If you have been injured in a truck accident, the Metier Law Firm will fiercely defend your rights at all costs. Our Casper lawyers understand the unique challenges with commercial truck and 18-wheeler accident cases, and we have experience winning settlements and verdicts for our clients. Contact us today at 866-377-3800, day or night, for a free consultation.
How Are Truck Crashes Different from Car Crashes?
The challenges of any injury claim increase when a semi-truck causes the injuries. Understanding that 18 wheeler truck accident claims are instantly complicated by a number of issues is important for those involved in these types of collisions.
Unfortunately, many trucking firms and their insurance providers have a lot of experience dealing with injury claims from collisions involving their drivers. Insurance companies frequently exert intense pressure on victims to accept lump-sum settlements that are significantly less than what they actually need for their medical care and damages.
If you suffered catastrophic injuries or your loved one was killed in a commercial truck accident in the greater Casper area, you should seek legal representation as soon as possible. Commercial truck accident claims are far more complex than common car accident claims, and an experienced personal injury attorney will be enormously beneficial in helping you navigate the complicated legal process.
Depending on the cause of the truck accident, there could be numerous parties that share responsibility. Thorough knowledge of the many Federal and State laws truck companies are required to uncover and prove liability in these cases.
If you or a loved one were seriously injured or killed in a commercial truck accident in or around Casper, you should talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. Commercial truck accident claims are much more complicated than regular car accident claims, and you will need an experienced Casper truck accident lawyer to fight on your behalf.
How to Choose a Truck Accident Attorney?
First, you need a Wyoming truck accident lawyer who has a lot of experience successfully helping people who have been severely injured in truck accidents. Severe injury claims are very complicated by themselves without the complexity of a truck crash.
Second, you need a lawyer who has a lot of experience with truck crash cases. He or she will need to know how to prove liability of other parties but also know how to find extra layers of insurance that are often hidden. Severely injured victims deserve every penny that a Casper truck accident attorney can win them.
Third, you want a law firm that is big enough to handle trucking cases, which are much more expensive, time-consuming, and resource-intensive than other types of cases. Some attorneys that ask for our help have the experience to win a truck case, but don't have the financial or personnel resources.
Fourth, you need a lawyer who works in the area where your accident happened. Knowing the terrain, weather, and having other local knowledge can be very important if you want your case to go well.
Lastly, look for a law firm with lawyers who are
Board Certified in Truck Accident litigation.
What the Biggest Mistakes to Make After Being Injured in a Casper truck accident?
What you do in the hours and days after your truck crash can help or hurt your case. You probably won't know what to do or what not to do, but if you make a mistake, it could set your case back a long way.
We want you to avoid making two big mistakes:
- Talking to the truck company's insurance company about the accident.
- Waiting too long to talk with an attorney.
Talking to the insurance company is the fastest way to damage your case. They will try to get you to give a recorded statement. If you want to be fully paid, don't give them one. The people who work for insurance companies know how to get you to say something that will hurt your case. A truck accident lawyer in Wyoming knows how to handle these attempts and protect your rights.
You should move quickly because you don't have an infinite amount of time. If you wait too long, vital evidence proving wrongdoing and liability may be destroyed. Talk to an attorney as quickly as possible so that any evidence will be protected. Witnesses may forget important details about the crash too.
Why Are Commercial Truck Black Boxes Important for Truck Accident victims?
Black boxes are very important for people who have been hurt in trucking accidents because they give information that can't be found anywhere else about how and why a crash happened. Black boxes can help show what happened before and after a terrible tractor-trailer crash. A Casper truck accident attorney often needs the recordings to prove that a truck driver was tired, overworked, or negligent.
Black box data is definitely valuable, but it can be hard to get. Black box information won't be given to accident victims by trucking companies. They likely will simply do nothing to preserve it because most devices automatically delete data after the truck starts up a designated number of times or after a specified time period.
It is imperative that you contact an experienced trucking accident attorney as soon as possible if you or a loved one suffered injuries in a tractor-trailer accident. Your Casper truck crash lawyer can protect this data from disappearing by crafting a spoliation letter to the trucking company demanding that the contents of the black box be saved and sent to them.
Your truck accident lawyer must not only know how to get the information from the black box, but also how to use it to win your case. To do this, you need to know a lot about the mechanics and standards of trucks, as well as the rules that govern the trucking industry. It could also involve hiring one or more experts to help with the investigation or testify in court about things like trucker fatigue, FMCSA compliance, tractor trailer brake systems, the physics of semi-truck crashes, or how black boxes work.
What Are Common Injuries of Casper Truck Accidents?
When 18-wheelers get into crashes, the results are very bad for everyone involved. Due to the size and weight of most semi-trucks, which can weigh up to thirty times more than the average car, most accidents between these types of vehicles and passenger cars are very serious.
Some of the serious injuries our law firm sees from these crashes are:
- 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
These injuries don't heal quickly and some will never fully heal. Treating them may take years and will be incredibly expensive. Your truck accident attorney should be confident that they can get you the compensation you deserve so paying for your medical care will never be in question.
Common Causes of Truck Crashes
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act is the primary Federal law that regulates the commercial trucking industry. It covers all the different things that could cause accidents, such as driver qualifications, lack of emergency equipment, safe loading, and alcohol, drug, and substance abuse, among other things. Additional state laws will further regulate the industry, so your attorney needs to know how federal and state laws impact your case. Some of the most common reasons for accidents involving trucks and 18-wheelers in the Casper area are:
- Driver fatigue
- Driver inexperience
- Lack of training/negligence during the hiring process
- Overloaded/overstuffed trucks
- Brake/mechanical failure/defect
- Poor/dangerous driving conditions
- Speeding/otherwise careless driving
- Failure to yield right of way
- Aggressive driving behavior
- Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
Who Is Liable?
Even though the truck driver may have been careless and not paying attention, the truck company is ultimately to blame. Most of the time, they are held accountable for the accident.
Truck Crashes Are Preventable Accidents
A combination of driver error and non-enforcement of standards by the company increase the chances of a truck accident. Here are 5 of the most common and preventable causes of truck accidents:
Truck accidents happen when the driver makes a mistake or one or more parties put profits before people. Here are the five most common causes of truck accidents that can be stopped:
Driver Fatigue
When drivers miss their required breaks, they put themselves and everyone else on the road in danger. They are usually pushed to do this by tight deadlines, busy schedules, and pressure from the company to meet delivery dates or get fired.
Distracted Driving
Long stretches of flat roads and featureless land can be found in states like Wyoming. Drivers can be distracted by their phones, tablets, apps, social media, and other tech. We even had a case that involved a driver watching workout videos while driving. Because of this, federal rules say that drivers can't text or use a cell phone or smartphone while driving a commercial motor vehicle.
Underinflated Tires
Tires need to be checked all the time, both by the people who take care of the truck's maintenance and by the drivers themselves. Tires that aren't inflated enough wear out faster and can eventually damage their casings and burst if they aren't inflated enough. When a tire blows out, pieces of rubber and steel can fly off and injure people in surrounding vehicles.
Mechanical Failure
If a truck's brakes fail, it will crash into the cars in front of it, injuring or killing people. Brakes and other parts of large commercial trucks need to be checked often. When they aren't or when improper parts/components are used to save money, crashes are often the result.
Improperly Loaded Cargo
The truck's driver and whoever is in charge of it must make sure that it is loaded safely. If this doesn't happen, the cargo could shift while the truck is moving, causing the driver to lose control and cause a serious accident.
All of these things can be avoided if the driver and the company they work for are careful, alert, and do their jobs well. In fact, it is up to the government to set up the rules and ways to enforce them that will keep everyone safe on the road.
