When Washington, DC residents think about trucking accidents, many tend to think about massive 18-wheelers jackknifing on the highway or trucks careening off of bridges. While these types of accidents certainly occur, they are not the only type of trucking accident that can occur. In fact, there are a number of different types of truck collisions that happen, each with unique causes and consequences.

Rear-end collisions

One common type of trucking accident is a rear-end collision. This type of accident typically occurs when a car slams into the back of a truck that is stopped or moving slowly. This accident is often caused by driver negligence, such as when a driver fails to brake in time or follows the truck in front of them too closely.

Rear-ending a commercial truck can be extremely dangerous simply because the back of the truck plows through the windshield of the passenger car, often seriously harming the driver or passenger or killing them.

Forced rollovers

Another common type of trucking accident is the rollover accident. This type typically occurs when a truck loses control while making a turn or when it is traveling too fast on a curved road. When a truck rolls over, it often collides with small vehicles, causing harm to passengers inside. In some cases, the trailer may detach from the cab, roll down the road independently and collide with another vehicle.

Merging

There are also a number of accidents that can occur when trucks merge onto highways. These types of accidents often happen because the commercial drivers are not paying close enough attention to what is happening around them. As a result, they end up crashing into other vehicles.

While the above are some of the most common types of trucking accidents, there are certainly many others that can occur. Understanding the varying ways that semi-truck accidents happen may help you the next time you find yourself in the midst of such a large vehicle on the roadway.