TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYER USA
Our attorneys are members of the American Association for Justice with a track record of successful verdicts and settlements. We'll ensure that you get a fair deal from a specialist truck accident lawyer who has a thorough understanding of commercial vehicle regulations on both a federal and state level.
Every year over 5,000 car drivers and passengers are killed in accidents involving trucks and over 500 truck drivers receive fatal injuries. The disproportion between the numbers of truck occupant fatalities and fatalities in other vehicles is due largely to differences in mass and frame stiffness of the vehicles involved in an accident. Trucks can be 40 times heavier than passenger cars, and in a collision a car will sustain most of the change in velocity. More than 300 pedestrians and 50 bicyclists are also killed every year in accidents involving trucks.
A crash involving a truck is often serious and deadly and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are intended to protect the public by regulating drivers hours and equipment. Driver fatigue is often the cause of accidents as hours of service regulations are routinely violated. Trucking companies are required to maintain records which may be examined by lawyers and often reveal serious and fraudulent violation of the safety regulations. Trucking companies may destroy their records after a certain time period has elapsed and it is important for your truck accident lawyer to ensure examination and preservation of these records at an early stage as without the records it may be more difficult to prove that a trucking company has been negligent.
A specialist truck accident lawyer needs to have a detailed technical knowledge of rollover accidents which account for most fatal accidents. Over 50% of all driver fatalities occur in rollover accidents the majority of which involve flatbeds or tankers. Big rigs roll easily and if a curve is taken too fast or if the rear tires strike a curb while cornering the truck will go over. A rig can be rolled at speeds as low as 5 mph, especially on slopes or where a strong tripping influence is present.
More than 10% of driver fatalities occur in fuel oil fires usually as a result of a battery box short out causing electrical sparks which ignite the fuel oil from the ruptured tank leading to a large and potentially fatal fire.
Our truck accident lawyers deal with claims using a contingency fee arrangement which means that if you don't succeed in receiving a settlement then your lawyer won't get paid. If you would like free advice without obligation just complete the contact form and a member of the American Association for Justice will telephone you immediately to discuss your compensation claim.