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An 18-wheeler can roll over when it takes a curve too fast, swerves sharply, or carries a shifting load. A loaded trailer can be top-heavy. On a curve, the truck leans outward. If it leans far enough, the inside wheels can lift, and the rig can tip. A truck can also roll after hitting a curb or dropping onto a soft shoulder, even on a straight road.
When someone calls me after a rollover, I want to know what happened in the seconds before the truck went over. A photo of the rig on its side tells me where it ended up. The harder question is what set it in motion.
A car’s weight sits closer to the road, so it generally has a lower center of gravity. If it takes a curve too fast, its tires may lose grip and the car may slide. An 18-wheeler with a high load can tip while its tires still grip the road. The higher the weight sits in the trailer, the easier it is for the inside wheels to lift. Both the truck’s speed and the curve’s tightness matter. The Federal Highway Administration explains this in its review of truck stability on curves and ramps.
A driver can be going too fast for a tight exit ramp even at a speed that felt fine on the freeway. Wet pavement or a downhill approach can make it harder to slow in time. A tired or distracted driver may drift onto the shoulder. Jerking the wheel to get back onto the pavement can tip the truck.
Worn brakes can make it harder to slow before a curve. A tire failure can also cause the driver to lose control. I look at those possibilities alongside what the driver did, because several things can go wrong in the same few seconds.
If freight slides across the trailer in a turn, the weight can shift toward the outside wheels just as the truck is leaning that way. Weight stacked high or concentrated on one side can make the trailer less stable from the start. For examples of how a load can become unsafe, see our guide to improperly loaded trucks.
A partly full tanker has another problem. The liquid can surge to one side in a turn. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s tanker study explains how that movement affects stability. Our tanker rollover prevention guide covers what drivers can do about it. The federal rules also spell out when drivers must check cargo and tie-downs and when exceptions apply. 49 C.F.R. § 392.9 on cargo inspection
I start with the crash report and the earliest photos or video I can get. Then I look for evidence that can test the first account of the crash. If the truck recorded speed or brake use, I want to compare that data with the dashcam footage and the shape of the ramp. The timing matters. Did the trailer start to tip in the curve, or did a wheel drop off the pavement first?
If the load may have moved, I look for loading photos, weight tickets, and records that show who loaded and secured the trailer. I also want the tractor and trailer preserved so an expert can examine the tires, brakes, and tie-downs. A trailer can be unloaded, and a camera system can overwrite video. I try to identify and request that evidence early.
The evidence can also show who controlled the part of the trip that went wrong. The trucking company may have been responsible for maintenance. A separate company may have loaded the trailer. The records help trace those decisions back to the people who made them.
An older Houston rollover shut the southbound Eastex Freeway ramp to eastbound I-10 while crews cleared the truck. In two other crashes, an overturned rig struck the barrier next to the HOV lane on the Northwest Freeway near Beltway 8, and another rig tipped on the Katy Freeway frontage road near Highway 99. The cause of the Northwest and Katy Freeway crashes was still unknown when the Houston Chronicle reported them. Houston Chronicle coverage of the two rollovers
If an 18-wheeler rollover seriously injured you or took the life of someone in your family, call me at (281) 893-0760 for a free consultation. I’m Greg Baumgartner. I’ve represented people hurt in serious truck crashes for more than 40 years. As a Texas truck accident lawyer, I can help you understand what evidence may still be available.
