Semi Truck Accident Lawyer

Semi-trucks are constantly on the move throughout America’s highways and byways. They carry goods and materials that keep our economy functioning. They also create the risk of serious — sometimes deadly — road accidents.

According to the FMCSA, 121,000 semi-trucks and other large commercial vehicles were involved in injury-causing accidents in 2017. Large trucks were also involved in 4,455 fatal crashes.

Injured victims can turn to Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers for a dependable semi-truck accident attorney. Our firm has fought for victims’ rights to seek compensation for over a quarter of a century. We know the legal strategies that can help you obtain the maximum compensation available.

You can schedule a free, no-obligation case review with an experienced attorney today when you call 800-559-5741 or contact us online.

How Do I Know If I Have a Personal Injury Case?

From our perspective, anyone with damages in excess of a few thousand dollars — including medical bills and related costs — should have a legal professional review your case.

Investigating your case may uncover multiple instances of negligence. There may be proof that the semi-truck driver was distracted, or the carrier may have routinely allowed employees to violate hours of service regulations.

Reviewing your case with an experienced personal injury attorney is one of the only ways to know for sure what legal options you have available. By looking at the letter of the law and past case rulings, your lawyer can potentially determine ways to prove fault that a non-lawyer may have no reason to know.

What Sorts of Damages Can Be Claimed from a Semi-Truck Accident?

Rules for claiming damages vary from state to state. For instance, some states like Florida have “no-fault” insurance rules that only allow you to claim a portion of your accident losses and force you to use your own insurance unless you have a qualifying “serious injury.”

States that have a fault system can vary on the types of damages available.

Generally speaking, a semi-truck collision victim can expect to collect some or all of the following types of damages:

Medical bills, past, and future
Lost wages
Out of pocket costs
Vehicle repairs
Personal property replacement
Loss of domestic services
Loss of future earning capacity

Additionally, some states allow what is called “general damages,” which are non-monetary losses that can be quantified in a dollar amount. These include:

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Mental anguish
And more

If the semi-truck accident resulted in the death of a loved one, a representative of their estate can claim some or all of the above damages, depending on your state’s relevant laws. Surviving family members may also claim the following damages:

Funeral and burial costs
Loss of household income
Loss of companionship and spousal relationship

All damages have to be documented to convince insurers and, potentially, juries that the claimed value is genuine.

Your personal injury lawyer will work closely on your case to document your costs and obtain the testimony of experts that all costs were genuine, reasonable, and accident-related.

How Do I Prove That the Semi Truck Was At Fault?

In order to obtain compensation for your damages, you will have to make a convincing legal argument that another party, such as the semi-truck driver, was responsible for the accident.

Proving who caused the accident means proving that someone was negligent. In a nutshell, negligence occurs when a party breaks the law or otherwise fails to exercise “ordinary care” as a “reasonable person” would.

According to the FMCSA, the most common types of negligence that lead to large truck accidents include:

Defective or poorly maintained brakes
Defective or poorly maintained tires
Traveling too fast for road conditions
Illegal or over-the-counter drug abuse
DUI
Driver fatigue
Distracted driving
Illegal maneuvers
Driver under pressure from carrier
Improperly secured cargo
Following too closely
Exceeding the weight limit of vehicle or road structure

Hiring a semi-truck accident attorney gives you the legal resources to investigate the causes of the accident and relevant laws. Reviewing trucking regulations, state and federal carrier laws, and past cases similar to yours can reveal opportunities to argue that the driver, their employer, or a related third party was negligent.

Insurance Companies Will Want to Fight Tooth and Nail

Many semi-truck accident cases have resulted in large settlements and verdicts; Auger & Auger’s history of past case success proves that.

Insurance companies want to make a profit, so they will do anything they can to reduce the value of a claim — or deny it altogether.

Common strategies insurers use include arguing that the accident victim was partially or wholly at fault. Most states have a comparative or contributory negligence statute that reduces the value of a claim when the injury victim was at least partially responsible for the accident.

Other strategies focus on discounting your healthcare costs. Insurers may say that some of your injuries were related to a previous condition, or they may say that not all of your costs were “reasonable” or “necessary.”

Auger & Auger has tried hundreds of car and truck accident cases. We are familiar with all of the strategies insurers use. We aim to build strong cases that have a high chance of convincing juries that you deserve compensation. Our tactics may encourage insurance companies to settle — and when they don’t, we can take them to court on your behalf.

Hire Experienced Semi Truck Accident Lawyers

The semi-truck accident team at Auger & Auger has multiple offices and meeting locations across North Carolina and South Carolina. We are ready to respond to you and evaluate your case.

Our case reviews are 100% free. You’ll also never pay for our services unless we are able to recover money for you.

Call us today at 800-559-5741 or contact us online to schedule your no-obligation appointment now.