What are “Squeeze Play” Truck Accidents?

In more than 35 years serving victims of truck accidents in North Carolina, our personal injury lawyers have handled all types of accidents. Sometimes, our clients are injured in a “squeeze play” truck accident.

Squeeze play truck accidents occur when a truck is swinging to make a turn and traps or “squeezes” a car between the trailer of the truck and the curb.

Large trucks play a crucial role in our society, as they help to deliver basic everyday necessities that we often take for granted. Many drivers of these trucks are well-trained and sound drivers who exercise plenty of caution. However, just as is the case in any walk of life, there are also some truck drivers that are either undertrained or do not drive as carefully as they should, and that can endanger North Carolinians and visitors to our state.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck accident, call our North Carolina truck accident lawyers at 1-800-525-7111 today to find out how we can help.

As always, you won’t pay a dime in attorney fees unless we win your case and you receive compensation.

If you’ve been injured in a “squeeze play” truck accident or another type of crash, please call 1-800-525-7111 today and let’s review your case.

How Do ‘Squeeze Play’ Crashes Happen?

Due to their size, executing what you would ordinarily consider a simple turn may be a challenge for a large truck, so they will often initially swing the cabin in one direction before making a turn in the other direction.

For example, in the process of making a right turn, the driver may swing the cabin slightly to the left in order to create a little more space to complete the turn without the trailer running up onto the curb. For vehicles traveling behind the truck, this process can be confusing and extremely dangerous if the trucker does not exercise proper precautions both prior to and during the turn.

If the truck driver does not properly use his or her turn signal well in advance of initiating the turn, the trailing vehicle may mistakenly believe that the truck is actually getting over into the left lane or turning left, and then attempt to pass the truck on the right. Then, as the truck continues with its attempt to turn right, the trailing vehicle dangerously gets trapped in the truck’s blind spot between the truck and the curb. This can easily result in serious or even fatal injuries.

This is what is referred to as a “squeeze play” truck accident.

How Serious Are ‘Squeeze Play’ Truck Accidents?

While a wide variety of injuries are possible in “squeeze play” accidents, here are some that are more common:

• Head and neck injuries
• Back and spine injuries
• Broken bones
• Severe cuts and lacerations
• Contusions
• Organ damage and internal bleeding
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Paralysis and semi-paralysis
• Amputations (loss of limbs)
• Emotional injury like PTSD

How Should the Truck Driver Handle These Turns?

Experienced drivers who are operating the truck with the proper level of care will be sure to turn on their turn signal well in advance of the turn, execute the turn at a safe speed, and monitor their blind spots throughout the turn to ensure that they will not ‘squeeze’ another vehicle.

If they do not take these precautions, and it results in injuries to others, the occupants of the other vehicle may have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.

For more information on how our attorneys investigate truck accidents to prove liability, please check out our article on evidence involved in truck accident cases.

The Right Attorney Can Help You Prove Fault by a Truck Driver or Trucking Company

That being said, just because your vehicle gets in an accident with a large truck while it is turning does not automatically mean that the truck driver was at fault, as it is possible that you were the driver who was at fault and failed to follow standard traffic laws. Every case is different and truck accidents in particular can be complicated.

We strongly recommend hiring a qualified personal injury lawyer who can help prove that the truck driver failed to exercise the requisite level of care while driving, and that this failure is what caused your accident.

In other cases, negligence by a trucking company may contribute to an accident. Our firm has experience handling all kinds of cases involving negligent truck drivers and trucking companies and we would love to help you if we can. We even have retired law enforcement officers on staff who can help organize a comprehensive truck accident investigation to prove liability.

For a FREE, no-obligation consultation regarding a “squeeze play” truck accident or other type of crash with an experienced North Carolina truck accident lawyer, please call 1-800-525-7111.

There is no obligation and you won’t pay any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Justice Counts for victims of negligence and we would love to help you get the justice you deserve. Call 1-800-525-7111 and let’s review your case.

One of our clients at Riddle & Brantley was in a severe accident with an 18-wheeler. She was rushed to the hospital, and went through multiple surgeries, but ended up tragically passing away several months later. Our North Carolina truck accident lawyers were able to secure a $2 million settlement on behalf of her family (see disclaimer below).

For more information on recent case settlements and verdicts, please visit our case results page.

“This settlement changed me and my family’s lives.”

–Linda B., Riddle & Brantley client

We Are Here to Help However We Can

Here at Riddle & Brantley, we believe that Justice Counts, and our attorneys have more than 220+ years of combined experience litigating personal injury cases.

We understand how serious and dangerous “squeeze play” truck accidents can be, and we would love to help you in whatever way we can. You are not alone, and we are here to stand in your corner and help you achieve justice.

Don’t wait — call 1-800-525-7111 for a FREE, no-obligation consultation with an experienced North Carolina truck accident lawyer today.

There is never any obligation and we don’t get paid unless you do.

Justice Counts.

*** Disclaimer: The results mentioned are intended to illustrate the type of cases handled by the firm. These results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and they should not be construed to constitute a promise or guarantee of a particular result in any particular case. Every case is different, and the outcome of any case depends upon a variety of factors unique to that case.