Truck Accident Law Firm
How to Recover Compensation After a Big Rig Accident
If you were involved in a motor vehicle collision with a semi-truck and you live in a no-fault state, you will file a claim under your own Personal Injury Protection insurance coverage to cover the cost of medical bills and a portion of your lost wages. However, you may be entitled to additional compensation if your medical bills exceed your PIP insurance coverage and you meet the state’s serious injury threshold.
Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit
At Parker Waichman LLP, a truck accident lawyer on our legal team can help you pursue compensation in court by filing a personal injury lawsuit. Truck accident lawsuits are complex, as more than one party can be held liable for your damages.
Who Can Be Held Liable for My Truck Accident Damages?
The following parties can be held liable for your economic and non-economic damages, in a truck accident lawsuit:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The company responsible for loading the cargo
- The person or entity responsible for maintaining and servicing the truck and trailer
- The truck or truck parts manufacturer
A truck driver lawyer on our legal team will carefully investigate your accident, exploring all avenues of compensation, to ensure you recover the fair settlement or award you deserve.
Why Are Truck Accident Cases So Complex?
Truck accident cases are more complicated than other types of motor vehicle accident cases for many reasons, including:
- Truck accident victims often sustain severe, life-changing injuries.
- Because truck accident cases often involve large sums of money, trucking companies, and insurance companies fight hard to minimize payout.
- Investigating a truck accident requires examining several pieces of evidence. Federal and state trucking regulations require trucking companies to keep substantial records that can be used as evidence in a truck accident lawsuit.
- The trucking industry is made up of many different entities and companies that work together. Any of the entities or companies involved can share fault for the collision.
- These parties can also try to shift the liability onto one another, further complicating the case.
- A trucking company typically has layered insurance coverage. In this type of accident case, one insurance policy isn’t triggered until a different policy’s coverage limits have been reached. This makes it difficult to determine how much total insurance coverage is available.
Why You Need a Truck Accident Attorney to Handle Your Case
Considering how complex truck accident cases can be and how hard a trucking company and their insurers will fight to avoid liability, it’s important to have an experienced truck accident attorney in your corner. At Parker Waichman LLP, our truck accident lawyers know what it takes to build a strong case and help you recover compensation for your accident-related losses.
Our legal team is prepared to build the strongest case possible, using every necessary resource.
The approaches our truck accident attorneys may take include:
- Investigating the accident.
- Recovering evidence to build a strong case.
- Hiring accident reconstructionists and trucking industry experts to provide testimony that supports your case.
- Collecting documentation that proves the extent of your injuries and losses.
- Identifying all liable parties and the available insurance coverage.
- Filing insurance claims and lawsuits if necessary.
- Pursuing full and fair compensation from all at-fault parties.
- Providing knowledgeable, experienced legal support and guidance.
How Is Fault Determined in a Truck Accident Case?
At Parker Waichman LLP, our truck accident lawyers can review various types of evidence to determine which parties should be held liable for your damages.
Some types of evidence that a truck accident attorney on our legal team can use to prepare your case include:
- Alcohol and drug screening results if the trucker underwent a test following the collision.
- The trucker’s driving and employment history.
- Dispatch logs from the freight or trucking company.
- Hours of service records for the trucker, which records how long a truck driver has spent behind the wheel or on duty.
- Maintenance and inspection records from the trucker and the truck owner or trucking company.
- Cargo manifests for the cargo that the trucker was hauling at the time of the collision .
- The truck’s electronic data recorder.
- Post-accident truck inspection report, which can reveal defective parts that could have contributed to or caused the collision.
- Citations for regulatory violations or vehicle code violations.
- Eyewitness testimony.
- Video and photos from the crash site.
What Compensation Can Be Recovered After a Truck Accident?
The financial compensation you can recover will depend on the unique circumstances of your case.
Truck accident victims may be able to recover the following types of compensation:
- The costs of medical treatment, including rehabilitation, hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, medication, occupational therapy, and more.
- Cost of long-term care for disabilities that resulted from your injuries.
- Lost wages, loss of earning capacity, loss of future income.
- Pain and suffering.
- Emotional distress.
- Loss of quality of life and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Vehicle repairs or the cash value of your vehicle if it was totaled.
Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents
Common causes of 18-wheeler accidents include:
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Fatigued driving or drowsy driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol
- Distracted driving
- Failure to use indicators and mirrors before changing lanes or turning
- Running stop signs or red lights
- Inexperienced truck driver
- Inadequate vehicle maintenance
- Defective truck parts or truck or trailer
- Poor road conditions
- Inclement weather
Contact Us Today
If you were involved in a truck accident and sustained serious injuries and other damages, contact Parker Waichman LLP today to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced truck accident attorneys. They can meet with you to discuss your legal rights and options and explain how they can help you pursue compensation to cover the cost of your medical bills and other losses. Contact us today to learn more.
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