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Types Of Truck Accidents
By Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC, Fri Dec 9th
Types Of Truck Accidents
By Michael Monheit, Esquire, Monheit Law, PC, Fri Dec 9th
Here are the most common types of truck accidents: -- Truck Brakes Malfunction (Article continued below)
Heavy trucks use air brakes exclusively: Most are drum-likeunits. Air enters the chamber when the brakes are applied, thepush rod moves out turning the slack adjuster which rotates theS-cam and forces the shoes into the drum. Brakes are a heat engine, they convert kinetic energy or motioninto thermal energy or heat. Suppose a 400-horsepower enginegrosses out at 80,000 pounds. The engine can probably get up to40 mph in 1/4 mile or 1,320 feet. The brakes should be able tostop in about 133 feet with this speed and weight. A full stop from 60 mph might raise the drum temperatures to 600degrees F. This is about the limit for safe operation. If thebrakes aren't right or the load is not distributed properly,then some drums might go up to 800-1,000 degrees F. The drumwill increase in diameter as the temperature rises. This isdefinitely dangerous for the truck driver and the passengervehicles around the truck. Downhill Break Failure Some truck drivers don't understand the severe demands put onthe brakes by long downhill runs. Brakes had better be rightused with the correct braking technique for optimum safety tothe bottom. In recent years there had been erroneous informationabout how to brake on long down hills. It was wrongly suggestedthat a continuous application of the brakes was the preferredmethod. However, that is incorrect. Intermittent application orwhat the trucking industry refers to as snubbing is thepreferred method. The key is not the speed drop; this will depend on weight,grade, and other factors. The key is air pressure -- theapplication pressure should be high enough to get all the truckbrakes working.
In practice, unless the brakes are in goodcondition, tractor-trailer balance is right, and the load isideally located; the continuous application of the brakes islikely to result in uneven drum and lining temperatures andproblems before you get to the bottom of the hill. Downhill break failure can be prevented when all the brakes areworking some of the time instead of some of the brakes workingall the time. The application pressure must be high enough toensure that all brake chambers apply and that all linings makesolid contact with the drums - about 20 psi or higher. -- Truck rollovers Big rigs roll easily. If a truck goes around a curve too fast,it will roll over. Trucks can go over in a curve even withoutgoing too fast if their rear tires strike something (like thecurb) while cornering. Trucks can still roll over at 5 mphespecially if backing up while being jackknifed. Some rollovershappen when drivers try to return to the road after putting atire off the pavement. They can rut in soft ground or catch apavement separation and roll over. -- Truck Jackknifing The rig jackknifes when the drive axle brakes lock up. Steeringaxle brakes provide 12 percent of the total braking of a loadedvehicle. Trucks jackknife sooner or later regardless of what thesteering axle does even if the steering wheels are pointedstraight ahead. Road crown or left/right imbalances will causejackknifing if the truck slides long enough. Jackknifing willmost likely cause a rollover. Once the brakes are locked, directional control at the axlebecomes lost. Sooner or later a sideways pull develops thataffects the directional stability of the vehicle which may causea rollover. -- Never attempt to negotiate on your own behalf with a truckingcompany after a truck accident. Most trucking companies arehighly skilled at truck accident investigation and claimspractice. These adjusters represent the truck company -- notyou. Never make any statements or sign any releases for medicalrecords or employment records. Often the medical release allowsthe adjuster to talk to the doctors without you or anyone beingpresent. Truck companies have accident investigators that are on call anddispatched to the scene of the crash as soon as the truckingcompany learns about an accident. While the families of theaccident victims are tending to medical and hospital care andfuneral arraignments, the trucking company is busy investigatingthe accident and gearing up their defense. This is why victimsof large truck accidents need a knowledgeable team of truckaccident attorneys and investigators on their side.fighting fortheir rights.
About the author:Michael Monheit, Esquire is the managing attorney for MonheitLaw, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monheit Law, P.C.concentrates its practice in the field of plaintiff personalinjury cases on a contingency fee basis. They can be found athttp://www.monheit.com/truck | 
