On the north freeway in Houston near the FM 1960 intersection a semi truck jackknifed causing a six-car pileup today.
About 1 PM in the northbound lanes of I. 45 a big truck jackknifed across the traveled lanes and blocking the roadway. The result was a massive mess, which according to reports pretty much shut down the Houston highway.
According to Harris County Sheriff's office and the debris from the truck wreck spread out for about half a mile.
Jackknife truck accidents happen when the tractor is traveling at a different speed than the trailer. This occurs when there is rapid breaking or an evasive maneuver by the truck driver.
Because a semi truck is a combination of tractor linked to the trailer maintaining the trailer speed at the same rate, as the tractor is critical to the safe operation of the rig.
A jackknife can be especially dangerous when the loss of control occurs across oncoming traffic.
It has been my experience that drivers coming from the opposite direction have little, if any, chance of escaping serious injury or death when confronted by an 18-wheeler coming across their lanes of traffic at highway speeds.
Greg Baumgartner is a Houston 18 wheeler accident attorney and the founder of the Baumgartner law firm, which is dedicated to helping victims of 18-wheeler accidents recover civil justice.
