Semis are large vehicles that tend to weigh tens of thousands of tons. As a result, accidents involving 18-wheelers in Northwest Indiana are catastrophic given the largesse of these vehicles in relation to your average family sedan. They are a common sight in many of our highways, transporting cargo across the state to retail stores in every city and town. They are a necessary evil, but that doesn’t mean that the accidents they cause are “accidental”. As a Northwest Indiana car accident law firm, we affirm the fact that all accidents happen on a cause and effect basis, with the human negligence attributed to all of these crashes.
How Sideswipe Accidents Happen
Sideswipe accidents involving semis in Northwest Indiana happen regularly due to a number of factors. First of all, it is important to note that these vehicles, due to their wide build, have several blind spots which make it hard for Indiana truck drivers to decipher if there is anyone behind them or to their sides. That being said, they usually come fitted with large side mirrors which give the driver a panoramic view of what’s happening around him.
Sideswipe accident crashes in Indiana happen due to the following reasons:
- A semi driver may not be paying full attention to the road, and may be texting, fiddling with the radio, rubbernecking or watching a video on a screen or phone, leading to swiping a much smaller car on the left or right side of the truck.
- Some semi drivers in Northwest Indiana may fail to indicate that they are about to merge off a slip road and onto a highway, making it hard for other motorists to react in a timely manner.
- Sideswipe accidents in Northwest Indiana also happen due to poor driver training where truck companies don’t provide would-be drivers with the right training with regard to handling such huge vehicles before releasing them to start working. Untrained, or poorly trained truck drivers are more likely to drive in a reckless manner, putting other drivers in danger.
- Driver intoxication is a major concern on our Northwest Indiana highways. This could be in the form of drinking alcohol while driving, partaking in illicit drugs to alleviate anxiety or keep them up for long periods of time in order to meet unreasonable deadlines.
What’s Unique About Sideswipe Accidents?
Sideswipe accidents in Northwest Indiana tend to have a chain reaction on account to how drivers in small and nearby cars are caught unawares. These types of accidents can quickly turn into multicar accidents when a sideswiped car is pushed off the highway and onto incoming traffic on the other side of the road.