Truck Accidents & Semi Truck Accidents

truck accidentWhy You Need a Truck
Accident Lawyer

When an auto is involved with a truck in an accident, one outcome is for sure: the auto loses. If you do not select a truck accident law firm experienced in truck accident litigation as your truck accident lawyers, you could lose twice. Hiring dedicated truck accident attorneys may mean the difference of receiving tens of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars. Simply put, if you hire just any lawyers and not a truck accident law firm, you may be making a serious mistake.

You need truck accident attorneys that do the following:

  1. Answer the phone when you make that first call
  2. Send out an investigator to obtain photos and make measurements and, if forensic work is necessary, send out a trucking accident reconstructionist
  3. File any necessary equitable relief, e.g., writs of sequestration, pleadings to protect the truck from any repairs that would alter the evidence
  4. Get you to Board Certified Physicians to make sure that you receive the best medical care possible for your injuries
  5. File your suit as soon as possible and aggressively fight for your rights taking depositions, sending out discovery and building your legal case
  6. Where ethically permitted, advancing you monies, interest free, to pay for necessary expenses since your income is stopped due to an inability to work
  7. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, treating you like family instead of just a client. We know full well what a severe disabling and permanent injury, or worse yet, the death of a loved family member means to you. We find that some law firms around the country have lost their way and often times forget that they are representing a person, and not just a paper file. We pledge to you that you will always be able to call us and ask whatever you want and get a full explanation. Please do not misunderstand, we like to make money just like the next guy but, we know that if we work hard and do a good job, always with compassion for our client, the money will follow.

When Loads or Cargo are Not Secure, Peope Get Hurt or Die

Poor Maintenance Causes Injuries

Bad Brakes Cause Injuries


Holding Drivers and Trucking Companies Accountable for Trucking Accidents

Truck drivers work long hours and are often pressured by their employer to complete their tasks by any means necessary. That results in shortcuts that amount to negligence. Drivers are required to adhere to regulations involving time on the road, number of breaks, and weight of the load they carry. Under the law, a trucking company can be held liable for the negligence of its drivers.

Truck accident lawyers takes cases on a contingency basis. There are no initial, out-of-pocket expenses to you. They manage your case while you focus on recovering from serious trucking accident injuries caused by:

  • Rear-End, Head-On Crashes and Jackknives
  • Dangerous Roads
  • Poor Maintenance, including Tires and Brakes
  • Driver Fatigue
  • Unsecured Loads or Unsecured Cargo
  • Aggressive Driving or Improper Lane Change
  • DWI/Drug Use
  • Lack of Reflectors and Poor Visibility

While your life is changed following a trucking accident, truck accident attorneys are at your side throughout the entire process of your truck accident claim. Do not allow fear to control every decision you make. You may want to settle immediately, but are encouraged to focus on your medical needs while the experienced truck accident lawyers handle the legal complexities.

Experience and Resources to Mediate or Litigate Your Trucking Accident Claim

Truck accident lawyers use experience and thorough legal knowledge, coupled with vast resources, to build your tractor-trailer crash injury claim based on the facts. Expertise comes from trucking industry experts and accident reconstructionists. From there, a truck accident lawyer can seek the best resolution, through negotiation, mediation or litigation.

Catastrophic Injuries When Safety Was Not a Priority

Before getting into the truck cab, a driver is required to perform a pre-trip inspection so that when a truck driver before the driver turns the ignition key, they are doing so with the notion that everything is safe. The pre-trip inspection is to detect problems before the rig gets on the street. There have to be periodic brake checks, including caliper settings, hydraulic, pneumatic and air brakes, adequate sleep and rest time in accordance with federal laws, and a trailer load that is properly secured, loaded and manageable. If they fall short, each and every car they pass is at risk of an accident. Every driver could suffer injury or death. These requirements apply to all interstate drivers and the failure to do any of these things often results in negligent driving and is often the cause of a truck accident resulting in serious injury. It does not matter what kind of truck as these requirements apply to:

  • Tanker Trucks - Oilfield Trucks- Pipe Haulers- Chemical Trucks and other trucks with trailers carrying hazardous materials
  • Slow Moving - Log Trucks, Garbage Trucks, Dump Trucks, Cement Trucks, Gravel Trucks and Construction Zone Trucks entering and exiting a highway construction zone, Wide-Load Convoys, Bulldozers, Farm Equipment and slow moving Paving Equipment
  • Freight Liners, UPS, DHL, Fed-Ex, U-Haul, Mayflower and other van lines
  • Shuttle Bus, Casino Buses to and from Louisiana, Vacation Bus, Tour Bus, Greyhound Buses
  • Most all other 18-wheeler, Big-Rig, Flatbeds, Tractor/Trailer combinations

Commercial Trucks Not Large In Size But With A Large Insurance Policy

The difference in size of cash settlements in commercial truck cases are potentially much larger than auto to auto accidents generally for one reason: the size of the policy of insurance. You know that your personal auto policy is sometimes as low as your state's mandatory minimum limits. When there is a commercial vehicle, such as a company van, company pick-up, tow trucks, etc ., the policies of insurance coverage are usually much larger and you can be fairly and fully compensated when the driver is negligent.

Getting to the facts of your case involves teaming with experts. Thorough investigations can uncover previously undiscovered information that will build your claim. Reviews of multiple log books, medical data and statements from witnesses can provide a foundation to securing the compensation you deserve. That positive result can come through mediation, but a good truck accident lawyer will prepare all cases for the possibility of litigation.

Author:  Truck Accident Lawyer Steven J. Gordon of Gordon & Elias.  Gordon & Elias is a leader in truck accident litigation and represents truck accident victims nationwide.  Visit their comprehensive truck accident resource site today:  www.truckaccidentlaw.org