Truck Accidents Require Serious Legal Representation
Truck drivers and truck companies that act negligently must be held accountable for the damage they cause. At The Ferrara Law Firm, LLC, this is our focus. Our Cherry Hill truck accident law firm represents victims of truck accidents in personal injury lawsuits in courts throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. If you’re looking for a truck accident lawyer that you can count on, you’ve come to the right place.
Since 1972, we have been working diligently to protect the rights of accident victims.
Truck Accident Injury Lawyer
Our truck accident lawyer also handles commercial vehicle accidents of all types, including delivery truck accidents, delivery van accidents, and accidents involving company cars. Commercial drivers are often in a hurry, and their haste can lead to negligence. That negligence can lead to serious collisions.
These semi-truck accident cases are unique. In most auto accident cases, we are going to take action against the negligent driver. In commercial vehicle accident cases, we may take action against the company that employed the driver or owned the vehicle.
In some cases, it may be the company that is truly responsible. For example, if an accident was caused because the company did not properly maintain the semi, the company should be held accountable.
Because of the vast size and weight discrepancy between commercial trucks and the cars that we drive, truck accidents are exceedingly dangerous and often deadly. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shares two statistics that highlight how prevalent dangerous truck accidents are, including:
- From 2016 to 2017, the number of fatal truck crashes increased by 10 percent ( from 4,251 to 4,657).
- From 2016 to 2017, the number of truck accidents that caused injuries increased by 5 percent (from 102,000 to 107,000).
Further, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)shares that most deaths that result from truck accidents are occupants of the other motor vehicles.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, you need an experienced commercial vehicle accident lawyer on your side to help file a claim.
Truck accident cases are complicated, and while the trucker himself or herself is often at fault, the trucking company, truck mechanics, and truck manufacturer are sometimes also liable. The financial, physical, and emotional, and property damages associated with a serious truck accident are often immense, and to reach your fullest recovery, you will need to be fully compensated for the damages you’ve suffered.
Examples of Trucking Accidents
Every truck accident is unique, but there are certain types of truck accidents that are most common, including:
- Jackknife Accidents – Semi-trucks, or tractor-trailers, have a cab and trailer that are joined by a massive hitch that allows the two parts to work in tandem while allowing the enormous vehicle to make turns and maneuver effectively and efficiently. Sometimes, however, when a trucker takes a turn too quickly or performs an otherwise unsafe maneuver, a semi-truck can jackknife in on itself – the two parts come together like a jackknife closing. Such accidents are obviously exceedingly dangerous for everyone who shares the road.
- Rollovers – 18-wheelers are very tall and have a high center of gravity. When these commercial trucks aren’t well maintained, properly loaded, or driven safely, it can lead to rollovers. The danger inherent to a massive truck that flips over on the roadway is readily apparent, and the damage that ensues is usually immense.
- Underrides – Big rigs ride much higher than our cars do, and this can lead to dangerous underride accidents in which a car actually goes underneath the side of a truck. Semis have bars on the back to help prevent underrides from the back, but many do not have side guards. Underride accidents are both extremely dangerous and uniquely terrifying.
- Rear-End Accidents – 18-wheelers are immensely heavy and large trucks that require much longer stopping distances than other vehicles do, and this makes rear-end accidents that much more likely. When a massive semi slams into a tiny (by comparison) car, the damage is typically catastrophic.
Every accident involving a semi-truck is a serious accident and should be treated as such.
Truck Accidents Can Cause Serious Injuries
Our big-rig accident lawyers represent people who have sustained a wide range of serious personal injuries in trucking accidents, including brain injuries, back and neck injuries, lost limbs, scarring, and disfigurement. We also handle cases involving fatal truck accidents.
Our goal in every truck accident is to get compensation for you. If you or someone you love has been involved in this type of accident, we encourage you to turn to our experienced truck accident attorneys for help. We have experience with all aspects of trucking accidents, including:
- Compensation for lost wages after a truck accident
- Compensation for medical bills after a truck accident
- Intoxicated truck driver accident
- Truck accident investigations
- Trucking company negligence
Our Experience in Truck Accident Lawsuits
Successful truck accident cases require both extensive preparation and extensive knowledge of truck accident law. At The Ferrara Law Firm, we pride ourselves on our thorough approach to carefully constructing each truck accident case. We don’t stop with simply gathering evidence but instead run focus groups, work closely with jury consultants, and bring in some of the nation’s leading experts in the field – in addition to the extensive work performed by our dedicated legal team.
We are committed to aggressively advocating on your behalf for the compensation to which you are entitled, and our success rate with complicated and sensitive truck accident litigation speaks to this unfailing commitment.
We have earned a record of success that includes multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements. We continue to build this record with every truck accident case we accept.
We take great care to investigate every case, and our lawyers are familiar with the wide range of causes of truck accidents, including:
- Overloaded trucks and unsecured loads
- Defective trucks and truck equipment
- Improper truck maintenance
- Truck driver fatigue
What You Can Expect: Settlements
The damages associated with semi accidents are often immense, and the settlement amounts for truck accidents reflect this fact. The road to recovery after being injured in a truck accident is long and arduous, and – in order to make your most complete recovery – you will require compensation for your full range of damages from insurance companies or other parties. Although the medical costs associated with such accidents are generally extensive, your damages are not likely to stop there.
To better understand what you can expect to receive in a truck accident settlement, it’s important to take a careful look at every aspect of your personal experience.
Medical Expenses
Your medical costs can include:
- Emergency care and transportation from the scene of the accident
- Surgery and aftercare
- Rehabilitative care
- Medical attention from doctors, specialists, and therapists
- Physical therapy
- Adaptive physical devices
- Prescription medications
- Home adaptations to accommodate your injuries
- Home healthcare
The medical costs associated with a semi accident are often astronomical.
Lost Wages
If you have been injured in a truck accident, your road to recovery is probably going to be a long one that, in all likelihood, will cost you in terms of lost hours and wages on the job. A serious injury can even alter your career trajectory and diminish your earning capacity well into the future. Because most of us closely associate our sense of self with our occupations, these damages are not only costly but can also be an extreme emotional hardship.
Pain and Suffering
Truck accidents are terrifying accidents that not only cause physical and financial damages, but that also lead to extensive emotional pain and suffering. Many victims suffer PTSD like symptoms and have a difficult time getting back behind the wheel of a car. Other symptoms can include:
- The emotional impact of physical scarring and disfigurement
- Nightmares and flashbacks
- Life experiences missed as a result of the accident
- The physical pain endured
- Physical limitations experienced as a result of the accident
- Depression and/or increased anxiety
The list of emotional consequences can go on and on and is unique to the individual victim. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, the full scope of the damages you’ve suffered is likely to be extensive and should be accounted for in your truck accident case.
Request A Free Case Evaluation From a Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer
If you or someone you love has been injured – or worse, such as wrongful death – in a truck accident, you need a truck accident lawyer near you. The Ferrara Law Firm, LLC, proudly serves the New Jersey area, so please contact or call us at 856-324-6156 or 888-874-8317 (toll -ree) for a free case evaluation today. Hablamos español.
