Truck Accident Lawyer

Have you recently experienced an accident while driving your truck? You could benefit from partnering with a semi-truck accident lawyer. At Steinger, Greene & Feiner, we provide a team of experienced injury lawyers who remain meticulously familiar with local law and who advocate tirelessly on your behalf.

Truck accidents aren’t always as clear-cut as they seem and you need a lawyer who can navigate all the complexities and help turn the case in your favor. A lawyer with experience arguing cases dealing with crashes with commercial trucks can argue more effectively than other attorneys.

You won’t find a better option than Steinger, Greene & Feiner. We maintain service locations all around the United States, including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Boston.

What to Do After a Truck Accident

When you experience a car accident or truck crash, what should you do? To increase your chances of a favorable outcome, take the following steps:

1. Call emergency services: When you’re involved in an accident, the first thing you should do is call emergency services. You must at least call the police, but depending on the severity of the crash, you should take the precaution of calling an ambulance as well.
2. Cooperate with police: When the police arrive on site, honestly answer all their questions but don’t admit any guilt. Control your emotions and stick only to facts without appearing to accuse the other person or incriminate yourself.
3. Document everything: The police will take witness statements and pictures, but you should also create your own copies. Right down or record your own experience before your memory fades, and take pictures of any property damage and injuries you’ve experienced.
4. Seek medical treatment: Even if you walk away from the accident, you should seek immediate medical treatment, as some injuries have delayed manifestation. The doctor can also document all your injuries, even the minor ones, so you have physical evidence for your injury case.
5. Call your attorney: Once you’ve completed a medical checkup, or even while you’re waiting to see the doctor, call your injury attorney. The sooner you can call them, the more quickly they can start processing your case and gathering evidence.

Common Causes of Truck Accident

What are the common reasons you’ll need a semi-truck accident lawyer? Statistics on large truck and bus crashes show the majority of truck accidents have the following causes:

• Driver error: Driver error remains incredibly common and includes operating your vehicle while tired, ignoring speed limit reductions, distracted driving, and driving while intoxicated. The Harvard School of Public Health attributes 20% of all truck accidents to falling asleep while driving.
• Poor maintenance: One study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration attributed nearly 55% of trucking accidents at least partially to mechanical violations. Because they stay on the road almost constantly, trucks experience more wear and tear than other vehicles.
• Equipment malfunction: According to the FMCSA, nearly 29% of all truck accidents occur due to faulty brake systems. This responsibility often lies with the manufacturer.
• Improper loading: While a rare cause of truck crashes, improperly loading your cargo can unbalance the vehicle and cause an accident.
• Regulation violations: State and federal trucking regulations exist to keep everyone safe. When drivers ignore these statutory authorities, it often leads to accidents.

If you’re at least partially at fault for the accident, it can complicate your case. However, this doesn’t mean the lawyer can’t defend your interests and you may still receive some compensation for the crash.

Determining Liability in Truck Accidents

Successfully advocating your case depends significantly on establishing liability for the accident. In many cases, both parties bear some fault for the crash. Still, even if the courts find you partially at fault, that doesn’t mean you lose your case completely.

To determine who bears the responsibility for the crash, your attorney will examine the roles of the following parties:

• Truck driver: The truck driver often bears responsibility if they caused the crash through neglect or error, lack of maintenance, or violating regulations or laws.
• Trucking company: The trucking company may assume liability if they didn’t properly perform a background check on or train the driver (such as checking their rating in the safety measurement system), if the driver operated too many hours, or if they performed inadequate maintenance.
• Shipping company: A court may find the shipping company liable if they poorly packed the cargo, imposed unreasonable deadlines, or pressured the driver to violate federal guidelines.
• Broker: If the broker doesn’t maintain compliance with federal regulations, provides false information to drivers or the trucking company, or has improper documentation, they can bear significant responsibility for the accident.
• Truck manufacturer: The majority of cases where a court finds the truck manufacturer liable occur when they installed faulty truck parts and knew better, could have reasonably known of the malfunction, or didn’t take steps to fix the issue once they found out.
• Third-party: If another driver also experienced the crash, they may assume liability for the same reasons as the truck driver.

When multiple parties bear liability for the crash, they still receive some compensation but are prorated based on the percentage of fault they bear. For example, if the court finds you should receive $20,000 for the accident but found you 20% responsible, you’ll receive $16,000 instead (20 x .8 = 16).

Key Legal Considerations in Truck Accident Claims

What elements must your truck accident attorney address to effectively advocate on your behalf? 

• Negligence: If the lawyer can prove negligence on behalf of a third party or a company, it can significantly increase the compensation you’ll receive.
• Vicarious liability: Vicarious liability refers to holding someone responsible for the fault of a third party. For example, even if you caused the accident, your employer may bear some liability on your behalf.
• Federal regulations: The attorney must interpret federal regulations and, in some cases, may use them in your favor.

Compensation in Truck Accident Cases

How much compensation can you receive when you work with an experienced truck accident attorney? You’ll likely receive a mix of economic (medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, funeral expenses, and more) and non-economic (pain and suffering, emotional burden, loss of companionship, mental anguish) compensation.

How much compensation can you receive? Too many factors help determine your payment, so we can’t give a single number. However, on average, walking away from the accident with minor injuries could yield payments ranging from $3,000 to $10,000, whereas life-altering injuries can lead to compensation ranging from $85,000 to $3 million.

What factors help determine how much you’ll receive?

• Liability: The amount of liability you bear for the accident directly affects the level of compensation you can receive. The greater responsibility you assume for the accident the lower your payout.
• Severity: The severity of the accident greatly affects how much money the court may grant you. One major reason for this strong correlation is the strong connection between the severity of the accident and the expenses it incurs.
• Expenses: The biggest factor in determining the compensation you can receive is the amount of expenses that resulted from the accident. While some of these expenses offer a tangible measurement (like medical bills and lost wages), other expenses require some estimation (such as pain and suffering).
• Evidence: The amount of gathered evidence can play a significant role in determining your final compensation. That’s why you should document everything and reach out to your lawyer as soon as possible.

How Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help

How can experienced truck accident lawyers help you successfully advocate your case? Whether your case seems simple or complex, a competent lawyer can help in the following ways:

• Gathering evidence: Your team of lawyers will start by gathering evidence above and beyond the initial efforts of law enforcement. This lays the foundation for establishing liability and increases the chances you’ll receive the highest possible outcome.
• Working with insurance companies: Payment for the accident often comes from insurance companies, and they do everything they can to avoid paying. An experienced injury lawyer knows all the tactics of the insurance company and the right techniques for countering them.
• Negotiating settlements: Many truck injury cases end with a settlement before they reach court. An experienced lawyer possesses excellent negotiation skills and can often convince insurance companies to settle in your favor.
• Arguing in court: In some cases, your lawyer can’t reach a settlement and the process involves a court case. Never advocate for yourself in front of a judge; having a competent lawyer on your side significantly increases your chances of success.

Many law firms have a team of professionals that can help you along the process. From paralegals to private investigators, the more services your attorney can provide, the greater the likelihood they will argue a successful case.

Choosing the Right Truck Accident Lawyer

How can you find an accident lawyer you know gives you the greatest chance of receiving a settlement or court ruling in your favor? Look for the following characteristics.

Injury Law Experience

During the consultation, ask the attorney, “What type of injury cases do you handle?” While a general personal injury lawyer can argue more successfully than a lawyer with a different type of experience, you should prioritize an attorney with extensive experience in trucking accidents.

Much like science has disciplines and subdisciplines, lawyers often gain experience in a specific area of law. The precedence and regulations dealing with trucking injuries differ from those governing a slip and fall injury, so a lawyer who has experience in advocating cases like yours has a higher chance of success than one with only analogous experience.

Contingency Fees

During your initial consultation, don’t forget to ask about attorney fees. Many injury lawyers use a contingency fee for their payment model. This means that, rather than charging you an hourly rate, they’ll take a percentage of your winnings.

This method has some significant pros and cons such as:

• You won’t pay them upfront; you only pay them if you receive some compensation.
• It motivates your attorney to argue a successful case.
• It can significantly lower the payment you receive.
• The attorney won’t take your case if they don’t think you can win.

Contingency fees usually range between 33% and 40%, and you may still pay additional expenses, so inquire about those as well.

Trial History

Ask the lawyer about their trial experience and success rate. Also, ask to see detailed case outcomes as evidence of their claims. Ideally, you want a lawyer with over a 50% success rate.

Communication

You should feel a connection with your lawyer, and you need them to communicate in a way that you understand. For example, ask them how much money they think you can win and assess their level of honesty, whether they use the language you can comprehend, and whether they seem personal or detached.

Why Choose Steinger, Greene & Feiner?

What makes Steinger, Greene & Feiner an excellent choice for your truck accident case? You only have to read our testimonials to find out. Our clients commonly mention the following characteristics as their favorite part of working with us:

• Responsiveness: Our clients love that we respond quickly to inquiries and regularly check in with them about the status of their cases. We always use the communication methods that work for our clients.
• Knowledge: You’ll love that we maintain a meticulous knowledge of local injury laws and federal trucking regulations.
• Kindness: Our lawyers always act with professionalism, kindness, and compassion. They know you’ve been through a lot, and you’re more than just another case to them.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Truck Accident Attorneys

When you need an experienced truck accident lawyer, reach out to Steinger, Greene & Feiner. With our team of knowledgeable personal injury lawyers, you give yourself an excellent chance of receiving compensation after the accident. Throughout every step of the process, from gathering evidence to arguing your case in court, we remain diligent and dedicated to arguing on your behalf.Don’t leave your future in the hands of a lawyer with less experience or knowledge. Reach out for a free consultation by calling (800) 916-8108 today.