If you were caught up in a tractor-trailer jackknife accident, a Pineville jackknife truck accident lawyer can help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
At DeMayo Law Offices, our attorneys bring more than 250 years of combined experience to serious truck accident cases across North Carolina. We understand how quickly a jackknife can unfold and how complicated these crashes become once multiple vehicles, cargo issues, and commercial insurers are involved.
Our role is to sort through the facts and protect your interests. By investigating the causes of the jackknife and identifying every responsible party, our Pineville truck accident lawyers can help you move forward with a plan for recovery.
Common Causes of Jackknife Crashes in Pineville
Pinpointing the cause helps determine who is responsible. In the Charlotte–Pineville area, traffic volume, changing weather, and heavy freight activity multiply the risk of a jackknife accident occurring.
Some recurring factors that contribute to these accidents include:
- Aggressive or hard braking at highway speeds.
- Speeding or driving too fast in the rain and fog.
- Improperly loaded or unsecured cargo.
- Worn brakes, poor maintenance, or defective components.
- Driver fatigue, distraction, or impairment.
- Downhill grades and curves where traction is limited.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rules set standards on hours of service, vehicle inspection, maintenance, and cargo securement. Violations often surface in jackknife investigations, and those records can support a claim for compensation.
Our Pineville personal injury lawyers can review these factors, secure the records that matter, and determine which conditions played a role in the jackknife. Early investigation makes it easier to preserve evidence and hold the responsible parties accountable before important details are lost.
For a free legal consultation with a jackknife accident lawyer serving Pineville, call (877) 333-1000
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Jackknife Truck Accident
Liability is rarely limited to the driver. Multiple parties may share financial responsibility depending on how the crash occurred and what the evidence shows.
Potential liable parties can include:
- The truck driver: For speeding, following too closely, or braking errors.
- The trucking company: For negligent hiring, training, supervision, or scheduling.
- A maintenance contractor: For faulty repairs or missed inspections.
- The cargo loader or shipper: Due to unbalanced or unsecured loads.
- The parts manufacturer: If brake or tire defects contributed to the jackknife.
- Other motorists: For negligent driving, such as abrupt lane changes or brake checks, that triggered events that led to the jackknifing.
Our Pineville truck jackknife accident lawyers examine each link in the chain of events. A jackknife can be the result of decisions made days or weeks earlier, like pushing a route too fast or skipping a maintenance step. That’s why a fast, detailed investigation matters after a jackknife crash.
Pineville Jackknife Accident Lawyer Near Me (877) 333-1000
Steps to Take After a Jackknife Collision
Your actions in the minutes and days after a crash can protect your health and your claim. If you can safely do so, consider the following:
- Call 911 and request police and EMS.
- Photograph vehicle positions, tire marks, and cargo spills.
- Get contact and insurance information for all drivers and witnesses.
- Seek medical care the same day and follow treatment advice.
- Report the crash to your insurer, but keep your description factual and brief.
- Avoid recorded statements with the trucking insurer until you have counsel.
Even if you feel okay, you should still see a doctor. Adrenaline can hide injuries like concussions, soft tissue damage, or internal trauma. Your medical records will also act as evidence that can further support your claim.
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North Carolina Laws That Affect Your Jackknife Claim
North Carolina follows contributory negligence. If an insurer or defense team can show you were even slightly at fault, it can block recovery. There are exceptions, such as last clear chance or conduct rising to gross negligence, but this doctrine makes careful case building especially important.
Important filing deadlines also apply. For most personal injury claims, you generally have three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit in North Carolina. Wrongful death claims are generally two years. Starting early helps preserve electronic data, locate witnesses, and keep your case on track.
Your Pineville jackknife truck accident attorney can help you manage these situations by anticipating blame-shifting defenses, identifying when legal exceptions may apply, and making sure deadlines are met.
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How Our Pineville Jackknife Truck Accident Attorneys Investigate Your Case
The evidence in a jackknife case often goes beyond the police report. To build a strong case, our legal team looks for additional data and documents that clearly show how and why the trailer swung out and who could have prevented it.
Our lawyers request the driver’s qualification file, hours-of-service logs, and electronic logging device data. We pursue truck and trailer maintenance records, brake inspection history, and any prior violations. When available, we also download event data from the truck’s engine control module (ECM) to examine speed, throttle, and brake application before the jackknife.
Our team also looks at scene evidence and outside sources that can confirm what the data shows, including roadway conditions, weather, skid marks, and available video footage. By tying together physical evidence, electronic records, and expert analysis, our Pineville jackknife truck accident attorneys can present a clearer account of what happened.
Damages Available and How Compensation Works
Your damages should reflect both your immediate and longer-term losses. To make sure you get the fair compensation you are owed to cover these losses, we pursue compensation for current and future medical needs.
You may also be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost income, reduced earning capacity, property damage, pain and suffering, and, in some cases, scarring or disfigurement. If a family member passed away, wrongful death damages can include funeral costs and the value of the person’s services, care, and companionship.
Insurers often move fast with early offers, especially when multiple vehicles are involved. Those offers rarely include full future medical care or the impact of lasting injuries. Our jackknife truck accident attorneys in Pineville evaluate offers against your actual losses with documentation from your doctors and, when helpful, economists or life care planners.
Get Help From a Pineville Jackknife Truck Accident Lawyer
If a jackknife crash has upended your life, you do not have to deal with the trucking insurer alone. Contact DeMayo Law Offices to schedule a free case review. We will listen, answer your questions, and explain how we can help you pursue compensation for your injuries and losses.
Call or text (877) 333-1000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
