Long haul trucks weigh 70,000 to 80,000 pounds and can move down the highway at high rates of speed. With those factors at play, accidents can be sudden and devastating. One factor in crashes that I commonly see is wind. Given trucks’ incredible weight, many of my clients here do not suspect that wind can play a significant role in trucking accidents, leading to roll-overs, loss of control and loads breaking loose.
If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you will need to have experienced Mississippi counsel help you attain your fair share of compensation for your loss of income and injury. Barrett Law has the trucking accident experience that can mean the difference between attaining your compensation and receiving nothing at all. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
Wind’s Role in Trucking Accidents
It is just plain physics. As Archimedes said, “give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand and I will move the Earth.” The same forces are at play as eighteen-wheelers roll down Mississippi highways. While the truck’s weight is great, so is their trailer’s surface area. As a result, when crosswinds start blowing at 40 miles per hour or greater, the wind catches the trailer like a sail. The wind uses the trailer as a lever, pushing the heavy mass from side to side. Once a vehicle starts moving from side to side, the oscillation can increase in frequency, causing the vehicle to fishtail. With tractor trailers, the truck’s extreme length compounds this oscillation. Once the truck’s back end starts moving from side to side, it can become incredibly difficult to control. And once a driver loses control, rollovers can cause extreme collisions with much smaller passenger cars.
Are Wind-Related Accidents Preventable?
Wind cannot be prevented, but a driver and company can reduce the odds of a wind-related accident. In a trucking accident, the injured party or plaintiff has to prove that the truck driver or trucking company’s negligence. To establish negligence, the plaintiff has to show that the defendant driver or company failed to take reasonable steps to meet the industry standards for safety. Regarding wind, there are several steps that a driver and company can be expected to take to prevent wind-related accidents.
When I represent a client in a wind-related trucking accident, I always carefully look through the driver and trucking company’s logs to determine several important facts:
Speed—slowing down is the easiest way to prevent wind-related accidents and is also likely to reduce any accident’s magnitude. I analyze the truck’s black box data to determine whether the trucker was speeding at the time of the crash.
Weather Forecast—did the driver check the weather forecast prior to driving? Did the trucking company send out a weather advisory as wind speed climbed into the 40 mile per hour range?
Pre-Trip Inspection—did the driver conduct a pre-trip inspection? Wind that would normally not cause an accident can wreak havoc on a trailer with loose tarps or an open door. When wind catches open doors or tarps, they act as a sail, pushing the truck dangerously from side to side.
Empty Trailers—usually, heavy trucks are more dangerous than lighter ones, but that is not true in the case of wind. In high wind situations, the empty trailer’s high surface-area-to-weight ratio makes for a particularly dangerous situation. In periods of high winds, truckers should not take empty trailers onto the highway.
These factors may not individually cause a tragic accident, but they often combine and act in concert to cause a tragedy. Similarly, traditional factors in truck accidents—poor truck maintenance, distracted driving, and drowsy driving—can all be exacerbated by wind, when responsiveness is even more critical.
What Should You Do If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Trucking Accident?
If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, you deserve compensation for your injuries, loss of work, and pain and suffering. Let an experienced trucking accident attorney take care of preserving truck records, attaining expert opinions, and dealing with the trucking company’s attorneys. These are important tasks that a personal injury attorney can handle for you while you concentrate on healing.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if you have suffered a truck-related injury. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
