In this incident, on January 7, 2022, a semi-truck jackknifed because of wintery and slippery road conditions. The incident happened near Davenport, WA and Team Pro-Enviro responded to the call. Alongside the accident, damage to the fuel tank had caused a spill, and we needed to contain it quickly.
We selected the necessary equipment for the semi-truck accident recovery and set out.
Tackling the Spill Recovery
Upon arrival, we assessed the best way to contain the spill. The fuel had spilled into the snowy ditch, which needed to be cleaned up. First, Pro-Enviro contained the spill on the vehicle to prevent any more from spilling out.
Then, our operators with Pro-Tow stepped in and handled the semi-truck towing. They untwisted the rig, then hooked up the damaged semi-cab and pilled it back onto the road in a straight line. There, they disconnected it from the trailer and finally towed it away.
After, we stepped back in to tackle the fuel spill recovery in the ditch. We collected all the fuel to ensure nothing was left once things melted.
Understanding Jackknifing and How to Prevent It
Accidents are dangerous and terrifying in any circumstance, but a jackknife accident is especially terrifying. Unfortunately, these are one of the deadliest types of accidents, making it essential to know what causes them.
This type of crash occurs when a truck skids or loses control, and the trailer leaves its alignment and then ends up twisting towards the cab and crashing. Typically, jackknifing happens when the driver accelerates too quickly while taking a turn which causes a skid—that then dominos into causing a jackknife accident, as in this semi-truck accident recovery.
The damage caused to a rig in this type of accident extends from the cab getting crushed, the trailer brakes and wheels blowing or breaking, and further damage overall. Driving slowly and cautiously in poor road conditions is the best way to prevent these dangerous accidents.
