A Denver truck accident attorney will do their own investigation into the cause of the crash. They will also do a deep dive into the driver and their suitability to operate a tractor-trailer truck. The defense will use the same methodology in hopes of contradicting your account and the police report. They will also do a deep dive into the passenger car driver’s history to show a history of negligent driving, alcohol abuse or how current injuries derive from older injuries.
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Every case is different, but one thing will be consistent – trucking cases require a tremendous amount of resources. In Colorado, we have a lot of truck accident cases, and are often approached by people who have been injured in a truck crash of some kind – whether they were in a passenger car or the truck drivers themselves.
Metier Law Firm's investigators are prompt in arriving at the scene of an accident and, more importantly, they will safeguard important evidence. Our team will search the accident site for any evidence and record skid marks, broken glass, and stains from oil, gas, and radiator fluid. Additionally, our investigators will obtain witness statements, police reports, trucking company records, photos, and safety logs. In addition to safeguarding any tangible evidence on the truck itself, we will also safeguard the "black box" of the big rig, which contains crucial information about it.
In many cases, the most crucial element is time because, without the assistance of an experienced lawyer, evidence can vanish suddenly and irretrievably.
How are truck crashes different from car accidents?
For one thing, injuries in trucking accidents tend to be much more serious. Second, cases involving trucks are always system cases. In a trucking case, you must always deal with the issues of the driver's supervision, training, and qualifications prior to accepting the position. Those are the things that matter. System failure is a crucial component of every trucking case that must be taken into account since you don't have those things in a case involving a
car accident. If you have other questions like this, please call our office in Denver, Colorado.
Other ways truck crashes are different than car accident:
- Injuries are almost always far more severe.
- There can be multiple liable parties – most will not even be present during the crash.
- There can be multiple insurance policies – most are typically much larger than passenger car automobile policy limits.
- The legal teams will be much larger and more aggressive than those in passenger car collision claims.
Truck accidents can be devastating and are much more complicated than car accidents. This is why you should always talk to a Denver commercial truck accident lawyer with the experience, knowledge, and track record to protect your claim and fight for your rights.
What should you do after a truck crash?
There are two things you need to get done to ensure you are doing everything you can to get justice:
- Go to the doctor.
- Hire a lawyer.
First, a doctor is going to be able to get rid of your pain or set a medical treatment path for your recovery. No one wants to be in pain. Do not wait to go to the doctor - go right away. In most cases, people in passenger cars are severely injured and will be taken by an ambulance to a hospital.
Second, you can’t handle a truck accident case alone. Hire a Denver truck accident lawyer as quickly as possible. Timing is everything in these cases and the longer you wait, the higher the chances are of losing critical evidence. For example, modern big rigs have “black boxes” just like airplanes. If the driver was speeding or never attempted to slow down until after the collision, the black box will show this. Some truck manufacturers automatically overwrite the data after a certain number of engine restarts and without an attorney’s intervention, the trucking company will attempt to repair their equipment to keep business moving forward which will permanently erase this critical evidence.
Many lawyers will tell you to get the truck driver's information or collect evidence, but we've found that most people who are in truck accidents can't do much at the scene. If you were taken away in an ambulance and couldn't take pictures or gather evidence, your attorney should be the person that goes to the scene, not a friend or family. Most likely, a friend won't know what to look for or how to collect it.
What to look for when choosing a Colorado semi-truck accident lawyer
First, you need a Colorado truck accident lawyer who has a lot of experience with cases involving semi crashes. The legal team fighting against you will have experience fighting to pay injured people as little as possible, so you need a team of truck accident attorneys with experience fighting to get injured people the highest settlements and verdicts possible.
Second, you need a lawyer who has a lot of experience with these cases. They will know how to find each liable party which unveils new layers of insurance, so you can get the money you deserve. They’ll also know how to protect and preserve all of the evidence to prove your injuries came from the actions of the truck driver and trucking company.
Third, you need a law firm that is big enough to handle trucking cases, both in personnel and financially. These cases are much more expensive, time-consuming, and resource-intensive than other types of cases.
Fourth, you need a lawyer who works in the area where your accident happened. That local knowledge can be very important if you want your case to go well.
Lastly, find a truck accident attorney who teaches other attorneys how to litigate truck accident cases or co-counsels with other attorneys on their truck crash lawsuits. If other attorneys seek out a specific attorney or law firm when they want the largest settlement or verdict for a client, then you should consider hiring them too.
What causes Denver truck wrecks?
Driver Errors
A driver error is one of the most common causes of collisions. Some of the errors that truck drivers are at risk of committing include
- Sleeping at the wheel
- Driving while impaired
- Distracted driving
- Driving or taking a turn at an unsafe speed
Shifting cargo
Another risk that drivers face is that of a cargo shift within the trailer. Cargo shifts when it is improperly loaded or secured, or if it is inherently dangerous and moves within the truck.
If cargo shifts, a truck driver may be unable to safely maneuver the vehicle.
Vehicle Defects
Sometimes, the truck itself has a defective part. Nothing is more terrifying than a truck driver applying the brakes only to discover that they have gone out. Suffering a serious tire blowout while driving down the highway can be just as bad.
Company Mistakes
In some cases, an accident would never occur but for a mistake made by a trucking company. Examples of such mistakes might include
- Failing to inspect or service trucks
- Failing to properly train or hire drivers with clean driving records
- Pressuring drivers to breach hours of service requirements to meet tight deadlines
- Road Defects
- Defects in the road, like potholes, unmarked turns, improperly maintained roads, and more can increase the risk of an accident
When a road defect causes a crash, the party responsible for maintaining the road—often a municipality—may be to blame.
Other Drivers’ Dangerous Behaviors
Other drivers on the road can also cause Wyoming truck crashes. Aggressive driving, cutting off a large truck, driving in blind spots, attempting to illegally pass a large truck are all dangerous behaviors that can lead to crashes.
Common injuries
Injuries from truck accidents are frequently much more serious than car accidents because of the enormous size and weight of commercial trucks (which can weigh up to 80,000 pounds). Serious injuries to drivers and other occupants of passenger vehicles in collisions with 18-wheelers include
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Seat Belt injuries
- Broken bones
- Rib and torso injuries
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Burn injuries
- Lacerations
The risk that a collision may result in death is significantly increased by large commercial trucks as well. Family members of the deceased individuals may decide to bring a wrongful death case against the negligent truck driver and the business that employed the driver if the person was killed in a commercial truck accident.
Who is liable in my Colorado truck wreck?
If you
sustained a serious injury or a loved one died in a truck accident due to negligence, there may be multiple parties liable for your damages, including
- The Truck Driver
- A Trucking Company
- A Shipping Company
- A Broker
- The Truck Manufacturer
- A Third Party (e.g., another driver involved in the crash)
Claims involving tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, semis, big rigs, and other large commercial vehicles are rarely straightforward and often complex. If you want to maximize the value of your claim, you should strongly consider hiring an experienced attorney.
What are the different types of truck accidents?
Due to their large size and high center of gravity, there are many ways for a tractor-trailer to get into an accident. Some of the most common truck accidents are:
- Rear-End – When a heavy truck crashes into the back of a smaller passenger vehicle.
- Underride – When a smaller car gets crushed and lodged underneath the trailer of the truck.
- Rollover – When a tractor-trailer tips completely over onto its side.
- Jackknife – When the cab of the tractor-trailer and the trailer fold in on each other to form a 90-degree angle, resembling a folding pocket knife.
- Blind Spot – When a truck merges, turns or switches lanes into another vehicle and causes a collision.
- Head-On – When a large commercial truck collides with the front end of a smaller passenger car.
