Types of Truck Accidents

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Types of Truck Accidents

There are many different common types of truck accidents. Unfortunately, any kind of accident involving a large truck is likely to cause more significant harm to the drivers and passengers of the smaller vehicles involved in the collision. If you or your family is a truck accident victim, you will need help.

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Proven Truck Accident Attorneys in North & South Carolina

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor have a North and South Carolina truck accident attorney here to help motorists injured in accidents involving large trucks. We are not intimidated by trucking companies. We have successfully assisted clients in seeking compensation after accidents caused by the negligence of truck drivers and trucking companies.

The number of registered large trucks has increased significantly in recent years. More trucks on North Carolina and South Carolina highways mean an increased risk of serious and fatal accidents. Because of the size and weight of 18 wheelers, accidents involving large trucks have a higher severe injuries and fatalities rate than crashes involving only passenger vehicles.

We answer phones 24/7. Call our offices today at (800) 351-3008.

How Truck Accidents Occur

Many truck accidents involve some driver error on the part of the truck driver. The driver may be speeding, driving too fast for road conditions, inattentive to traffic ahead, following too closely, distracted by looking for directions or talking on a phone, or dangerously fatigued. In some instances, a truck may have a defective tire that blows out, or the truck may have brakes out of adjustment because they have not been appropriately maintained.

Once a truck driver loses control of a big rig weighing 80,000 pounds and traveling at high speed, everyone else on the highway is at serious risk. Many different accident scenarios may unfold.

Different Types of Truck Accidents

Head-On Collision

These collisions typically occur when a truck driver or another motorist crosses the center line into an oncoming traffic lane. Drowsy drivers and drunk drivers are more likely to cross into oncoming traffic. The impact of head-on collisions usually causes incapacitating or fatal injuries.

Sideswipes

Tractor-trailers have large blind spots on either side and behind the vehicle. Truck drivers may overlook drivers riding along in an adjacent lane and try to change lanes, causing a sideswipe accident. Sideswipe accidents also occur when trucks drift out of their lanes.

Ran out of Lane or off Road

Trucks may run off the road because the driver was attempting to avoid a collision or because a driver was distracted or nodding off. Accidents involving running off the road may be single-vehicle accidents or may involve multiple vehicles.

Jackknife

A jackknife accident may occur when a truck driver slams on the brakes, causing the trailer to swing out at an angle to the cab, like a pocketknife folding together. An 18 wheeler that jackknifes at high speed may cause a multi-vehicle accident with serious injuries.

Rollover

An 18 wheeler has a higher center of gravity than a passenger vehicle, which increases a truck’s tendency to roll over, particularly if the trailer is improperly loaded or if cargo shifts. A truck driver may swerve to avoid something and then over-correct the steering, losing control of the vehicle. Tanker trucks may be involved in rollover accidents if drivers take a banked curve too quickly and the liquid load shifts suddenly.

Rear-End Collision

Rear-end collisions are among the most common type of collisions involving large trucks, accounting for nearly a quarter of accidents in the Large Truck Causation Study, a comprehensive federal report on truck crashes. Because of their weight, trucks take a longer distance than smaller vehicles to stop. Truck drivers may fail to detect changing traffic conditions such as work zone congestion ahead that require the truck to brake. A tired or drowsy driver may have slowed reactions that prevent the driver from avoiding a crash.

Underride Accidents

The difference in the height of trucks and cars makes them structurally incompatible, allowing the car’s front end to slide underneath a truck trailer in a collision and crush the auto’s passenger compartment. Underride guards on tractor-trailers are designed to keep car occupants and passenger vehicles from sustaining severe injuries if a car rear-ends a tractor-trailer. But tractor trailers’ rear guards often fail to do their job, exposing car occupants to head injuries, decapitation, and deadly injuries in truck crashes.

Bridge Collision

Bridge strikes involving 18 wheelers are a serious issue, causing injuries and fatalities each year. Bridge strikes are typically avoidable accidents caused by a truck driver’s failure to familiarize himself with the route and pay attention to road signs warning of height restrictions on bridges and overpasses. A driver who strikes a bridge may come to a sudden halt and precipitate a rear-end collision involving other vehicles following behind.

What to do After a Truck Accident

At The Law Offices of Jason E Taylor, we represent people seriously harmed by negligent truck drivers and trucking companies that put profits ahead of traffic safety. Our mission is to help hard-working people who have become truck accident victims through no fault of their own obtain the compensation needed to move forward after a serious accident has turned a life upside down. Suppose you have been harmed by an accident caused by a large truck in North Carolina or South Carolina. In that case, you may be eligible to obtain compensation for your present and future medical expenses, lost income due to injuries, pain, and suffering, and permanent disabilities.

If you have been involved in a truck accident in North Carolina or South Carolina, call (800) 351-3008 to arrange a free consultation with an experienced South and North Carolina truck accident lawyer. We’ll review the facts of your accident, answer your questions and explain how we can help you.

Contact our Personal Injury Attorneys

Contact us today to speak with one of our Charlotte, Hickory, Greenville, Rock Hill, or Columbia attorneys.

120 3rd St NE
Hickory, NC 28601

Phone: (828) 327-9004
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

130 Church St NE
Concord, NC 28025

Phone: (704) 787-9419
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

301 S McDowell St #1016
Charlotte, NC 28204

Phone: (704) 676-1093
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

1348 Ebenezer Rd #103
Rock Hill, SC 29732

Phone: (803) 980-5300
Toll Free: (800) 351-3008

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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