Were you or a loved one injured in a semi-truck accident?
Are you in agony because of your injuries?
Semi-truck accidents regularly cause catastrophic injuries. Most of these injuries occur to people in the vehicle hit by a semi-truck. Fortunately, you may have legal options at your fingertips that could help you collect maximum compensation from the negligent truck driver.
Semi-Truck Accident Lawyers
To achieve that goal of getting the compensation you need to get better, you should talk to a trusted New Orleans semi-truck accident attorney as soon as possible after your accident. The right lawyer can pursue justice for you and your family.
Getting better and recovering from your injuries should be the only thing on your mind. Let a trusted legal advocate shoulder the burden of proving that you deserve money from the at-fault driver. If a New Orleans semi-truck accident injured you or a loved one, speak with a truck accident law firm with a 24-hour intake department.
The Biggest Factors Contributing to Truck Accidents
Truck accidents happen for many reasons, similar to regular car accidents. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), some causes of semi-truck accidents are more common than others.
#1. Brake Problems
Semi-trucks are massive vehicles that require substantial force to move and slow down. A semi-truck can weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. That is many times heavier than the typical family sedan and, if the brakes fail on the semi-truck, it could spell disaster in an accident.
#2. Congestion
New Orleans congestion gets worse, especially on I-10. Trucks use this expressway to deliver goods, but can be a part of the congestion problem. The more cars there are on the road, the easier it is for a truck to get into an accident.
#3. Drug Use
Illegal drug use makes it more likely that a semi-truck driver will not react in time to avoid a collision. But even prescription drug use can cause a truck driver to become impaired. If you suspect the driver in your accident was under the influence of any type of drug, you could be able to collect compensation from them for your injuries.
#4. Speeding
One of the most common causes of any vehicle accident, speeding, causes a fair number of accidents in New Orleans. When a semi-truck is involved, those accidents can be deadly.
#5. Inexperience
Even though semi-truck drivers are supposed to get special licenses, they may still lack the experience necessary to handle such a large vehicle. When a driver cannot avoid an accident, lack of experience may have played a role.
#6. Road Damage
Cities are responsible for taking care of their roads. If they do not, they could be held responsible for resulting accidents. But suing a city is no easy task and requires particular skill and knowledge from your legal team to help you get the compensation you deserve.
#7. Fatigue
Fatigue plays a significant role in semi-truck accidents. Not only are there laws requiring semi-truck drivers to take breaks every so often, but fatigued drivers can also mimic symptoms of drunk driving. These accidents can be especially catastrophic since the truck driver is not alert enough to take evasive maneuvers before the crash.
Determining Fault
Knowing who caused your accident is crucial to getting the compensation you deserve and holding the negligent party accountable. To get to the bottom of this, your legal team may need to investigate your accident. They may even need to use the services of truck accident reconstruction experts.
Many law firms cannot handle this complexity. The right semi-truck accident attorneys know how to investigate your accident, working diligently to uncover evidence that can show someone else is to blame. This information is key to getting compensation because you need to know who owes you money.
Too many lawyers skip this critical step. An investigation is the only way to determine the precise cause of your semi-truck accident. Without it, you are shooting in the dark.
One of the best ways to get this information is to locate the truck’s black box. Just like airplanes have black boxes, so do commercial trucks. This box records essential information about what the truck was doing in the seconds leading up to the accident. It can help prove who was negligent and should be on the hook for your medical bills and other financial losses.
Here is a brief discussion of the most common sources of liability.
#1. Truck Driver
The most obvious place to look after any accident is the driver. In a semi-truck accident, the truck driver is often at least partially to blame. The truck driver is responsible for handling their large vehicle correctly and preventing accidents. If the truck driver was driving negligently, you might be able to collect compensation from them for your accident injuries.
#2. Truck Owner
Sometimes, the truck owner is someone other than the driver. If the driver caused the accident, the vehicle owner may also be liable. Determining this will require an intense and thorough investigation.
#3. Truck Driver’s Employer
When a trucking company employs a truck driver, the employer is required to ensure the driver is well-trained and holds the necessary licenses and qualifications before sending them out on the road. If the employer fails to do any of that, they could be liable for the actions of the semi-truck driver who caused your accident.
#4. Maintenance Company
Many trucking companies outsource their maintenance of the trucks. Even routine maintenance issues can cause serious truck accidents. For example, if a maintenance technician improperly installed new tires or brakes, the truck could be unsafe for the road and cause a severe accident. Determining the exact cause of your truck accident will help an attorney know whether a maintenance issue could have caused the crash.
#5. Shipping Company
Sometimes the shipping company could be at fault for your accident. If the truck was loaded incorrectly or the weight was not properly distributed, the shipping company could hold some responsibility for your accident and your injuries.
Collecting Compensation
The entire point of figuring out who caused your semi-truck accident is to know who you can sue to help you recover compensation. Besides your health, getting money is the most critical issue.
You did not cause the truck accident. You did not ask to get injured. You did not want to have to make radical changes to your life, potentially forever. All of this is someone else’s fault.
To prove that someone else is responsible for your semi-truck accident, you need to show that:
- The other person or company owed you a duty of care to act reasonably
- They breached that duty of care by failing to act reasonably
- Because of the breach, you were involved in a truck accident where you suffered injuries
This might seem obvious because you know exactly what happened. But proving these elements to a legal standard requires skill and knowledge of semi-truck accident personal injury cases. Especially when large companies are involved, they will not make it easy to prove these elements.
Ultimately, your goal is to work toward getting compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost income
- Lost earning potential
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Present and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
- Home renovation costs
In extreme cases, you may never return to work. While that can require significant, traumatic changes, you may get money to cover your expenses for the rest of your life.
It would be better if an accident had never disrupted your life. However, you cannot go back.
We know that no amount of money can undo your pain and suffering, but it can give you the support you desperately need. When you no longer have to worry about how you pay your bills, you can focus all of your effort and energy on your health and recovery. Doing that can speed up your recovery process and help you get back to your regular life.
The best way to give yourself a good chance of getting maximum compensation is to make sure you have aggressive legal advocates fighting to protect your rights. Together with your legal team, you can work toward getting the compensation you need so that you do not pay a penny out of your own pocket.
Act Fast
Here is the thing about filing a lawsuit against the negligent party in your semi-truck accident case-you do not have all the time in the world to wait.
You must act fast.
Every state restricts the amount of time you have after you get into an accident to file a personal injury claim against the negligent party called a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations in Louisiana is just one year.
After such a severe accident, the last thing on your mind is preparing for a lawsuit. That is completely understandable. But, you may regret not missing this important filing deadline. If you miss this deadline, your case will be barred, and you will not have the chance to collect compensation from the at-fault party. Adding insult to injury, you cannot afford to wait.
Your legal team can make sure you do not miss this filing deadline. They want to give you every chance of collecting maximum compensation for your accident and your injuries.
If you think you can wait, just consider all of the hurdles you will face during that one year after your truck accident:
- Multiple surgeries
- Extended hospital stays
- Multiple doctor visits
- Long periods out of work
- In-facility rehabilitation
- In-home care
Because of everything, you will face during your recovery, and because you should focus on getting better, you deserve an experienced New Orleans semi-truck accident lawyer. The right lawyer can fight to protect your rights and help you get the compensation you need to recover from your accident.
Choosing a Lawyer for Your Case
Remember this-not all lawyers are created equal.
Do not trust just any attorney with your complex case. You do not want to be your lawyer’s first semi-truck accident personal injury claim. You want your lawyer to have enough cases under their belt to show that they know how to succeed.
Lawyers without experience in semi-truck accident cases will miss things that more experienced legal teams will not. An inexperienced lawyer may never have taken a semi-truck accident case to trial. While many truck accident victims want to avoid trial at all costs, the right lawyer wants to ensure you get every shot at maximum compensation. While an attorney can work diligently to settle your case before trial, sometimes insurance companies refuse to settle for a fair and reasonable amount. Other times, the facts of your case are so complex that a jury needs to hear how badly you have suffered to award you everything you deserve.
Partnering with a skilled New Orleans semi-truck accident lawyer is what you need right now. Focus on getting better and let your legal team fight for you.
Contact A Truck Accident Attorney Today
The right truck accident attorney has the experience to protect the rights of injured victims like you. Call an accident attorney for your free consultation after a New Orleans semi-truck accident. Because truck accident attorneys typically take cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe anything unless they win your case. Reach out to a lawyer today.