A crash in which a truck's trailer swings out against the cab, folding the vehicle like a pocketknife.

"Truck" usually means a tractor-trailer or other articulated commercial vehicle with a pivot point between sections. "Trailer swings out" points to the core problem: the rear section loses alignment with the front, often during hard braking, slick-road travel, downhill driving, or a sudden steering correction. "Folding" does not always mean the trailer actually strikes the cab, but it does mean the rig bends sharply enough to block lanes, spill cargo, or sweep nearby cars into a collision they never saw coming.

Practically, the label matters because it hints at what may have gone wrong. A jackknife accident can involve speed, following distance, worn brakes, overloaded cargo, poor maintenance, or road conditions such as ice and slush - familiar troublemakers on Vermont highways. For an injury claim, that can affect who may be liable, including the driver, a trucking company, a cargo loader, or a maintenance provider. Police reports, dashcam footage, black-box data, and skid marks often become key evidence.

In Vermont, injury claims from a jackknife accident usually fall under the general personal injury statute of limitations in 12 V.S.A. § 512(4), which gives three years to file suit. If the crash involved a government vehicle or roadway issue, different notice rules may apply. Insurance disputes may also turn on comparative negligence under 12 V.S.A. § 1036, especially when several drivers were reacting at once.