Jackknife accidents are among the most catastrophic accidents on Detroit and Michigan’s roads. When a semi-truck takes an impact at highway speeds, it folds into a bent jackknife shape and slides out of control.

Here at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we’re Michigan jackknife accident experts, including multi-vehicle accidents, chain-reaction crashes, and wrongful death cases. We’ve represented large truck accident victims for more than 50 years, obtaining hundreds of millions in settlements and verdicts for our clients.

If you were in a severe jackknife accident and want to understand your legal options, please contact the Michigan jackknife truck accident lawyers at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm. Call 1-800-LEE-FREE today for a free and confidential consultation.

What is a Jackknife Accident?

In a typical jackknife collision, a big rig rolls down the highway when something unexpected happens. As the trucker tries to react in time by braking or swerving, its momentum swings the trailer around in a powerful force that causes it to buckle at the hinge point. The cab slams backward toward the trailer in the classic jackknife position.

In the worst kind of jackknife accident, the trucker’s cab looks almost directly back into its trailer as the trucker faces immediate danger from a chemical spill, fire, or explosion. This brings a high likelihood of severe injury or death.

Jackknife collisions can also set off other impacts across Michigan highways, crushing vehicles and causing massive destruction. Plus, they create huge blockages that close highways for hours as emergency workers try to help injured people and clear the scene.

The Most Common Causes of Michigan Jackknife Accidents

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driver error is a factor in 94% of all road crashes. In many situations, a jackknife accident isn’t technically an “accident” but probably the result of negligence.

That doesn’t mean a trucker is automatically at fault. Jackknifes happen for various reasons, including being struck by other vehicles, hit by flying debris, caught in a multi-vehicle pileup, or unable to avoid a hazard in the roadway.

Distracted driving has become a much more common cause of all types of road and trucking accidents, as the rise of technology has created more distractions than ever before.

Today, there are smartphones, cell phones, navigation devices, apps, and a hundred other distractions. Drivers can talk, text, search, and play at the touch of a button. Big rigs and large commercial trucks are increasingly loaded with tech-enabled features like GPS location trackers and apps truckers must use to stay compliant.

Driving errors are also a persistent problem. NHTSA statistics show that 41% of all vehicle crashes involve driver recognition errors, where a driver fails to recognize changing road conditions. One-third of all accidents involve decision-making errors, and 11% involve performance errors where someone fails to operate their vehicle correctly.

Overall, the top contributors to Michigan jackknife accidents include:

Speeding
Distracted driving
Aggressive driving
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Driving while tired, also known as drowsy driving
Wildlife-vehicle collisions
Bad weather
Slick roads
Cracked and degraded road surfaces
Vehicle component failures

Types of Michigan Jackknife Accidents

Head-on jackknife collisions happen when two vehicles’ front ends smash into one another and the big rig jackknifes into a folded position. These collisions are often severe, with catastrophic forces that cause severe injuries and death. You’ll be lucky to survive one of these accidents.

Rear-end jackknife collisions occur when one driver rear-ends another and the semi-truck swings into a jackknife. They are often caused when a distracted driver fails to react to a slowing or stopped vehicle and either hits a truck or brakes too fast and the truck rear-ends them. Beware of these crashes in highway traffic near construction zones.

Side-impact jackknife collisions occur when the side of one vehicle is impacted by the front or rear of a vehicle or a nearby fixed object. This can cause a jackknife t-bone collision and commonly happens at an intersection.

Sideswipe jackknife collisions arise when the sides of two parallel vehicles touch one another. It’s rarer for a truck to go into a jackknife from a sideswipe, but it does happen. If the other vehicle is another truck, or if it clips the truck at the right angle, a jackknife might be inevitable.

Low-impact and slow rolling collisions are somewhat less likely to cause jackknifes and tend to result in fewer personal injuries unless there are compounding factors at play like a loss of driver control, excessive speed, sideswipe causing a rollover, or the involvement of additional vehicles/objects. When these accidents happen between large vehicles at high speeds on the highway, the powerful forces are multiplied and bodily injuries can be severe.

Why a Michigan Jackknife Accident Lawyer is Important

Michigan jackknife accident cases can be complex and often involve multiple drivers, insurance companies, trucking companies, and government agencies. It’s very stressful and overwhelming for someone who’s already trying to heal from their injuries.

A Michigan auto accident lawyer will provide much-needed guidance on how the law works so you can use it to your best benefit.

The state of Michigan’s unusual no-fault system is often confusing for people who have never made a claim, especially if they’re not originally from Michigan. When you add this to the stress and trauma of a jackknife accident, things can spiral out of control very quickly.

You need a skilled, experienced lawyer who knows exactly how Michigan’s laws work. If you don’t choose the right lawyer, it could be a turning point in your life where you’ll regret it later if you don’t handle it correctly and seek the maximum compensation possible.

Talk to the Lee Steinberg Law Firm about obtaining Michigan’s no-fault benefits, getting help filing a jackknife accident claim, and seeking the full and fair compensation you deserve under the law. No matter how complex your case is, we’ll assertively work to get the best possible results.

Things to Ask a Michigan Jackknife Accident Lawyer

Your Michigan jackknife accident case can be hard to handle without the help of an experienced lawyer. But it’s sometimes hard to know whether a lawyer has what it takes to take on your case because this is a very specific area of the law.

While you’re deciding which lawyer is the right fit for you, ask the attorneys important questions that are relevant to your case. Any good lawyer should welcome the opportunity to explain how their firm works and what you can expect during the process. Good questions include:

How long have you been a traffic accident lawyer in Michigan?
Do you handle truck jackknife cases?
How will you help me with a no-fault/PIP claim?
Can you help me find evidence that backs up my case?
How will you help me investigate what happened in my jackknife truck accident?
Do you have a good reputation with Michigan judges and courts?
What kinds of results have you gotten for clients in the past?

Winning Michigan Jackknife Trucking Lawyers

At the Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we have excellent results when it comes to representing our clients in a wide variety of vehicle accident cases. We’ve been on the battlefields inside courtrooms for decades and understand how challenging it is to be in your situation. We are always by your side, helping you build for a better future.

Please contact the Lee Steinberg Law Firm today at 1-800-LEE-FREE or use our free online consultation form to get in touch with a qualified, experienced jackknife accident lawyer nearest to you in Michigan. You will receive an evaluation of your case entirely free of charge.