Truck Accident Lawyer
One out of every eight highway accident fatalities involve large commercial trucks, such as big rigs, tractor trailers and others. Given the large size of these rigs, the lengthy hours that their drivers are on the road and the tendency of some drivers to violate speed limits, it shouldn’t be all that surprising to learn that every 16 minutes, a truck crash or collision occurs.
Not surprisingly, when a truck is involved in an accident with an automobile, the truck and its driver usually win. In fact, 86 percent of fatalities and 77 percent of those injured in these accidents are the drivers and passengers of the smaller vehicles.
Truck accident victims often suffer devastating, if not fatal, injuries. In many cases, they will miss extensive work time and accumulate huge medical and hospital bills. So, who will cover the accident victims’ costs, especially if the accident was not their fault?
To complicate matters, accident victims must identify the party at fault and prove their negligence. It’s not as easy as it sounds. In most cases, there are multiple parties involved in the accident, including:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company that owns the tractor (the vehicle pulling the rig)
- The company that owns the trailer (the rig’s storage space)
- The truck manufacturer
- Companies manufacturing truck parts
- The company loading the cargo
- Other vehicles involved in the accident
The Wise Choice
The legal system is complex, and most truck accident victims don’t know state and federal laws well enough to accurately represent themselves. Smart accident victims often turn to experienced truck accident attorneys for help. These attorneys are adept at conducting thorough investigations of the accident, analyzing the truck in its post-accident condition, interviewing witnesses, reviewing the police accident report and the truck’s black box data and making sure their clients’ rights are protected.
Hiring a truck accident attorney is a low-risk endeavor. Most of them are paid on contingency. If you don’t get paid, they don’t get paid.
In many cases, the truck’s insurance company will reach out to the victims shortly after the accident, asking if they can record the conversation and offering a quick settlement. Truck accident attorneys strongly recommend that you avoid speaking directly with insurance companies or agree to be recorded, as your recorded words could be used against you in court.
Truck accident victims have several options to consider, as an attorney, like a truck accident lawyer in Rapid City, SD, from a firm such as the Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos and Sabers LLP, can explain.