Semi Truck Wreck Lawyers

One out of every eight auto accident fatalities involves large trucks.

Did you know that one out of every eight automotive accident fatalities involve large trucks such as big rigs, tractor trailers and other commercial vehicles? Did you also know that four percent of all injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes are caused by large trucks? When a commercial truck is involved in an accident, 86 percent of fatalities and 77 percent of those injured are the drivers and passengers of the smaller vehicles involved in the crash.

It’s no secret: trucking companies don’t play fair. They have plenty of tricks up their sleeve to make your recovery difficult or impossible, and they love it when you try to handle a claim on your own because they can virtually always settle for less than if an attorney were involved.

Don’t face this alone. You deserve the best team of semi truck accident lawyers on your side to help you win this fight.
Our law firm has over 20 years of experience grappling with trucking companies and insurance adjusters on behalf of victims of truck accidents. Count on us to fight diligently to get you full and fair compensation for all damages.

What to Do After an 18 Wheeler Accident

If you were in an accident with an 18 wheeler, it’s likely you have an overwhelming amount of physical, psychological, and economic damages.

Health and safety are the top priorities in the immediate aftermath of a crash. Calling 911 is the top priority when a crash occurs.
If ambulance personnel recommend that you go to an emergency room for medical treatment, do so right away. Some injuries take time to show up, but you face a better outcome if a doctor spots and diagnoses them early on. Additionally, having a doctor document all of your injuries as soon as possible after the crash will help with any legal claim you pursue.
When you’ve been in an 18 wheeler wreck, it’s important to obtain accident reports.Be careful not to apologize or make comments that may indicate you were to blame. Many car accident victims will unintentionally say that they “only looked down for a second” or that they “should have seen the truck coming.” While these statements may seem harmless, the truck driver and trucking company can later use such comments to get out of liability and claim you are at fault for your own pain and suffering.

If possible, take pictures of the scene with your smartphone. Include road conditions, tire marks, and damage to all vehicles involved. If there are witnesses or other drivers stopped, get their contact information. This information doesn’t always make it into police reports, and witnesses can be difficult to track down as time passes.

Once you are free to leave the accident scene and doctors have stabilized your injuries, reach out to our experienced truck accident legal team at Leinart Law Firm.

Cases involving 18 wheeler accidents are complex, and your legal rights are at risk when trucking company attorneys are involved. Our experienced legal team will carefully examine what happened and will guide you in the right direction.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, around 121,000 nonfatal crashes involving injuries in 2018 involved large trucks or buses — a figure that has risen steadily since its low in 2009. If you’re involved in such an accident, you might wonder if you need a semitruck accident lawyer.

Find out more about semitruck accident attorneys and how they might be able to help in these types of cases below.

What Is a Semitruck Accident?

A semitruck accident refers to any collision on the road that involves a semitruck.

While accidents on the road can be dangerous for all involved, you don’t need a physics degree to understand that the risk is significantly larger when a passenger vehicle comes into contact with a big rig. In accidents like these, the smaller vehicle is almost always going to sustain the most damage.

In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than 4,000 people died in accidents involving large trucks in 2018, and just over two-thirds of those individuals were occupants in passenger vehicles such as cars, SUVs or pickup trucks.

You can see that a semitruck accident can often pit a small passenger vehicle against a much larger truck. But in the aftermath of such an incident, you can feel as if you’re pitted against a larger machine yourself — one comprised of insurance companies, corporate businesses and the lawyers hired by each.

Between the injuries and the obstacles, these types of accidents can be among the scariest and most stressful. And that fear and stress doesn’t go away after the incident or even after you’re able to recover from any injuries sustained during the crash. This is one reason many people reach out to truck accident lawyers.

What Should You Do After a Semitruck Accident?

Should you dial a truck accident attorney as soon as you’re involved in such a wreck? It may be a good idea to make that call soon after, but what you do in the immediate aftermath of a semitruck accident depends on the specific situation.

If you are badly hurt, the obvious first step is to seek medical attention. If you’re able, dial 911 and report the incident. If you’re not able but can communicate with those on the scene, make sure someone else has called emergency responders.

If you’re involved in the accident and are not seriously injured, call 911 first and then check on the other people involved.

You may want to take pictures of the accident or start taking down people’s names. It’s great to get details while they’re fresh, but never do so at the risk of your own safety. Remember that semitrucks can be hauling almost anything, and you don’t know if there are volatile chemicals or other dangerous substances on board. Semitrucks also have enormous engines and gas tanks that add to the risks of explosions or fires.

Before you start talking to other people or gathering information, be sure to attend to any safety and medical needs first.

Common Challenges People Face after a Semi truck Accident

The challenges one faces after a semi-truck accident will always depend on individual circumstances. But there are some common issues among those who have experienced this particularly frightening kind of accident which has driven people to search for a Houston truck accident lawyer before.

• Being uncertain of rights or options. You may question what your right in a personal injury case is when you’re in a collision. This is especially true when multiple vehicles are involved. Who is at fault, and do you have a right to seek compensation for your damages? Can you sue even if someone has claimed they aren’t at fault or their insurance company told you it wouldn’t cover your damages?
• Being unsure whether a settlement is fair. Maybe you know you’re not at fault and another driver’s insurance company should compensate you for your losses. But how much compensation should you settle for? How do you put a value on lost wages, injuries and other factors?
• Feeling intimidated by the process. Insurance companies, trucking businesses, and even lawyers might be sending you documents or calling you. Some might be pressuring you to accept certain compensation. The problem is, none of those people represent you or your best interests.

One mistake many people make is cashing the first check that arrives in a semi-truck accident case, and that’s understandable. You might have medical bills piling up, or possibly you’re out of work and aren’t drawing your full wages at this time. It’s tempting to accept what might be some much-needed funds.

However, there’s a chance that accepting any type of payment could negate or interfere with your right to seek further compensation.

How Can a Lawyer Help With Your Personal Injury Case?

An experienced semi-truck attorney may be able to help with all those challenges as well as others. First, when you talk to a lawyer, you can learn what your rights and options are so you can make an educated decision about how you want to move forward with your case.

Your lawyer can also start to stand in for you, handling some of the communications with insurance companies and other lawyers. That way, you can be free to heal and recover from the accident while knowing your case is being handled.

And as simple as it may sound, you get the comfort and assurance of knowing that your lawyer works for you. He or she has your best interests in mind, not the bottom line of the insurance company or the reputation of the trucking company. That’s important.

Experienced truck accident lawyers also understand how the system works and what the value of various damages and injuries might be. They can help you understand whether an insurance company is coming in with what sounds like a ridiculously low settlement. Lawyers can also explain the numbers and effort involved in filing a lawsuit so you can understand whether a settlement might actually be the better option.

When to Get an Attorney for a Semi truck Accident

You might want an attorney any time you are dealing with a personal injury case and you believe someone else should compensate you for your losses, and of course, this is truer the higher those damages might be.

At Leinart Injury Law, we offer free consultations to help you understand whether our services might be helpful for you. So, if you’re not sure whether you need an attorney for your semi-truck accident case, why not contact us today to find out more? Give us a call or complete our convenient online form.