Tips to avoid a Texas Eagle Ford Shale rollover or jackknife accident

Eagle Ford Shale truck accident attorneys: Commercial truck accidents are an everyday feature of life these days in the busy world of the Texas Eagle Ford Shale development. A large number of these accident result in serious or fatal injuries. So many trucks operate over the roads of the South Texas region, and they’re often in such a hurry, that truck rollovers and jackknife accidents seem unavoidable.

But commercial truck accidents are almost always avoidable with proper loading, careful driving, and thorough truck maintenance. Some of the Eagle Ford Shale truck wrecks result from under-steering or from over-steering. Many Eagle Ford Shale rollover accidents result from heavy trucks’ inherent yaw instability.

Our Eagle Ford Shale truck accident attorneys note that a truck’s yaw is its rotation tendency around its vertical axis. A truck’s yaw will focus on the point where the tractor joins to the trailer. The flexibility at this juncture is what allows such large and heavy trucks to maneuver around corners and curves. But it can also lead to a snaking motion.

As a truck travels at speed, a sudden change in steering direction, to change lanes or take a curve, can lead to oscillation in the trailer or cause it to sway from side to side. The higher the speed, the greater the motion. And the presence of additional combination trailers will magnify the effect. This yaw instability effect can result in a dangerous Eagle Ford Shale rollover accident with injuries or fatalities.

Various factors exist that could increase the yaw instability effect and a truck’s potential for an Eagle Ford Shale rollover accident. These factors include the condition of the road on which the truck is operating, the speed at which the vehicle is traveling, the distribution of the truck’s cargo load, the stiffness of the vehicle’s suspension, the placement of the truck’s fifth wheel, and the condition of the vehicle’s tires. Worn tires are often a factor in causing dangerous rollover accidents, even in passenger vehicles.

To minimize your potential for an Eagle Ford Shale rollover accident or jackknife wreck, you probably know the tips to follow in operating your truck:

• Load and secure your truck’s cargo with care. Suddenly shifting cargo carries the potential for deadly rollover wrecks and jackknife accidents.
• Perform a thorough check of your truck and cargo distribution prior to taking to the road.
• Get plenty of sleep to avoid the dangers of driver fatigue.
• Use caution when taking corners and curves and passing other vehicles.
• Try to maintain a safe gap between your truck and the vehicles ahead of you. Our Eagle Ford Shale truck accident attorneys understand that on the crowded roads in the Eagle Ford Shale area, it might be difficult to maintain a safe gap. But giving yourself the distance to maneuver or stop when you need provides an extra safety measure that could save you from a dangerous wreck.
• Apply brakes carefully, especially when your truck is lightly loaded to avoid the danger of a jackknife accident or skid.
• Avoid over-steering and under-steering.

If you’ve been injured in a truck rollover or jackknife accident, contact our Eagle Ford Shale truck accident attorneys for a free and confidential legal consultation. Our more than 14 years of practical experience and knowledge successfully helping injured truck crash victims could provide the guidance you need to make a full financial recovery for your injuries and losses from the wreck.

As Texas Board Certified attorneys, our personal injury expertise is a cut above what you might find with less specialized lawyers. Contact the Eagle Ford Shale truck accident attorneys at Denena & Points for your free consultation and let us put our knowledge and skill to work for you.