Lawyer in San Antonio
We at Barrus Injury Lawyers are no strangers to accidents involving large trucks. However, truck accident law is one of our areas of expertise, and we are confident that we can handle your wide turn accident case. Give yourself the best chance of winning by choosing us to be your truck accident lawyer. Contact us today so we can start working on your case.
