Jackknife truck accidents in Pensacola can upend your life in seconds. A folding trailer can sweep across lanes, crush smaller vehicles, and leave you facing serious injuries and financial strain. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries due to such an accident, a truck crash attorney from Fasig | Brooks could help protect your interests and guide you through each step of seeking the justice you deserve.
We focus on relationships and results. From the first call, we listen, gather facts, and create a plan that prioritizes medical care, documentation, and accountability for every at-fault party. Our experience with complex trucking claims allows us to identify the rules carriers must follow and the evidence that proves fault in truck accidents.
How Do Jackknife Crashes Happen, and Who May Be Liable?
A jackknife occurs when the tractor and trailer pivot into a sharp angle during hard braking, a loss of traction, or a sudden maneuver. The driver, motor carrier, maintenance contractor, shipper, loader, or component manufacturer may bear responsibility for a jackknife accident. Federal safety rules prohibit texting while driving (Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 392.80), restrict hand-held phone use (49 C.F.R. § 392.82), set hours-of-service limits to reduce fatigue (49 C.F.R. Part 395), require proper cargo securement (49 C.F.R. Part 393, Subpart I), and mandate systematic inspection, repair, and maintenance (49 C.F.R. § 396.3).
Common causes of jackknife accidents include:
- Improper or aggressive braking on wet or graded pavement
- Excessive speeding for the conditions or following too closely
- Unbalanced or inadequately secured cargo that shifts
- Fatigue paired with hours-of-service violations
- Distracted driving, including hand-held phone use or texting
When these conditions arise, multiple parties may share fault. We trace decisions from dispatch to delivery throughout Pensacola and link each failure to the mechanics of the semi‑truck folding accident.
The Evidence That Proves a Jackknife Truck Crash
Evidence disappears fast, so we act immediately to preserve it and document the mechanics of the accident. Our team issues litigation holds, inspects the vehicles, and works with reconstruction, braking, and loading professionals.
Key materials include:
- Electronic logging device data and GPS tracks that show speed, duty status, and routing
- Engine control module and ABS fault histories reflecting throttle, brake, and traction events
- Dash-camera video, onboard telematics, and third-party surveillance that depict the sequence
- Driver qualification, training, and dispatch records that reveal scheduling pressure
- Pre- and post-trip inspection reports, repair orders, and brake stroke measurements
- Bills of lading, weight tickets, and cargo securement photos that prove load imbalance
- Scene documentation, such as lane geometry, yaw marks, and crush profiles that tie to timing
- Medical records and billing that connect injuries to collision forces
With this record, we demonstrate negligent driving, poor maintenance, inadequate training, or improper loading in jackknife truck collisions, and we link those failures to your injuries and losses in Pensacola.
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Rules on Fault and Deadlines
Florida uses modified comparative negligence. Under Florida Statutes § 768.81, if you bear more than 50 percent of the fault, you cannot recover damages. Otherwise, the court reduces any recovery by your share of fault. You must file most negligence lawsuits within two years under Fla. Stat. § 95.11. When you act promptly in a Pensacola tractor-trailer crash case, you preserve critical evidence and protect your rights from the start.
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Contact an Attorney for Help After a Jackknife Truck Accident in Pensacola
Our team knows that recovery takes time, resources, and a trusted advocate. We coordinate with medical providers, manage the insurance process, and keep you informed so you can focus on healing. Jackknife truck accidents in Pensacola can cause serious harm, and we are ready to help you with your injury claim. Contact Fasig | Brooks today, and let our team of experienced attorneys help protect your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.
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