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Trucking Accident Attorneys

Making commercial trucking safer is a serious concern in the United States, especially because commercial vehicles and delivery trucks are on the roads at an increasingly high rate, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are around 150,000 injuries and 5,000 fatalities that result from truck accidents each year in the United States. Not only is this a record number of incidents, because not all accidents are reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the real number may be even higher.

If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck accident, contact our experienced attorneys today. If you have lost a loved one in a truck accident, our professional and compassionate team will help you get the compensation you deserve. 

Trucking accidents can be very complex, especially when seeking to determine fault. Every factor, including the time of day and the truck driver’s hours that day, can play a key factor in that determination.

Our qualified accident attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve. Getting into an accident is a frightening and traumatic event, especially if it is a large big rig accident. A truck company may try to downplay their liability as much as possible. Our attorneys will fight for maximum compensation for you, regardless of whether it’s an individual trucker or a trucking company.

Why should I hire a trucking accident attorney?

  • An attorney can spend more time assembling evidence and devote more resources to piecing together the cause of the accident
  • An experience lawyer can negotiate and communicate with the other parties involved in the lawsuit, saving you the time and frustration
  • In the event that there needs to be a claim filed with the insurance company, having an experienced attorney on your side can help build a stronger case

Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Trucking Accident?

In many cases, the trucking companies are held liable for negligence in a trucking accident. The company that hired the driver could also be held liable for negligent hiring, failing to inspect driving logs, failing to train their drivers, etc. Establishing evidence of any of these factors is important when making a negligence claim against the trucking company.

The trucking company could be held liable through something called vicarious liability. This holds the employer liable for the actions of their employees, although the truck drivers themselves may also be liable for any actions leading to the accident.

Besides the trucking firm, other parties like the maintenance company could also be held responsible in the event that the truck had not properly been maintained, if that failure contributed to the accident.

The truck manufacturing company could also be held responsible in a product liability lawsuit if there was a defect that caused the accident. Product liability lawsuits hold manufacturers and retailers accountable for manufacturing a product that has either a design defect, manufacturing defect, or warning defect. For more information, contact our team today.

What Causes Trucking Accidents?

  • Driver inexperience
  • Speeding or careless driving
  • Truck driver fatigue
  • Poor vehicle maintenance
  • Mechanical failure
  • Drunk driving/Driving under the influence
  • Equipment failure or defects
  • Loading cargo improperly 
  • Poor weather or road conditions
  • Distracted or inattentive driving
  • Failure to spot a vehicle in the blind spot
  • Having too much cargo or an imbalanced trailer load
  • Other third-party drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, etc.

Fatigue and Distracted Driving Can Play a Huge Role in Truck Accidents

Driver fatigue is a huge issue in the trucking industry, and for drivers on the road as a whole. In a national study, many truck drivers across the country average less than 5 hours of sleep a day. This puts them at risk for feeling drowsy at the wheel, increasing the likelihood of an accident. Another study comparing over 100,000 truck accidents concluded that over 10% of the truck drivers involved in the accidents were fatigued.

To combat this issue, the government has enacted a number of laws to limit the hours which truck drivers can drive. These regulations include:

  • Drivers must take a 30-minute break after driving for eight hours straight;
  • Drivers may only drive 11 hours in any 14-hour period, and must take 10 hours to break after 11 hours of driving;
  • Drivers can not operate a commercial truck more than 60 hours in a 7-day period;
  • Drivers may drive no more than 70 hours in an 8-day period and take a 34-hour break before starting their next work week after hitting that limit.

How Do Truck Accidents Differ from Car Accidents?

With larger average loads and longer operation hours, commercial trucking vehicles can lead to accidents that are more destructive, cost more in medical bills, and have higher chances of fatalities when compared to a typical car accident.

  • More Property Damage in Truck Accidents – Since commercial loads can sometimes range up to 100,000 pounds in weight, these vehicles can slam into other objects with tons of force behind them. 18-wheelers take longer when slowing down and turning when compared to normal cars, so commercial truck collisions often involve momentous force. With millions of dollars at stake in a typical truck accident, the insurance policies for commercial truck drivers tend to be much higher in premium and payout amounts. Compared to standard vehicle insurance plans, truck coverage policies can be over 40x larger.
  • Severity of Injuries in Trucking Accidents – Commercial trucking vehicles are much larger & heavier than average cars. This difference can create disastrous crashes for other vehicles that are lower to the ground, leaving them crushed or mangled and occupants severely injured or dead. Death, paralysis, and serious injuries of the spine & brain are the most common injuries suffered from trucking accidents.
  • Cost of Medical Bills – With injuries in these types of accidents being more severe on average, the cost of medical care for survivors also tends to be higher than with passenger vehicle accidents. Drivers of other vehicles involved in these accidents often suffer crippling injuries that require long-term care, costing thousands or even millions in care as a result.

Common Trucking Accident Injuries

Contact a Trucking Accident Attorney with Years of Experience

If a truck driver is at fault for an accident causing injury, the victim or their family may be able to recover funds for everything from medical bills to loss of wages. While you focus on healing from your injuries, we will take the necessary steps to pursue maximum compensation for you and your family.

Different types of compensation you could recover for your trucking accident injuries include:

  • Impairment of earning capacity
  • Property damage
  • Emotional and physical pain & suffering
  • Loss of wages
  • Healthcare & medical costs
  • Punitive damages

An experienced accident attorney can help you build a winning case to get the compensation you & your family deserve. Contact us today at (213) 884-4881 or info@heidarilawgroup.com to get the representation you need today.