Commercial trucks have massive blind spots — often called “No-Zones” — that can conceal entire passenger vehicles from the driver’s view. Combined with the wide turning radius required for tractor-trailers to negotiate intersections and curves, these blind spots create deadly collision risks that claim hundreds of lives across Texas each year. When a truck driver fails to properly check blind spots before changing lanes, merging, or turning, or when a trucking company fails to equip its vehicles with adequate mirror and sensor systems, the results can be catastrophic. McFarlane Law represents victims of blind spot and wide turn truck accidents throughout Texas.

Understanding Commercial Truck Blind Spots

The blind spots on a commercial tractor-trailer are dramatically larger than those on passenger vehicles. The front blind spot extends approximately 20 feet ahead of the cab — the driver cannot see anything directly in front of the truck for nearly two car lengths. The rear blind spot extends 30 feet or more behind the trailer, making following vehicles invisible when they are too close. The right-side blind spot is the most dangerous, extending from the cab door backward across two or more lanes of traffic for the entire length of the trailer. The left-side blind spot is smaller but still substantial, spanning from the cab door back approximately halfway along the trailer. Combined, these blind spots create zones around the truck where passenger vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians are completely invisible to the driver. Despite the well-documented danger, many trucking companies still rely solely on conventional mirrors rather than investing in blind-spot detection systems, cameras, and proximity sensors that could dramatically reduce blind-spot accidents.

Wide Turn Accidents and the “Squeeze Play”

Tractor-trailers require significantly more space to complete turns than passenger vehicles. To make a right turn at an intersection, truck drivers must swing the cab wide to the left before turning right — creating a gap between the truck and the curb that passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles may attempt to enter. This is known as a “squeeze play” or “right-turn squeeze,” and it is one of the most lethal truck accident scenarios. As the trailer follows the cab through the turn, it tracks inward, crushing any vehicle caught between the trailer and the curb. Victims of squeeze play accidents are often pinned between the trailer wheels and the roadway or squeezed against utility poles, buildings, and barriers. The injuries are invariably severe: crush injuries, traumatic amputations, spinal cord damage, and fatalities. Left turns present similar but distinct dangers — the truck’s wide turning arc may cross into oncoming traffic lanes, and the length of the vehicle means it occupies the intersection for an extended period, increasing the window for collisions with cross-traffic. Texas intersections along major trucking corridors, including Highway 290, I-35, and I-10 urban segments, are frequent sites of wide turn accidents.

Negligence in Blind Spot and Wide Turn Crashes

Truck drivers have a duty to check all mirrors and blind spots before making any lateral movement — lane changes, merges, and turns. FMCSA training standards emphasize blind spot awareness and proper turning technique as fundamental commercial driving skills. A driver who changes lanes without checking the right-side blind spot, makes a right turn without ensuring the space between the truck and curb is clear, or fails to use turn signals with adequate advance warning has breached the standard of care. Trucking companies bear responsibility for ensuring their vehicles are equipped with appropriate mirror configurations, blind-spot detection technology, and side-underride guards that prevent vehicles from sliding beneath the trailer during side-impact collisions. Companies that fail to train drivers on blind spot management and wide turn technique, or that assign inexperienced drivers to routes with challenging intersections and tight turning requirements, share liability for the resulting accidents.

How McFarlane Law Handles Blind Spot and Wide Turn Cases

McFarlane Law’s investigation of blind spot and wide turn accidents focuses on what the driver could and should have seen before the collision. We obtain traffic camera footage, dashcam video, and surveillance camera recordings from nearby businesses to reconstruct the moments leading up to the crash. Our accident reconstruction experts analyze vehicle positions, speeds, and trajectories to determine whether the truck driver performed adequate blind spot checks. We examine the truck’s mirror configuration, camera systems, and any installed blind-spot detection technology to assess whether the equipment met industry standards. For wide turn accidents, we analyze the intersection geometry, truck’s turning path, and the driver’s technique to determine whether the turn was executed properly. We also investigate whether the trucking company provided adequate training and whether the driver had a history of similar incidents. Texas law allows victims to recover full compensatory damages for injuries caused by negligent truck operations, with exemplary damages available in cases of gross negligence. Call McFarlane Law today: (512) 222-4900 (Austin) or (432) 803-5000 (Odessa).

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