Personal Injury Compensation after a Truck Accident
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A crash with a truck can cause catastrophic injury and have life-altering consequences for victims.
The large size of commercial vehicles can make even minor collisions with smaller passenger vehicles devastating.
Pursuing compensation for your injuries after a truck accident requires skilled attorneys.
Truck accidents are complex legal matters requiring specialized expertise.
Our uniquely experienced truck accident attorneys at Lawsuit Legal have a hard-won reputation for obtaining big settlements representing truck accident injury victims.
In our experience, the more serious the crash, the more the trucking company, insurers, and their lawyers will fight to pay as little as possible for your injuries and losses.
Most truck crash victims don't know what they're up against until it's too late.
We don't shy away from tough cases and will fight aggressively to recover maximum compensation for your personal injury claim.
- Over $100 million won for injury & accident victims
- Trial-tested w/ award-winning track record fighting for the injured
- Free Legal Evaluation - You Pay Nothing Unless We Win
Why Truck Accidents Are Different From Car Accidents
In a typical car accident, the victim files an insurance claim against the at-fault driver. In a truck accident, you may take legal action against the trucking company, another driver, the cargo loaders, or other potentially liable parties, as the case may be.
While car accidents are typically caused by driver negligence, truck collisions can be blamed on a variety of causal factors unique to commercial vehicles. Plus, this is why it's so important to have a personal injury attorney familiar with the unique insurance coverage that will have implications for any legal claim.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents:
- Reckless Driving / Speeding
- Impaired Driving / Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol
- Driver fatigue or driving in violation of driving time restrictions
- Unsafe Loading, Overloading, Unsecure Cargo & Improper Loading
- Driver Error / Distracted Driving / Drivers In a Hurry
- Tire Blowouts, Brake Failure, Equipment Malfunction
"Big truck accident injuries are different - specialized insurance and laws are in play that your lawyers should have experience with..."
Also, the collisions are typically more serious. When a negligent truck driver causes a collision with a smaller passenger vehicle, it is more likely to be deadly or result in severe injury. The large sizes of most trucks make them difficult to control and maneuver safely. Additionally, the drivers are often under pressure to meet tight schedules, which can lead to driving fatigue and cause speeding.
Liability is not always clear-cut in commercial vehicle accidents, and trucking companies and their insurers are more prone to dispute what happened to avoid responsibility. In the aftermath of a serious injury, the insurance companies will try to take advantage. Speak with a skilled accident lawyer to help protect your rights throughout the legal process.
Your attorney will be able to ensure you are not bullied by the insurers and help get you back on your feet on the road towards recovery.
Types of Truck Accident Cases Our Lawyers Handle
At Lawsuit Legal, we regularly review personal injury claims caused by commercial trucks. Winning a truck accident lawsuit means proving that the driver, the operator's company, or another entity was negligent. The following examples represent the most common fact patterns our lawyers encounter nationwide.
According to our data, the three main causal factors in truck-involved accidents: driver fatigue, reckless speeds, and human error.
Rollover Accidents: A rollover accident can occur when a commercial vehicle rolls over it's side after losing control. This can cause severe injury to occupants in the cab, harm motorists the vehicle collides with, and eject passengers when seatbelts aren't worn. Truck drivers can suffer crushing injuries if the cab settles on it's roof or side. Causes can include driver error, high speeds, improper loading, or taking a turn too quickly.
Tire Blowout Accidents: At tire blowout on an 18-wheeler can have devastating consequences at high speeds. When a semi-truck suffers a tire blowout, it can cause the driver to lose control and cause accidents. It can result in the vehicle swerving side to side violently, and be a hazard to the trucker and nearby motorists. Causes can include debris on the road or a failure maintain the tires properly.
Jackknife Accidents: Jackknife is a term used by drivers and law enforcement to describe an accident where the truck cab slides off in one direction and its trailer slides off at a 90-degree angle the opposite way. When it happens, the truck can overturn, collide with other cars, and run motorists off the road. Jackknife collisions can also occur at low speeds when a semi-truck backs into another vehicle in it's blind spot when reversing. These cases can often involve multiple vehicles and victims caught up in the crash.
Driver Fatigue Accidents: Truck drivers often work long hours, and driving tired can lead to slower reaction times and errors in judgment, causing crashes. Driver can fall asleep at the wheel, even if just for a moment, causing head-on collisions at high speeds. Tight deadlines lead many drivers to exceed their eleven-hour limits for driving and is a negligent behavior in the case of a wreck. Chronically over-fatigued drivers can be tied to a large number of the drivers killed in trucking accidents nationwide. Our attorneys will be able to investigate the driver's history and logs to help determine if truck driver fatigue provides cause for a lawsuit.
Head-On Collisions: Motorists who collide with a big rig head-on rarely escape being seriously injured or killed. The forces involved when a semi-truck collides with a passenger vehicle are massive. Cases involving head-on collisions commonly involve life-altering physical injuries and death. Determining who was at fault for the accident is critical in these high-stakes cases. After a serious crash, the insurance company has crisis teams they send to the accident scene to collect evidence to reduce culpability. Most injury victims don't know what they are up against until it's too late. A high percentage of the catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims we handle involve head-on collisions.
Blind Spot Accidents: Large trucks have big blind spots that can make changing lanes, making sharp turns, and driving in reverse hazardous. CDL operators have a duty of care to check their mirrors and take reasonable action to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians around them. Drivers who fail to check their mirrors and look before making hazardous maneuvers cause accidents. This can lead to side impact collisions, running drivers off the road or into guardrails, and strikes caused by their obstructed visibility. Your lawyer must establish what the truck driver could and should have done to avoid the crash.
Brake Failure Accidents: Operating with overloaded trailers can cause brake failure, resulting in a crash. Brake problems and failed brakes account for roughly a third of all truck accidents. Failed brakes, mechanical malfunctions, and brakes out of adjustment are cited as causal factors leading to strikes. The trucking company may have failed to properly maintain the equipment, the weight from overloaded cargo, or excessive braking by the driver can overtax brake systems and cause accidents. The facts and evidence unique to your case will determine what parties may be liable.
Ride Under Accidents: The size difference and ground clearance large trucks have can lead to the crushing of passenger compartments of cars that strike and slide under the truck trailer. Most large trucks ahave underride guards to prevent underride accidents but they commonly fail. Occupants of the automobile in ride-under accidents typically suffer catastrophic and often fatal injuries.
Rear-End Accidents: The large size and heavy weight of most commercial vehicles means they require more distance to stop and are slower to do so. Additionally, truck drivers can be in a hurry to finish their routes and are susceptible to driving at unsafe speeds. This can lead to rear-end collisions at intersections, stop signs, and railroad crossings, which can be especially devastating to the passenger vehicle hit from behind. Even minor impacts at low speeds can cause devastating soft tissue damage, whiplash, and back and neck injuries to the unsuspecting occupants who were rear-ended.
Falling Cargo Accidents: When flatbed trucks, garbage trucks, and tractor trailers overload or the load is unbalanced, debris and cargo can fall off and strike surrounding vehicles. Truck drivers are responsible for properly securing and loading their cargo safely. Drivers are obligated to comply with regulations dictating how to tie down and secure cargo to prevent it from shifting. This may result in an owner-operator, the truck company, or the freight shipper being responsible for the accident, depending on the circumstances of the case.
If you have been injured in a truck-related accident, contact us right away to share the details of what happened and learn your legal options. Let our trusted lawyers with unique expertise help you obtain the full settlement value you deserve and make sure you are compensated for your injuries. Our attorneys have a hard-won reputation of aggressive representation in high-profile personal injury cases. We have recovered millions of dollars in settlements and can help you obtain the justice you deserve. You pay nothing unless we win.
Semi-Truck Crashes Cause Disabling Injuries With Lifelong Impact
Crash victims hit by big trucks commonly suffer serious injuries resulting in life-altering disabilities requiring lifelong care. Our truck accident lawyers regularly review personal injury claims from victims having suffered:
Limb Loss & Amputation: When smaller cars are crushed on impact, the occupants of the smaller vehicle can suffer devastating crush injuries to the limbs and body. Amputations are often required, and accident victims lose arms, legs, and digits as a result of the damage sustained.
Traumatic Brain Injury: Trauma suffered to the soft tissue inside the skull can cause life-altering brain damage and cognitive harm. Brain injuries can leave victims requiring lifelong care and treatment for impairments sustained in the accident. Brain bleeds can prove deadly even after minor collisions.
Spinal Cord Injuries: Damage to the spinal cord in a crash can paralyze the victim and necessitate constant medical care. A broken back can be extremely painful and disabling, while even minor back injuries can incapacitate the victim for a length of time and require specialized care.
Internal Damage: The risk for internal organ trauma is high in collisions of this severity. This can include heart ruptures, internal organ damage, internal decapitations, and other conditions requiring specialized care and can cause intense pain and suffering.
Disfiguring Injuries: Broken bones, burns, surgical scars from necessary procedures, lacerations, and extensive soft tissue damage resulting from the catastrophic nature of the crash.
You need a lawyer with specific knowledge and experience handling truck accident cases, familiar with the tricks the insurance company will use to avoid paying a fair settlement.
What to Do if You’re Hit by a Commercial Vehicle
Immediately after a serious collision with a commercial vehicle, your first course of action is to call for emergency services and seek medical attention. In most cases, it is recommended to take photos of the accident scene and your physical condition as well as collect contact information from any eyewitnesses. Exchange information with all involved parties. Take photos of any physical evidence and accident-related evidence at the scene while you wait for the police and EMS to arrive.
However, truck accidents can cause severe injury, as larger vehicles are more likely to cause significant damage and even death.
As soon as your condition allows, speak with an experienced attorney about your case.
It helps if you have a lawyer with specific knowledge and experience handling truck accident cases, familiar with the tricks the insurance company will use to avoid paying a fair settlement.
Fatal Accidents & Wrongful Death Claims
Some people don't survive the injuries suffered in a truck crash. The death of a loved one is a huge blow to family and loved ones and can cause a lifetime of damage and loss. The best wrongful death lawyers know such cases are about more than just large settlements. Immediate family or the estate may be able to file a survivor's action seeking compensation and justice. Wrongful death claims are complex legal matters that involve specialized laws requiring an experienced legal team.
We handle fatal collisions and can help you recover the following damages:
- Lost future earnings
- Medical expenses before death
- Funeral expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Companion loss (loss of consortium)
If you have lost a loved one in a commercial vehicle accident, share the details of your case for a free legal consultation from our award-winning truck accident attorneys. Learn your options from among the nation's best. After tragedy, you need a law firm unafraid to file a lawsuit and go to court if necessary to obtain the compensation you deserve.
