The Qualities Your Truck Accident Attorney Should Have

If you have been injured in an accident due to negligence and without you being at fault, it is important to hire a specialized personal injury lawyer. Personal injury lawyers handle many cases including car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractices and some others.

Persons involved in a truck accident may suffer serious injuries, there are a number of issues that need to be considered in truck accident cases. Truck companies usually try to stamp the deck in their favour after the damage. Just as the insurance companies work on the behalf of truck drivers, there are attorneys in truck accident law firms to represent people who have been injured in truck accident cases.

If you hope to get a favourable outcome for your case, hire an attorney having a high level of experience to get the maximum compensation possible in your case. Following are the points that will help you choose the right lawyer.


Track his record of success: Your ultimate goal should be to receive maximum compensation, if the lawyer has won his previous cases, he     will quickly determine the best way to secure your case.

Strong commitment to clients: To attain the best possible outcomes the lawyers need to be committed to your case. They should be competent and make you feel comfortable so that you can easily discuss every issue with them.

Good reputation: The lawyer should have a good reputation in the legal community.    

Laws and regulations: The lawyers should be familiar with the different laws for different cases. They should know the laws and regulations that exist for truck drivers, safety inspections and other issues.    

Holds a valid license: Make sure the attorney you hire has a valid license to work in the particular state. In case your lawyer is not licensed you can be at disadvantage when it comes to negotiations.

These points will help you to find the best attorney who will have the necessary expertise to help you in your case. An experienced lawyer can even the odds and help those injured in accidents due to negligence.

Is It Essential To Hire A Truck Accident Lawyer If You Have Met With An Accident?

Yes definitely, it is important to hire a truck accident lawyer in New York if you have been a sufferer because of the negligence of the other person, as the lawyer will help you get the compensation owed to you. Lawyer will also do his best to secure your rights and do everything to help you get justice.

Common Causes Of Truck Accidents That Remain In The Rear Of Curtains

Commercial vehicle crashes are more devastating in comparison to any other vehicle accidents across the United States. Being heavy vehicles, they cause great damage to the smaller vehicle passengers. In some of the worst cases, these accidents might lead to death. 

In that case, the victims who have incurred any kind of loss are bound to get complete justice along with claim and compensation that they deserve.

However, many people are not aware of the law rules, thus lagging behind getting compensation. Therefore, it is advisable for anyone who is victimized by others negligence to get in touch with one of the most reputed truck accident injury lawyers around your city in order to seek best professional help, as not many would be able to help you win the case.

Only the ones who are experienced, reputed professionals are aware of the common reasons that lead to accidents. Few of the causes are as follows-

Driver’s negligence- this is one of the most common causes that leads to accidents. These truck drivers fall short of understanding the fact that it is their responsibility to keep the other motorists driving on the road safe. They either forget or ignore the basic techniques, which can avoid many such incidents.

Improper training-the other common cause is that drivers have improper training at the time of learning how to drive vehicle. It is necessary for drivers to obtain appropriate training along with learning how to perform their duties.

Equipment failure-most importantly, the main cause of accidents happens due to the reason that the companies don’t take their vehicles for regular maintenance that is somehow mandatory in order to keep the vehicle working in smooth condition. Common defects such as brake failure, defective lights, and tire failures have lead to many dreadful incidents.

Overloading- Last but not the least, overloading and overweight vehicles also causes many dreadful accidents, as these vehicles either fail to stop at the time of applying brakes or due to tire burst. At this point of time vehicles tend to lose the control, thus troubling other people who are driving next to these vehicles in nearby lanes.

These few causes occur due to negligence. Therefore, it is advisable to seek help from your lawyer in order to ensure that you get the compensation that you are entitled to by law and don’t get involved in the case unnecessarily.

What Are The Primary Causes Of Devastating Truck Accidents?

Numbers of truck accidents are raising regularly and main causes behind that are speeding, overloading, violation of traffic laws, substance abuse, etc. If you have become an accident victim due to this negligence, get in touch with New York truck accident lawyer to get your case evaluated and get appropriate compensation.

What Kind Of Benefits, A Right Truck Law Firm Can Provide You?

Have you ever been involved in any accidental activity and have incurred heavy losses? Well if yes, then you don’t need to worry much. Just delve and make out the list of the most reputed and reliable truck accident law firms in your city that will help you in the best way.

Accidents are not preplanned and it can occur at any point of time due to yours or others negligence of driving of truck or any other vehicle. Therefore, whenever you are finding the suitable lawyer, make sure that you are serious in searching and hire a suitable one, as after loss many people fail to give time finding the best lawyer who can defend their rights. They either land finding a wrong lawyer or face mental troubles due to hefty medical bills, damages of your vehicle, loss of job, physical pains, many more. Therefore, you need to be sure that you are finding the best lawyer who can help you getting your rights along with availing you numerous benefits. 

Following are some of the benefits that you can avail from right lawyer-

Most of time it happens that during accidents, the victim fail to catch some evidences of the person who is responsible for the cause, therefore, the lawyer who you will choose will trace out all the evidences that can help you win over the case so that you can get your rights back in proper time.

At the time of accident, you may face personal Injury from the other person’s side either physically or intentionally/unintentionally. at this point of time when you start feeling helpless, the lawyer of law firm will assist you in best possible way and will defend you making sure that not only you will be liable to get the compensation but will get other rights as well.

After accidents, if you have faced injuries and fail to seek medical aid because of financial issues, then your lawyer will make sure to avail all the medical expenses from the culprit side so that you don’t have to face any troubles in future.

These are few benefits of hiring a right lawyer. However, you can only avail these benefits if you have researched well for the lawyer. The other way can be through references who can give you better reviews about their experiences.

Get The Right Compensation By Hiring An Experienced Truck Accident Attorney

It is not possible to know when an accident is going to happen so if you are involved in a truck accident, the foremost thing to do is to hire an experienced truck accident attorney who is well aware of all the rules and regulations and is updated with the state laws that apply to the scene of the accident. The truck accident lawyer will file a lawsuit against the one who is responsible for the accident and will help you to get the appropriate compensation.

Hiring a truck lawyer proves to be very beneficial. This is because he can easily obtain legal permit to investigate the whole scene and will go through all the important details to know about the real culprit behind the accident. If the driver of truck is responsible for the mishap, the victim’s family will get the desired compensation.

In truck accidents, the victim can experience major injuries in areas like brain, spine, or fractures or it becomes impossible for him to carry out the daily tasks. Therefore, a professional lawyer can be very helpful in this case.  The lawyer will go through every single detail and will make sure to collect as many evidences as possible to build a strong case in favor of the victim.

Lawsuits related to truck accidents are very complex therefore, it is always advisable to seek help of a professional truck accident injury lawyer. Make sure to look for the best practicing lawyer in your area and one with good reputation in the industry.

If you or any of your family members, colleagues, or friend is a victim of truck accident, do not hesitate to consult a law firm. You can easily find number of experienced and skilled truck accident lawyer in New York. Moreover, you can even find lawyers who do not charge any amount unless you win the case. So make sure to discuss everything with your lawyer including every single detail of the accident.

As the evidences do not last after a couple of hours, so make sure to hire one immediately after the accident so that he can collect evidences easily before they are destroyed. These lawyers can also hire re-constructionist of accidents in order to document and preserve the evidences.

Reasons That Lead To Truck Accidents

Outcomes of truck accidents are heart breaking. Victims of these tragic events either lose their life or face financial losses. There are numerous reasons because of which such events occur. Let us look at those reasons-

Driver’s negligence- This is the major cause behind truck accidents. It can be due to different conditions such as fatigue, distractions, and negligence. Such situations can cause risk to life and risk to other vehicles on the highways.

Mechanical failure- Truck equipment failure is another reason of accident. It may include faults like defective tires, mechanical issues, improper brakes and more. Driver neglecting regular maintenance and inspection of truck is taking his and other people life into danger.

Inexperienced drivers- Wrong or inexperienced truck drivers are another reason behind accidents. This is the reason why businesses that require doing shipping their products must hire drivers those are experienced. They must have complete idea about driving and rules & regulations.

Weather conditions- This is another major reason behind truck accident. Commercial vehicles that are heavily loaded in weight often cause accidents because vehicles in such weathers often lose their control. Hence, considering the weather factor drivers require going slow on roads.

Overloaded truck- Truck when overloaded can cause accidents. Moreover, it may also cause vehicles to go out of their lanes of traffic.

From the aforementioned reasons you must have got an idea what reasons may cause truck accidents. Such accidents can cause big loss for victims and their family.

If you or your loved one has been a victim of such accidents, then you must fight for your rights and get justice. In regard to this, you need to hire truck injury lawyer.

Lawyer’s expertise in such field has good experience in fighting such cases. They can help provide you great justice. You will get free consultation from the lawyer that will help them evaluate your situation and find actual causes behind incident.

After looking to your situation, if they find you right then they will surely fight to protect your rights. Truck accident lawyers make sure victim gets justice. They also assure their rights are not compromised and get compensation for their losses whether it is medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional trauma.

Facts That Every Truck Accident Victim Must Know Before Filing A Lawsuit

When huge CMVs like 18-wheelers or semi-trucks collide with other vehicles on road, the outcomes are mostly tragic. Truck accident victims may suffer severe injuries, permanent disabilities, and even death.

If you or your loved one has fallen victim to such an accident, then it is your right to claim for justice and claim for an appropriate compensation for the damages incurred. Filing a lawsuit may not heal your injuries or bring back your loved ones, but it is the only way you can bring the culprits to justice and get sufficient compensation to handle your losses.

Before filing a lawsuit, it is essential to first find out the type of truck accident case that you or your loved one has fallen victim to, because your claim will depend on that.

Negligence related lawsuit is filed against the truck driver, if it is evident that the crash incurred due to their carelessness. It includes negligence regarding traffic laws, fatigue, distracted driving, overloading, drunk driving etc.

For cases in which defective equipment (defective brakes, issues with engine etc.) was the cause of the accident, your lawyer will prove that the truck/part manufacturer is at fault.

Experienced truck accidents lawyers can help you with all that. They will investigate the case and find out the cause behind it to file a lawsuit accordingly and get you the justice and compensation you are entitled to, for the physical, mental, and financial damage incurred.

By determining the type of lawsuit, your lawyer can decide which party (driver, trucking company, vehicle or parts manufacturer, insurer etc.) should be held responsible for the crash and is liable for paying compensation.

Is your lawyer using the Black Box Evidence to Make Your Case Stronger?

There can be a numbers of factors behind truck accidents, which is why it is essential to seek help from an experienced attorney if you are contemplating a truck accident lawsuit. These professionals can reveal many hidden aspects of the incident by attempting to gain access to discoverable items such as the black box.

For example a truck accident lawyer in New York handling your case should strive to obtain black box data to help establish  the proofs of your case.  If the information is available, it is an essential and crucial factor to download the black box information from the recorders that have become standard in the trucking industry for accountability and safety measurements.

Black box devices (also known as electronic data records) are now installed in trucks throughout America. These devices become the main source of information when it comes to discovering the journey of the truck.

Therefore, your lawyer should obtain and download data from the black box soon after the incident because information stored in this device may give your case a completely new and objective source of information and direction. It can help your lawyer identify the exact location of the truck at the time of the incident, as well as other information relating to the accident.  It is particularly critical if there is a truck accident death to make sure all possible information is obtained.

Black boxes provide crucial information about the vehicle that can also include performance of the truckers by analyzing factors such as speed, distance, braking, number of hours driven etc. It can also provide information like tire pressure that may be associated with vehicle maintenance issues.

On the other hand, some black boxes may also have conversations between the driver and trucking company, which may reveal vital information. It can also show information related to instances such as usage of clutch, hard braking, etc. All this information can make or break your entire case, as it may lead to discoveries such as fatigued driving, equipment failure, exceeding hours, etc.

Therefore, it is extremely important for your lawyer to send a preservation of evidence letter, which is also referred as a spoliation letter as early as possible. It is to inform the trucking company that black box information must remain protected and should not be tampered, as it is needed for the lawsuit.

How The Driver’s Documents Can Be Helpful In Resolving Accident Cases?

There are many rules and laws regarding the safety of people on road. But when someone breaks the law, he or she poses a threat not just to himself, but to others on road. Every big vehicle on road is like a ticking time bomb if not driven properly.

Road accidents involving heavy commercial vehicles often lead to devastating outcomes.  The sheer force of the vehicle with its mass upon impact can create quite a crunch and can permanently alter and extinguish life.

There are laws to protect the truck accident victims, but it is also a hard truth that the victims of such brutal accidents face lots of obstacles in obtaining justice and sufficient compensation due to the intricacies involved in litigation.  Immediately after the accident, the professionals from the insurance company may try to lock you into statements while under the stress of the event, and anything you say may be used against you.

In you or someone you know has fallen victim to such an unfortunate trucking incident, you should consult a truck accident injury attorney. An experienced lawyer can help you get justice by investigating all the aspects and documents associated with the case.

In most, if not all of truck accident cases it is essential to request the correct documents especially those in the driver’s file. Some of the documents that can significantly help in tracking the history of a driver include-

The driver investigation record
Employment documents – Personnel File
State driving license (including record)
Medical certificate (CDL clearance)
Alcohol and drug testing record

These documents may hold decisive information about the driver, which could be helpful in identifying the medical situations (if any). It will also reveal the driver’s history that can help in identifying whether safety violations have been done by the driver in the past and whether the driver is legally prohibited from driving (due to some medical conditions, unlawful activity, etc.).

An experienced trucking lawyer can dig deep for the information during an investigation, as they are backed by years of experience in handling such sensitive catastrophic injury cases.

How The Victim’s Case May Be Stronger If The Truck Driver Was Not Wearing A Seat Belt?

Not wearing a safety belt is one of the contributing reasons behind injuries and deaths in truck accident cases. According to law, it is necessary for CMV drivers to confine themselves properly with seat belts. It is believed that it helps in minimizing the damage in case of an accident.  There have been so many campaigns to have people use seat belts, that today it is the exception rather than the rule where people don’t buckle up. Many states have laws that force and enforce seat belt use like “click it or ticket.”

How safety belts protect people?

It keeps drivers restrained to their seats even during an impact. It makes it easier for them to control vehicle effectively, saving other’s lives.

It can spread the stress and impact force (in accident) throughout body. It decreases the risk of serious injuries.

What are the laws about wearing seat belts?

States are responsible for making and managing rules for this aspect of road safety. It is necessary for drivers to wear these restraints. Not wearing them is considered a direct violation of law. Police officers can issue a ticket to the driver if he or she violates this law.

Sometimes, unbelted drivers get a citation by the police officers (if they are stopped for another reason such as driving over speed limit). The fine in these situations varies from state to state.

What are the consequences of not wearing safety belts?

An individual can get a ticket for it. Not wearing seat restraints increases the risk of injures or casualties. Trucking companies lose their employees, whether for months (in injuries) or permanently (in death). Compensations, medical bills & insurance, lost services of employees, lost business, and rehiring costs a lot.

How a victim’s case may be stronger if it is proven that truck driver was not wearing seat belt?

If it is proven in court that truck driver was not wearing the safety belt during the accident, it is indicative that the truck driver is ignoring even the simplest of safety measures. Ignoring the little things may be probative that they are ignoring the bigger things as well.

The truck accident injury law firm may use this inference for their clients’ benefit during negotiations with the trucking company. In these negotiations, the truck victim’s lawyers can reference the fact that company’ employee was not following state’s rules.

Many times, trucking companies’ attorneys try to protect their client by claiming that victim’s injuries or death was caused by negligence (of not wearing seat restraints). Whatever the reason or argument is, it is clear that seat restraints can protect people’s lives whether they are truck drivers or others on road.

How An Experienced Lawyer Can Help The Victims Of A Truck Accident?

Big rig accidents are terrifying and literally and figuratively leave a horrible impact on the accident victims. Accidents that involve commercial vehicles bring complexities of taking an action against the driver along with the trucking company. Victims and their families can and should seek help from a reputable truck accident injury lawyer, if they were in a trucking accident and sufferer an injury from the truck.

Below mentioned are some of the most important areas, in which an experienced lawyer may work on, some of which may be time critical Investigation Reports- Firstly, it is essential to obtain the police reports and see the official accident report completed by the officers that were at the accident site. It is vital to collect the copies of photos and videos taken at the site, if you retain an attorney quickly, they may send an investigator to the scene and a notice to preserve the truck to see if there is any equipment or other failure.

Eyewitness Statements- There are times when commercial accidents are witnessed by a number of people that were present at the scene and are willing to provide their statements, videos, and photos. All the information becomes more crucial as the case moves on and the best recollection is generally closer in time to when the truck accident was witnesses.

Trucking Company Record- It is one of the most vital aspects, as trucking companies may attempt to destroy the documentation. Therefore, it is extremely important to obtain records of the vehicle from the company that can include maintenance reports, training and certification records, etc.

Black Box Data- Some of the trucks have black boxes installed that are used to maintain the records of the driver’s activities. It is extremely important to ensure that the data in the black box is preserved and translated after the incident.

Records of Medical Treatments- For victims and their families, it is necessary to keep the record of their medical treatments from emergency medical services to current medical treatment. Lawyers use these documents to show the initial presence and development of the injuries and sufferings. Reports of the doctors will play a significant role in obtaining the best results in the lawsuit.

The insurance company and the trucking lawyers who defend the cases are immediately working to try to lock you into a statement and circumvent your rights, you need someone from day 1 to protect you as well, especially if the truck accident involved a death or serious injury. Thus, it is necessary to seek assistance from a professional attorney to fight for your rights.

How To Find If The Driver Was Fatigued During The Accident?

Accidents involving commercial vehicle are devastating due to their sheer weight and size. Federal laws clearly prohibit high-risk driving that can lead to such terrifying crashes.

Driver fatigue remains to be one of the major causes behind these unfortunate incidents. While exhausted drivers behind the wheel are as dangerous as intoxicated drivers, it is very difficult to test fatigue unlike drugs or alcohol.

The driver’s log is the best way to discover if a driver is exhausted or not. Accurately maintained logs can reveal things like if the driver was following the driving hours limit or not, which is a crucial aspect in finding out if the driver was fatigued during the incident or not.

Even, if these logs are falsified, your truck accident injury attorney can use other techniques to find if the driver was fatigued like -

• Compare the time stamp on fuel dockets to reported locations.

• By evaluating time between fuel stops, or port of destinations considering speed limits and current road conditions.

• Searching for suspicious entries, which may include the same time recorded for port of entry logs on successive trips.

Other factors your lawyer may consider include-
 

• Over speeding is also an indicator that the driver was fatigued and wanted to arrive at the destination as early as possible.

• Accidents that occur in the afternoon could be due to all night driving or inadequate sleep, which is also associated with driver fatigue.

• It is mandatory for the truckers to maintain their driving logs that track their compliance to the rules that went into effect in July 2013.

These regulation include-

• Maximum driving hours - 70 hours a week.

• Drivers that reach the 70 hours driving mark can continue only after taking rest of 34 continuous hours.

• Trucker must take a 30 minutes break in first 8 hours of their shifts.

It is the responsibility of every truck driver to maintain an accurate driver log. However, many times they fail to maintain these logs just because of immense pressure from the employer. Nevertheless, at the end, we can say that whether it is trucking companies or drivers, all of them need to understand the importance of safety and compliance with the law.

How A Law Firm Can Help The Victims Of Truck Accidents?

Trucks are always considered a bigger threat to other vehicles on the road due to their sheer size. Every year, thousands of trucks accidents are reported across America. These accidents result into injuries, casualties, vehicle damage along with emotional and financial losses. Truck accident victims can file an injury related lawsuit to help obtain justice for their damages while trucking companies hire attorneys to protect their drivers and they give themselves a head start in defending the case with their insurance adjuster.

Truck accidents law firm can help victims to receive fair compensations for damages caused by a trucking incident. Hiring a law firm for an accident lawsuit can provide help in-

Investigations – Lawyers can investigate the injury scene to make the victim’s case stronger or send an investigator to do this critical function. The investigation may look for evidence such as skid marks or scuff marks, the conditions of the roadway at the accident and many other facets.  Sometimes an accident reconstructionist will be hired to recreate the accident for the jury or trier of fact. These evidences are essential to prove the fault of truck drivers in accidents.

Liability – Sometimes, there are multiple liable parties in truck accidents, who may be responsible to pay for the damages. It can be the trucking company, insurance provider, driver etc. It is necessary to know the liable parties before filing a legal complaint and name anyone who could possibly be a party.  An attorney with the knowledge of the system and liability laws knows who to sue and where to file the complaint to maximize the prospect for a recovery.

Negotiation – Negotiation is another part of a law firm’s work. They negotiate with trucking companies, insurance provider, or other party’s lawyer to help receive fair settlement for the victims. Usually settlement includes medical expenses, damage to work or wages etc. If the negotiation is done properly nothing proffered can used against the party if the case goes to trial.

Prosecution – Victims need a lawyer to represent them during prosecution in courts against the professional attorneys and tactics of trucking companies. Lawyers use their experience, knowledge, and the investigation to make the victim’s case stronger. They also use collected evidences from the site of the accident to make a stronger case.

Compensation – Accidents can cause bodily injury to passengers in other vehicles. Lawyers help in asking for fair compensation from trucking companies for the injured person’s medical expenses. Injuries also cause loss of work for days, weeks, months, or even years. In some cases, the injured person becomes incapable of working again. It becomes difficult for victims to survive without job and wages. This is why car drivers  need an attorney, who can help them gain enough compensation. It will help them in gaining control over the financial mess caused by the truck crash.

Why are Cases of Truck Accidents Gradually Increasing?

Even though the safety of vehicles is increasing, the amount of accidents with trucks keeps increasing as well. Perhaps it is because with the increased speed and safety of cars, people are more cavalier with the way they drive, but despite the enhanced safety features, when a car is in a truck accident, the car almost always loses.

Collisions with big vehicles like trucks always cause heavy damage, whether it is financial, physical, or emotional. While there are many reasons why more and more cases of truck accidents are being reported, here are 3 other reasons mentioned below-

1. For covering long distances in less time, drivers go beyond speed limits and put others lives at risk.  With the bad economy, truckers needs to do more for less, and they are often paid per mile, so they have every incentive to complete the delivery rather than do so in the safest possible manner.

2. Similarly, another reason behind increasing truck accidents is that drivers need to stay awake for longer periods, which exhausts them. Moreover, continuous driving makes them feel tired, which affects their concentration levels as well. Due to lack of sleep, many of the truck drivers forget to use many simple safety measures such as giving indicators while turning or changing lane. It may sound like a minor negligence, but can cause terrible accidents.

3. Poorly maintained vehicles also lead to disastrous accidents. Many trucking companies ignore the maintenance deadlines of these commercial vehicles, which can lead to sudden equipment breakdown. Pennywise and pound foolish, cutting corners with safety can lead to cataclysmic results.

What should a truck accident victim do for justice?

If you or your loved one has fallen victim to a truck accident, you should consult an experienced truck accident injury law firm for legal help.

An experienced can help you file a lawsuit against the trucking companies to protect the rights that you are entitled to. They will carefully analyze the situation and collect all possible evidence and determine who to sue, and exhaust the search for all possible policies.

They will use all their knowledge to ensure that you get appropriate compensation to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional suffering.

Most lawyers even provide free consultations and handle you case without any fee up front. Trucking lawyers are only paid if they win your case, so you have nothing to lose by calling them for a free consultation.