A crash involving a large commercial truck can be a traumatic experience. You’re recovering from serious injuries and preparing for whatever the future holds for you and your family.
You’ll need compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, long-term care and other necessities. However, personal injury claims against commercial trucking companies are much more complicated than a crash involving two passenger vehicles.
In this blog, we’ll go over some of trucking accident claims’ challenges and how an experienced New York truck accident lawyer can help you get the settlement or trial outcome you need.
A Truck Accident Lawyer Has Experience in Commercial Truck Cases
Truck accidents are common. However, trucking companies and their insurance companies try to avoid paying personal injury claims unless they absolutely have to.
These companies typically hire experienced personal injury attorneys and experts. They may use tactics to try to shift blame on the victim. They try to get the injured person to accept a much lower settlement than they deserve – before they have a chance to speak with a truck accident attorney. Try not to feel pressured by these tactics.
You do not have to accept the first offer an insurance adjuster gives you.
You do not have to and should not make any statements to the trucking company before you speak with a lawyer. An experienced truck accident attorney knows the trucking companies’ tactics well and will act on your behalf, helping you focus on recovery while they handle negotiations.
A Truck Accident Lawyer Can Quickly Secure Evidence
Trucks and other commercial vehicles hold significant troves of evidence. Truck drivers and trucking companies must keep careful records—and they often voluntarily use technology that tracks their vehicles’ every move. We can request to see:
- Driver logbooks to track driving hours and rest opportunities
- Dash cam footage for a real-time view of the crash and often the driver
- “Black box” recorded data showing crucial data such as speed and brake application
- Maintenance records on the truck
However, the trucking company is not required to keep these records forever. It is important to secure them as quickly as possible before they are lost or destroyed.
Additional evidence can also be lost if not quickly required. This includes:
- Surveillance footage from surrounding buildings and businesses, which is often overwritten over time
- The look of the accident scene including skid marks and debris, before it is cleaned up or washed away
- Witness testimonies, which can fade or alter from memory
A truck accident attorney has the experience and resources to collect this information, knowing the best ways to request and access it. Leaving investigation to them can provide insights into your case that you might not have otherwise had.
A Truck Accident Lawyer Has Access to Expert Testimony
Good evidence can get your truck accident case far, but you must also use that evidence to clearly demonstrate how negligence contributed to the crash and how the crash has significantly affected your life.
An experienced truck accident lawyer can work with expert witnesses, putting crash factors in a clearer perspective for a jury. Such experts include:
- Accident reconstruction specialists to offer insight into what exactly happened during the crash
- Trucking safety experts to determine whether any malfunctions or safety violations factored into the crash
- Medical experts to describe the extent of your injuries and how they are likely to affect your long-term needs
- Economic experts to provide actual dollar value to your future losses, such as the costs of future medical care or reduced income potential
You can see more in-depth descriptions of what experts may testify to on our truck accident page.
There are also the experts on you: your family and close friends. They know better than almost anyone how the accident has affected you and your quality of life.
All these experts can provide powerful testimony should your truck accident case go to trial. But in many cases, the weight of evidence and potential testimony can help drive a settlement before it ever comes to trial.
Feroleto Law is On Your Side
Whether in the Buffalo area or throughout New York State, Feroleto Law has proven truck accident expertise to help you receive the compensation you deserve.
John Feroleto served as chair of the National Interstate Trucking Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice. He is dedicated to preserving the rights of victims injured or killed in trucking accidents, and his experience plays a factor in the outcomes of cases.
Focus on recovery while we focus on the rest. Call our office at 716-854-0700 or fill out our contact form to schedule a confidential free consultation.
