Truck accidents involving complex trucking industry regulations often require legal expertise. In addition to basic rules of the road, trucking companies and drivers must comply with intricate state and federal regulations. Understanding these regulations is crucial for identifying violations and can greatly impact your case.
Accidents involving semi-trucks, such as jackknife or rollover accidents, can involve multiple vehicles and innocent drivers. Determining fault becomes more complicated when truck drivers claim independence to evade liability. Furthermore, other parties, such as maintenance or repair companies and truck manufacturers, may also be involved.
Due to the size and weight of trucks, injuries resulting from semi-truck collisions tend to be severe, ranging from cuts and bruises to whiplash, spinal injuries, head trauma, internal bleeding, or even death.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the number of accidents involving large trucks has been steadily increasing since 2018. In 2022 alone, 4,919 fatalities and 146,000 injuries resulted from crashes involving large trucks. These numbers highlight the importance of having access to a reliable lawyer if you are a truck accident victim.
A Truck Accident Attorney at Gallon Law Can Help You Determine Fault
Depending on the cause of the accident, liability for your crash could fall on one or more parties. Consider the following potential causes of truck accidents:
1. An employed truck driver gets behind the wheel while intoxicated, causing an accident.
2. The trucking company requires its employees to drive for 24 hours straight to meet a deadline, resulting in the driver falling asleep behind the wheel and causing an accident.
3. The trucking company neglects inspections and fails to address necessary repairs, leading to an accident caused by a broken trailer hitch.
4. A mechanic improperly repairs or maintains the semi-truck, causing brake failure and an accident.
5. A tire manufacturer sells a defective tire to the trucking company, leading to a tire blowout and an accident.
6. A third-party company improperly loads goods onto the truck, causing them to fall off during transit and resulting in an accident.
Liability in each of these scenarios depends on various factors, such as the employment status of the driver and the involvement of third-party entities like mechanics or manufacturers. If you need assistance in identifying all the liable parties, our truck accident lawyers at Gallon Law are here to help.
Gallon Law Will Uncover Any Trucking Regulation Violations
We can evaluate your case, sort through the complicated laws surrounding trucks, and discover any trucking violations that may have caused or contributed to the wreck.
Trucking companies are required under both state and federal laws to properly maintain and repair their vehicles, maintain safety records, and maintain driver logbooks. Furthermore, drivers are only allowed to drive for a limited amount of time each day.
Establishing that the defendant violated a trucking regulation can help you prove liability for the accident so you can recover compensation.
Gallon Law Can Stop the Trucking Company from Destroying Evidence
After your accident, your lawyer can send a letter of spoliation (also known as a preservation letter) to the defendant truck company. This letter will preserve pieces of evidence that may be vital to your case. Without such a letter, the truck company may be able to destroy certain pieces of evidence legally.
Relevant evidence for your case could include:
– Truck driver’s logbooks showing hours and miles driven
– The driver’s personnel files, including background checks and any drug test results
– Vehicle repair and maintenance records
– Vehicle inspection reports
– Photographs or traffic camera surveillance footage of the accident
– Employee handbooks containing rules and procedures for drivers
Act quickly after an accident to send a letter of spoliation before valuable evidence is destroyed.
Let Gallon Law Help You Recover Fair Compensation
You deserve compensation if you were the victim in a truck accident caused by someone else’s negligence. That compensation should cover all of your medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and future medical expenses.
The truck accident attorneys at Gallon Law will work with you to value your claim, including your long-term injuries and damages. Just paying for your current medical bills is not enough. The party at fault should be held accountable for all of the damages they cause now and in the future.
Call a truck accident attorney at Gallon Law today to start working on your case: 419-843-6663.
Jonathan Ashton, Partner and Personal Injury Attorney, began his law career at GT&B in 2007 as a law clerk. He was hired as an associate immediately after passing the Ohio Bar in 2008. Jonathan practices in Personal Injury, representing clients who have been injured and need justice and compensation for them to move forward in their lives.
