Causes of Semi-Truck Rollover Accidents

Residents of Missouri rely on goods and services shipped into and out of the state by large commercial trucks, including common semi-tractor-trailer trucks. The state’s roadways are crowded with standard passenger cars weighing an average of around 4,000 pounds compared to the immense semi-trucks looming over them at massive heights and weights of up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. This size and weight difference places motorists in smaller vehicles at an unsafe disadvantage in an accident, often leaving victims in need of a St. Louis truck accident lawyer to help navigate the complex legal aftermath. An alarming 5,837 commercial trucks experienced accidents with fatalities in a single recent year, with over 70% of those fatalities to other motorists, not the truck driver. Rollover accidents are among the deadliest, most destructive semi-tractor-trailer truck accidents on Missouri roadways.

What Is a Semi Truck Rollover Accident?

Semi-truck rollovers are called overturn accidents by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which reports an average of 4 rollover accidents per day. Rollover accidents occur most often due to a sudden misalignment of the tractor and trailer due to driver error, resulting in an imbalance that causes the truck and trailer to tip over and roll, often colliding with vehicles traveling in parallel lanes or with oncoming and following vehicles on two-lane roads.

What Causes Most Semi Truck Rollover Accidents In Missouri?

Rollover accident scenes are chaotic and terrifying, particularly when a massive commercial truck rolls over other vehicles in its path. Almost all truck rollover accidents in Missouri and elsewhere are preventable if only those involved in driving, loading, and maintaining trucks took all reasonable measures to prevent accidents and carefully followed traffic rules and FMCSA regulations. The most common causes of semi-truck rollover accidents include:

• Improper braking
• Sudden swerving, evasive maneuvers, or reckless steering
• Speeding
• Overly fast turning
• Unbalanced or unsecured cargo that suddenly shifts during transport
• Partially loaded trailers (63% of rollover accidents occur to trucks hauling partial loads with a higher likelihood of sudden shifting.)
• Tire blowouts
• Mechanical defects
• “Slosh and surge” effects noted in semi-tractor trailer trucks hauling tankers

Semi-tractor-trailer trucks are tall but their wheelbases cannot be widened enough to provide the same balance as smaller vehicles because of the restriction of traffic lane sizes. For this reason, trucks have a higher center of gravity. resulting in a higher propensity for tipping and rollover accidents.

Who Is Liable for a Semi Truck Rollover Accident in Missouri?

Because multiple entities share the responsibility of getting a fully loaded truck on the road, it often takes a thorough investigation to determine the liable party after a truck rollover accident in Missouri or elsewhere. In some cases, multiple entities could share portions of liability. Common liable parties in semi-truck rollover accidents include:

• A negligent truck driver (driver error causes about 78% of truck rollover accidents)
• The trucking company
• A negligent truck maintenance company
• A negligent freight-loading company
• The manufacturer of defective truck or trailer parts, or defective cargo securing devices

In some cases, a third party could be liable for damages such as another reckless driver, a negligent road construction crew, or a road maintenance agency that left a hazardous road condition.

Obtaining Compensation for Damages After a Semi Truck Rollover

Rollover accidents often result in multi-car pileups when they occur on divided highways with traffic in multiple lanes. Injuries are commonly severe or catastrophic. Common damages recovered by victims in semi-tractor-trailer truck accident claims include property damage, reimbursement for medical expenses, future medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering. If a loved one dies due to their injuries in a preventable truck accident, family members may obtain compensation for their economic damages and emotional anguish through a St. Louis wrongful death lawsuit.