Truck Accidents and Wide Turns
Commercial trucks are larger and heavier than passenger vehicles, so if a collision occurs, other involved parties are likely to take the brunt of the damage. Unfortunately, the risk of a crash is often greater when commercial trucks are on the road, particularly when they are making turns.
Trucks with a trailer cannot make tight turns, so they have to turn wide. When other vehicles are nearby, wide turns can cause a truck accident. Individuals in the Bellevue, WA, area who are injured in wide turn truck accidents can work with truck accident lawyers at Quick Law Group, PLLC, to pursue compensation for accident damages.
What Is a Wide Turn Truck Accident?
A wide turn truck accident is a collision that occurs when a truck is making a left or right turn. Since commercial trucks do not have the same small radius of a passenger vehicle, they have to turn widely, which means they usually have to occupy another lane of traffic. If truck drivers are not careful, and other vehicles are nearby, an accident can occur while a truck is making their turn. The two most common types of wide turn truck accidents are head-on collisions and squeeze accidents.
- Head-on collisions - Head-on collisions may occur when a truck takes a wide turn into an opposing lane of traffic. This can happen when a truck is making a right or left-hand turn and another vehicle is approaching from the opposite lane.
- Squeeze accidents - Squeeze accidents may occur when a truck is making a right-hand turn. If the truck turns too wide and leaves space for a vehicle to pass by on the right, that vehicle can get squeezed between the truck trailer and the curb, and may even get pushed beneath the truck trailer.
Causes of Wide Turn Accidents
When drivers go for their commercial driving license, they must undergo special training regarding commercial vehicle operation, including instruction on how to safely make wide right and left-hand turns. Despite training and testing requirements, many Bellevue drivers are injured in wide turn truck accidents that are caused by driver negligence. Common causes of wide turn truck accidents include:
- Entering into a turn too quickly
- Failing to use a turn signal
- Failing to use windows and mirrors to lookout for other vehicles and properly manage space
- Entering a right hand turn with the truck trailer too far from the curb
- Reversing to complete a turn
Wide Truck Accident Damages
Wide turn truck accidents do not often involve excessive speeds, but the weight of a commercial vehicle still creates a significant impact in a collision. As a result, wide turn truck accidents are often the cause of catastrophic personal injuries, and damages such as:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of wage-earning potential
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
Who Is At-Fault?
Truck drivers or their employers are likely to deny liability for wide turn truck accidents, but many of these crashes are caused by reckless or negligent driving practices. Our truck accident lawyers at Quick Law Group, PLLC, work with experts in the field to recreate the events of an accident and determine liability so that at-fault parties can be held accountable for all damages related to the accident.
Get In Touch
If you have been injured in a truck accident, our attorneys at Quick Law Group, PLLC, can help you pursue maximum compensation for accident damages. To discuss your accident with our lawyers, send us a message online, or call our Bellevue law firm at (425) 576-8150.