News & opinion When Do You Need an Attorney After a Truck Accident

When Do You Need an Attorney After a Truck Accident

When Do You Need an Attorney After a Truck Accident
coloss

l numbe

of t

uck

ccidents t

ke pl

ce eve

y ye

s 18-

heele

s

nd semi t

ucks c

oss ou

st

te lines to delive

thei

c

go.

These big

igs c

n

eigh up

ds of 80,000 pounds,

hile m

ny c

s

eigh in

t only 4,000 pounds. T

uck

ccidents c

n be ext

emely se

ious. Bec

use t

ucks e so much bigge

th

n p

ssenge

cs,

t

uck c

n tot

lly demolish

c

. T

uck

ccidents f

equently c

use f

eey pile-ups, hming multiple victims.

t

uck

ccident c

n le

ve you o

loved one seve

ely inju

ed

nd tum

tized. Even though you m

y be feeling ovehelmed, it’s

good ide

to t

lk to

n

tto

ney

s soon

s possible. The c

use of t

uck

ccidents c

n become ve

y complic

ted to dete

mine.

o

se, eve

y pe

son o

entity potenti

lly

t-f

ult fo

c

using

t

uck

ccident

ill t

y to minimize o

deny thei

esponsibility.

lye

c

n help, but it’s impo

t

nt to

e

ch out.

e

e

lize folks

e sometimes hesit

nt to cont

ct

n

tto

ney bec

use they

e

oied

bout the cost. The

e’s good ne

s: m

ny expe

ienced t

uck

ccident

tto

neys

ep

esent victims on

contingency b

sis. This me

ns the clients p

y nothing up-f

ont,

nd the l

ye

s get p

id only

hen the clients get p

id.

ll things conside

ed, p

tne

ing

ith

<

h

ef="https:

/c

inju

yvictims.com

se

vices

t

uck-

ccident-l

ye

“>t

uck

ccident l

ye

<> is in you

best inte

est.

hy Do I Need

n

tto

ney in T

uck

ccidents Specific

lly?

Let’s t

lk mo

e

bout

hy it’s so impo

t

nt to get

n

tto

ney if you o loved one h

ve been inju

ed in

t

uck

ccident. The

e e sevel

e

sons:

To Dete

mine

ho C

used the

ccident<

h3>
Fi

st things fi

st: to

eceive f

i

compens

tion

fte

you get inju

ed in

n

ccident, you must fi

st dete

mine

ho

s

t f

ult fo

c

using the

ccident.

pe

son o

entity th

t c

uses

n

ccident h

s leg

l li

bility fo

the inju

ies

nd f

t

lities

esulting f

om th

t

ccident.

Fo

ex

mple, if

d

ive

exceeding the speed limit could not stop in time to

void hitting you, th

t d

ive

c

used the

ccident

nd should p

y you fo

you

inju

ies

nd losses. M

kes sense,

ight? Similly,

comp

ny, such

s

t

uck comp

ny o

m

nuf

ctu

e

, could

lso c

use

t

uck

ccident. Fo

ex

mple, if

ti

e blo

s out bec

use

t

ucking comp

ny f

iled to

epl

ce its old ti

es,

se

ious

ccident c

n occu

. T

ucks c

n become

lmost impossible to cont

ol

hen

ti

e blo

s—

nd the flying t

e

ds of

blo

n out t

uck ti

e c

n te

nothe

vehicle

p

t o

p

ompt

d

ive

to t

ke ev

sive

ction th

t le

ds to

csh. The

e’s

ide

nge of individu

ls

nd entities

hose celess,

eckless, intention

l, o

just pl

in stupid

ctions c

n cont

ibute to

ccidents. If someone gets hu

t,

n

ccident l

ye

c

n m

ke su

e they f

ce leg

l li

bility fo

d

m

ges to th

t victim. He

e’s the issue

ith t

uck

ccidents specific

lly, though: in comp

ison to

simple t

o-c

ccident, t

uck

ccidents c

n implic

te m

ny individu

ls

nd entities in leg

l li

bility fo

victim’s inju

ies. Sounds complic

ted, doesn’t it? It is. The difficulties in figu

ing out

ho

nd

h

t

e

lly c

used

t

uck

ccident c

n be d

unting… Th

t’s

hy you need

n expe

ienced t

uck

ccident lye

.

L

ye

s often

o

k

ith te

ms of se

soned investig

to

s. They c

n

ccess police

epo

ts, pe

fo

m fo

ensic

n

lysis,

evie

su

veill

nce foot

ge (if

v

il

ble),

nd cont

ct

nd inte

vie

eye

itnesses. You c

nnot dete

mine the c

use of

n

ccident by you

self, but

l

ye

nd investig

to

s c

n. They c

n even get in touch

ith expe

ts to

econst

uct ho

you

inju

ies m

y h

ve occued,

hich c

n be used to dete

mine

ho oh

t c

used the

ccident.

Potenti

l

esponsibility fo

ccidents

ho might h

ve leg

l li

bility fo

t

uck

ccident?

n expe

ienced t

uck

ccident inju

y

tto

ney’s job is to dig in

nd find out. They

ill dete

mine

hich of those pties h

s the

bility –

nd the

esponsibility – to p

y you.

Some of the usu

l suspects the

tto

ney might conside

include:

The t

uck d

ive

. D

iving

t

uck

equi

es the utmost c

ution

nd

eness, but

t

ucke

could viol

te t

ffic l

s o

m

ke othe

poo

decisions

hile d

iving. D

ive

s c

n

lso be negligent if they

e dist

cted, f

tigued, o

unde

the influence. D

ive

s e

lso usu

lly

esponsible fo

checking the t

uck’s condition

nd lo

d pe

iodic

lly

nd m

king notes of

ny p

oblems. (They

e not, ho

eve

,

esponsible fo

fixing

ny conditions they

eco

d.) The t

uck o

ne

o

t

ucking comp

ny. The Fedel Moto

C

ie

S

fety

dminist

tion (FMCS

)

equi

es th

t

ll t

ucks be<

h

ef=”https://

.fmcs

.dot.gov/

egul

tions/title49/p

t/396″ t

get=”_bl

nk"

el=”noopene

nofollo

no

efee

“> inspected, m

int

ined,

nd

ep

i

ed > pe

iodic

lly, to keep them in good opeting condition. Since it is the t

uck o

ne

’s

esponsibility to m

int

in the t

uck, the o

ne

f

ces leg

l li

bility fon

ccident c

used by

t

uck’s poo

m

inten

nce.

O

ne

s

nd t

ucking comp

nies must

lso ensu

e th

t t

uck d

ive

s they hi

e h

ve

eceived

pp

op

i

te t

ining,

nd h

ve the

equi

ed cl

ss of<

h

ef="https:

/

.fmcs

.dot.gov/

egisttion

comme

ci

l-d

ive

s-license/d

ive

s” t

get=”_bl

nk"

el=”noopene

nofollo

no

efee

“> comme

ci

l d

ive

’s license > (CDL)

nd othe

ce

tific

tions to opete the o

ne

’s t

uck. (M

ny st

tes

equi

e speci

l “endo

sements” fo

t

ucke

s to h

ul ce

t

in types of c

go, like fl

mm

ble o

toxic m

te

i

ls.) D

iving

t

uck is not the s

me

s d

iving

c,

nd

n imp

ope

ly-tined o

unqu

lified d

ive

poses

seve

e h

z

d to eve

yone on the

o

d. FMCSlso

equi

es th

t t

uck d

ive

s be

outinely<

h

ef=”https://

.fmcs

.dot.gov/sites/fmcs

.dot.gov

files/docs/D

ug%20

nd%20

lcohol%20B

ochu

e%20fo

%20D

ive

s.pdf” t

get=”_bl

nk"

el=”noopene

nofollo

no

efee

“> tested fo

lcohol

nd d

ugs >. F

iling

test c

n

esult in

suspended o

evoked d

ive

’s license.

ith

n ongoing n

tion

ide sho

t

ge of qu

lified t

uck d

ive

s, ho

eve

, some t

ucking comp

nies cut co

ne

s by f

iling to sc

een thei

l

bo

pool. This celessness puts eve

yone on the

o

d

t

isk.

Fin

lly, fedel ls m

nd

te ho

long

t

uck d

ive

c

n

o

k

ithout

b

e

k. T

ucking comp

nies e sometimes unde

st

ffed,

nd d

ive

s often feel p

essu

ed to d

ive mo

e th

n they should to meet tight delive

y de

dlines. <

h

ef="https:

/

.cdc.gov

fe

tu

es/dsd

o

syd

iving

index.html” t

get=”_bl

nk"

el=”noopene

nofollo

no

efee

“>F

tigued d

ive

s<>

ep

esent

m

jo

d

nge

on U.S.

o

ds. The U.S. Cente

s fo

Dise

se Cont

ol

nd P

evention (CDC)

epo

ts th

t t

uck d

ive

s

e f

mo

e likely th

n othe

d

ive

s to opete

vehicle

hile seve

ely f

tigued. F

tigue c

n c

use se

ious imp

i

ment, comp

ble to d

iving d

unk.

Subcont

cto

s o

othe

comp

nies. O

ne

s

nd opeto

s of l

ge t

ucks often use subcontcto

s o

othe

comp

nies to pe

fo

m specific duties.

comp

ny m

y get hi

ed specific

lly to pe

fo

m inspections, m

inten

nce,

nd

ep

i

, fo

ex

mple, o

specific

lly to vet the fleet’s d

ive

s. If these comp

nies f

il to pe

fo

m thei

jobs p

ope

ly, then they c

n f

ce li

bility fo

el

ted t

uck

ccident.

Lo

ding

nd p

cking comp

nies. The lo

ding

nd p

cking of

t

uck’s cgo

ffect not just the condition of the c

go itself, but

lso the d

ive

’s

bility to cont

ol the vehicle h

uling it.

lo

d th

t shifts o

f

lls f

om

t

uck c

n c

use

sudden ch

nge in the t

uck’s b

l

nce, m

king it impossible to stee

o

stop. Shifting lo

ds c

n

lso le

d to

ollove

s

nd j

ckknife

ccidents,

hich

e especi

lly d

nge

ous bec

use they c

n c

ush sm

lle

vehicles o

c

use

o

d obst

cles. Bec

use thi

d-pty comp

nies often lo

d

nd p

ck cgo onto t

ucks, these comp

nies could f

ce leg

l li

bility if

t

uck gets into

n

ccident bec

use its cgo shifts. T

uck

nd component m

nuf

ctu

e

s. Some

ccidents occu

bec

use of m

nuf

ctu

ing defects in

t

uck o

its p

ts. B

kes m

y f

il, fo

ex

mple, o

ti

es m

y sh

ed bec

use of

fl

in the design o

f

ulty const

uction of these t

uck components. If defective equipment c

uses

t

uck

ccident, the m

nuf

ctu

e

of th

t equipment c

n f

ce li

bility.

To C

lcul

te the Compens

tion You Dese

ve fo

You

Inju

ies<

h3>

fte

figu

ing out

ho o

es you money, expe

ienced t

uck

ccident

tto

neys

lso set thei

minds to c

lcul

ting ho

much money those pties should p

y. In

typic

l t

uck

ccident inju

y m

tte

,

n

ccident victim might hope to

ecove

:
  • Medic

    l costs, both p

    esent

    nd estim

    ted<

    li>

  • ges lost f

    om

    o

    k<

    li>

  • Loss of e

    ning c

    p

    city, if you

    inju

    ies me

    n you c

    n no longe

    o

    k o

    must ch

    nge p

    ofessions

  • P
    in

    nd suffe

    ing<

    li>

Ho

much money c

n

t

uck

ccident victim expect to

eceive? It depends on the ci

cumst

nces of the

ccident, the n

tu

e of the victim’s inju

ies,

nd the fin

nci

l

esou

ces

nd insu

nce cove

ge of the

t-f

ult p

ties. It’s

lot to conside

– but

t

uck

ccident

tto

ney c

n help i

on out the det

ils fo

you.

To Negoti

te

ith Insunce Comp

nies

e id="

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chment-28041″ style=”

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ge-28041″ title=”T

uck

ccident L

ye

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c=”https://c

inju

yvictims.comp-content

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2019/08/c

ccident-lye

-300×295.jpg”

lt="Ste

t J. Guss”

idth="225" height="221"

> ption id="c

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chment-28041″ cl

ss="

p-c

ption-text"><

h

ef="https:

/c

inju

yvictims.com

ou

-te

m/ste

t-guss

“>Ste

t J. Guss<>, T

uck

ccident Lye

ption><

figu

e> T

uck

ccidents

lmost

lys t

igge

covege unde

insu

nce policies c

ied by one o

mo

e pties

t-f

ult. This me

ns expe

ienced t

uck

ccident

tto

neys spend

lot of time negoti

ting

ith insu

nce c

ie

s to get them to p

y

h

t they o

e to inju

ed

ccident victims. Bec

use of the complexity of t

uck

ccident c

ses,

n

tto

ney m

y even f

ce the ch

llenge of negoti

ting

ith multiple insu

nce comp

nies

t once!

This is not

b

ttle you

nt to f

ce

lone.

In negoti

tions, insunce comp

nies

ill t

y thei

hdest to minimize o

deny thei

li

bility. Do not expect symp

thy f

om them. They exist to m

ke

p

ofit,

nd if they c

n find

y to minimize thei

fin

nci

l

esponsibility fo

you

t

uck

ccident inju

y cl

im, you c

n be su

e they’ll exploit it fo

ll it’s

o

th.

They m

y:
  • Cl

    im you

    e

    t f

    ult o

    t

    ick you into

    pologizing<

    li>

  • Cl
    im you h

    ve ex

    ggeted you

    inju

    ies<

    li>

  • T
    y to p

    y you minim

    l p

    in

    nd suffe

    ing,

    hen you dese

    ve mo

    e<

    li>

  • T
    y to t

    ick you into settling quickly fo

    much less th

    n you

    inju

    ies

    e

    o

    th

  • Cl
    im you don’t need the t

    e

    tments you

    docto

    ecommends

  • Imply you c
    n

    etu

    n to

    o

    k<

    li>

  • Del
    y p

    ying you

    cl

    im check in hopes of getting you to give up

The t

icks go on

nd on. This b

ing us to

nothe

c

uci

l

e

son

hy to cont

ct

l

ye

fte

t

uck

ccident:

lye

h

s yes of expe

ience in negoti

ting

ith insu

nce comp

nies

nd c

n help you

eceive the m

ximum cl

im.

To Fight fo

Youights in Cou

t

Most t

uck

ccident inju

y c

ses

e

ch s

tisf

cto

y out-of-cou

t settlements. But “most” does not me

n “

ll.” If the p

ties

ith leg

l li

bility

efuse to p

y you

h

t you dese

ve fo

you

inju

ies,

n

tto

ney c

n t

ke you

c

se to cou

t

nd p

esent it to

judge

nd ju

y.

ith

st

ong t

uck

ccident

tto

ney on you

side, you c

n obt

in the m

ximum d

m

ges

llo

ed by l.

C

ll

T

uck

ccident Lye

Tod

y<

h2>
Do not

it to seek expe

ienced leg

l help

fte t

uck

ccident ttles you

life.

You h

ve

limited

mount of time to exe

cise you

ights to compens

tion,

nd you h

ve even less time to p

ese

ve impo

t

nt evidence needed to p

ove f

ult. Cont

ct

n expe

ienced t

uck

ccident inju

y lyeight

y to get st

ted. Thei

next victo

y could be you

s, too. ong><

h

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

“>Ste

t J. Guss<><

st

ong> 12777 Jones

d Suite 297
Houston, Tex

s ong>(281) 816-3448

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