Trucking accidents involving tractor-trailers, big rigs and semi-trucks can have devastating consequences for victims and their families, sometimes resulting in life-threatening injuries, permanent disfigurement or wrongful death. If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, contact a reputable attorney to investigate and represent your claim. You may have grounds to file a trucking accident lawsuit against the person or party found at fault in the crash, in order to seek fair and timely reimbursement for your losses.
What sets a trucking accident apart from a regular automobile accident is the fact that semi-trucks and big rigs are required to adhere to strict trucking laws and regulations that don’t apply to passenger vehicles like pickup trucks, cars and motorcycles. Tractor-trailers are also required to carry much larger insurance policies. In most cases, a trucking accident lawsuit will be brought against the trucking company that owns the vehicle, not the driver himself, which means you will be up against a larger-scale defendant and its insurance company.
An experienced trucking accident lawyer will be well-versed in the complexities of a semi-truck accident, and will help establish liability for your crash, collect evidence in support of your claim, investigate the factors involved in the accident, and ensure compensation is sought from the appropriate parties. In instances where a tractor-trailer accident results in the death of a loved one, the victim’s family may have the right to a wrongful death claim.
The FMCSA noted in their study that of all truck accidents caused by driver error, 44 percent involved truckers taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, and 23 percent involved drivers who were speeding. Other types of driver negligence may include:
An experienced trucking accident lawyer will be well-versed in the complexities of a semi-truck accident, and will help establish liability for your crash, collect evidence in support of your claim, investigate the factors involved in the accident, and ensure compensation is sought from the appropriate parties.
The sheer size and weight of a semi-truck makes it a deadly force when involved in a trucking accident with another motor vehicle, and when 18-wheelers are operated or maintained improperly, they can cause catastrophic damage to other vehicles and accident victims. In some cases, trucking accidents may result in severe and life-changing injuries, including: head injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, broken bones, lacerations, burns, permanent disfigurement, loss of limbs, paralysis or possibly even death.
Trucking accident lawsuits serve several valuable purposes for injured parties and other drivers sharing the road with 18-wheelers – to allow the accident victims to recover damages for their injuries, medical bills, and emotional trauma, to punish trucking companies for their negligence and violation of trucking laws and regulations, and to keep trucking companies and truck drivers from cutting corners in the future in an attempt to save time and money.
A trucking accident lawsuit can help victims cover the cost of:
If you or a loved one was injured in a trucking accident, an attorney can help determine if you are eligible for financial compensation for the expenses the accident left you burdened with, including past and future medical bills and any lasting physical or emotional injuries resulting from the accident. Unfortunately, the process of recovering damages for trucking accident injuries from the person or party found at fault in the accident can be complicated and draining, which is where a personal injury lawyer comes in. Hiring an experienced trucking accident attorney can help improve your chances of holding the responsible party liable for your losses. In some cases, trucking accident settlements may recover upwards of millions of dollars in damages for the injured party and his or her family.
