Boston Truck Accident Lawyers

Answer: If you have been injured in a car accident, the first thing you should do is immediately seek medical attention and call the police to report the accident. If possible, get the truck driver’s license, insurance information, and license plate, make and model of their truck. Make sure to take photographs of the accident scene, including your vehicle, and collect any eye witness contact information. Finally, consider contacting an attorney to help you navigate the details of your accident and case.

Answer: The best way to determine if the settlement amount is enough is by having an experienced attorney evaluate your case. You may have a case for pain and suffering damages, for example, which are harder to quantify outright and may not be factored into your settlement from your insurance company.

Answer: Truck accidents can happen for a variety of reasons. Some common causes include speeding, drunk or drugged driving, fatigued driving, distracted driving, truck maintenance and repair issues, weather conditions, and defective truck parts.

Answer: If you are injured in a truck accident you may be entitled to: medical expenses, lost wages, reduced or lost earning capacity, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, and emotional trauma.

Answer: If you’ve been involved in a truck accident with a delivery company, the delivery truck company, truck driver, and company that loaded the deliveries could be found liable for the accident. If your accident involved a US Postal Service truck, then the process is a bit different. Because the federal government operates the Postal Service, you would have to file a claim through the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). These federal government cases can be incredibly complex. If a USPS delivery truck has injured you, contact an attorney to help you navigate the complexities of these cases before you pursue litigation.

Answer: Massachusetts law recognizes that multiple people could be at-fault for an accident. Those at fault could include the truck driver, the truck driver’s employer for hiring an inexperienced or negligent driver, the truck owner if there were mechanical issues that contributed to the crash, government agencies respond bile for signage and road conditions, among others. The court will carefully review all of the information related to the accident to determine who is at-fault as well as the percentage of fault for each individual involved in the accident. If an individual is found to be more than 50% at fault, than that individual is not entitled to collect any damages.

Answer: Some of the common causes of trucking accidents include driver fatigue, distracted driving, operating a truck under the influence of drugs or alcohol, improper or insufficient training, mechanical issues, speeding, and improperly secured loads.

Answer: In Massachusetts, trucking companies can be held responsible for the negligence of their employees. This means that the trucking company, the truck driver, and potentially other groups could be found to be responsible for the accident. An attorney can help you understand your options for your case to help increase the likelihood that you will recover the full amount of damages that you might be entitled to receive.

Answer: The value of your truck accident case depends on a few different factors, including your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the accident. An experienced attorney can assist in providing a more thorough estimate of your damages after reviewing all of these factors.

Answer: There are several pieces of information that can be used to determine whether a driver has been trained. Trucking companies are responsible for hiring properly trained drivers who also have a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate trucks. In addition, these companies must also maintain records and log books for their drivers. As part of your case, your attorney may request the information above as well as more details about the driver’s experience to help determine whether lack of training may have contributed to your accident.

Answer: One way to prove that a truck driver was fatigued is to provide proof that the driver violated federal Hours of Service rules through entries in their logbook. These rules are in place specifically to limit the amount of time that a truck driver can operate a vehicle. At most, a truck driver can operate their vehicle for no more than 11 hours straight after taking 10 hours off in total. The logbook entry can help provide information that could support a claim that the driver was fatigued and that contributed to the accident.

Answer: Common truck accident injuries include but are not limited to: lacerations, broken bones, spinal cord injuries and paralysis, neck, head and back injuries.

If I am partly responsible in a truck accident, do I still have a cause to sue?

Answer: Yes. In truck related accidents, oftentimes multiple drivers or groups may be partially at fault. In Massachusetts the concept “modified comparative fault” applies to truck accidents. Under this, you can recover damages from your claim if you were 50% or less at fault. If you are found to be more than 50% at fault, then you would not be entitled to damages.

Answer: The length of time to settle a lawsuit will vary. After all medical treatment related to your accident has finished, then your attorney would next work with you to gather all of the documentation needed to submit to the trucking company’s insurance company for your case. Typically, these types of cases settle within a few months of filing.

Answer: You are not required to give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster and should not do so without speaking to your attorney. The insurance adjuster for the trucking company may use your statement to try to prove that you were at fault at some capacity. It’s important to consult your attorney prior to making any statements to the insurance adjuster.

Answer: Several different actions can be considered negligent including driving in excess of the number of hours legally allowed, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and lack of training to understand the current rules and regulations.