If you have been in an accident involving an 18-wheeler or other large commercial truck, you may be suffering from painful injuries and are concerned about what to do next. However, if the truck driver or another party was to blame, you may be entitled to compensation that covers the costs of medical treatment, lost wages, and other losses related to the accident.
At Jainchill & Beckert, LLC, our truck accident lawyers understand how physically and emotionally painful the aftermath of a truck accident can be. That’s why we want to help you seek the compensation you need from the parties responsible for your injuries. We pride ourselves on providing our clients with personalized representation and aggressively advocating for their rights. With more than five decades of combined experience, our semi-truck accident lawyers are more than prepared to handle all the details of your case so you can focus on your health.
We have some of the Best Truck Accident Lawyers in Plainville
Don’t wait to demand the money and accountability you’re owed. Contact our office today for a free initial case review with a Plainville truck accident lawyer.
Do You Have a Truck Accident Claim?
If you were injured in an accident with a commercial truck, you may have options for recovering compensation. However, these depend on the circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries. In addition, there could be more parties at fault besides the truck driver, including the trucking company.
This is why it’s important to discuss your legal options with an experienced Plainville truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer for Your Truck Accident Claim
Hiring a lawyer is often the best way to maximize your compensation after a serious accident with a semi-truck, big rig, or other truck. Trucking companies and their insurers have substantial resources that they can use to undervalue or deny your claim. An insurance company is a for-profit business, and it’s in the insurer’s best interest to pay accident victims as little as possible. However, an experienced Plainville truck accident lawyer knows their tactics and can work tirelessly to build a strong case on your behalf.
When you hire the Plainville, CT, truck accident attorneys of Jainchill & Beckert, LLC, you can count on our legal team to:
- Provide you with personalized representation that includes working directly with one of our partners.
- Explain your rights and legal options and let you know what you can expect at each stage of your case.
- Answer your questions promptly and politely.
- Conduct an independent investigation into the truck accident to determine which parties are liable for your injuries and to identify potential sources of compensation.
- Calculate your expenses and losses related to the truck accident, including anticipated future expenses, to determine the full amount you’re entitled to.
- Negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf for a fair settlement.
- Represent you in court should the insurance company refuse to offer a fair settlement.
What Compensation Can Be Recovered in a Plainville Truck Accident Case?
Depending on the circumstances of the accident that caused your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation for a wide range of related expenses and losses. Contact one of our truck accident lawyers now.
Typically, truck accident injury victims can pursue compensation for:
- Medical expenses, including hospital stays, surgeries, doctor’s appointments, prescription medications, physical or occupational therapy, and medical or mobility equipment
- Costs of long-term care if their injuries result in a permanent disability
- Lost wages if they miss work while recovering from their injuries
- Loss of future earning capacity and employment benefits if they cannot go back to work due to permanent disabilities
- Physical pain and emotional distress
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Loss of consortium, which means the accident victim can no longer provide their spouse with the same love/affection, dependence, sexual relations, or companionship as before the accident
- Repair costs or reimbursement of cash value if their vehicle was damaged or totaled in the accident
Common Types and Causes of Truck Crashes in Connecticut
Some of the most common types of truck accidents include:
- Sideswipe collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone or broadside collisions
- Underride accidents, where a passenger vehicle gets trapped under a truck trailer or tractor-trailer
- Jackknife accidents, which involve a semi-truck tractor and trailer folding in on one another at the articulation joint, like a pocket knife
- Cargo accidents, in which a truck driver loses control due to shifting or unbalanced cargo or spills cargo contents onto the road
- Runaway accidents, where a truck suffers a brake failure and cannot slow down or stop
Common causes of truck crashes include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Reckless driving, including weaving between traffic lanes
- Failing to signal or check mirrors and blind spots before turning or changing lanes
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Driver drowsiness
- Drug or alcohol intoxication
- Distracted driving
- Driver inexperience
- Unfamiliarity with routes or local roads
- Deferred or improperly performed truck maintenance
- Truck or auto part defects
- Excessive cargo or failure to secure or balance cargo
How Is Fault Determined for a Truck Accident in Plainville?
Because a truck accident can have multiple causes and involve several different parties, a truck accident lawyer will have to carefully review many kinds of evidence to determine whose actions caused the crash.
Truck accident evidence might include:
- The truck driver’s hours-of-service logs
- The truck driver’s driving and employment history
- Results of any drug and alcohol screens performed on the truck driver after the crash
- Logs from the truck’s electronic data recorder or “black box”
- Cargo manifests
- Trucking company dispatch records
- Truck inspection and maintenance records
- The truck driver’s cellphone records
- Surveillance or traffic camera footage
- Dashcam or in-cab camera footage
- Police accident reports
- Accident scene photos or video
- Post-crash vehicle inspection reports
- Eyewitness testimony
- Accident reconstruction reports
Why Truck Accidents Are More Complicated Than Other Crashes
Victims of truck accidents often find that pursuing compensation after a crash can be a complicated process. Some of the reasons truck accident cases are more complex than other auto accident cases include:
- Truck accidents often result in more serious injuries. The size of an 18-wheeler means the truck can impart significant force in an accident, enough to cause catastrophic or fatal injuries to anyone in the vehicle it hits. Because these accident victims often suffer severe injuries, they need to pursue even more compensation to cover their medical bills and lost income. These injuries are also more likely to require long-term medical care or ongoing treatment, so attorneys have to estimate future anticipated medical expenses and losses related to the injuries.
- There are often multiple victims in a truck accident. An accident caused by a large tractor-trailer is more likely to involve multiple passenger vehicles, especially when it takes place on a busy road. More vehicles mean that more people can be hurt. This can complicate a truck accident case if the trucking company wants to settle with all the accident victims at once or does not have sufficient insurance coverage or financial resources to fully compensate each injured victim.
- Multiple parties may be liable for the crash. Depending on the cause of a truck accident, multiple parties may share liability for the resulting injuries. These parties might try to shift the blame onto one another to avoid financial liability, potentially dragging out negotiations.
- Truck accident investigations involve many pieces of evidence. The trucking industry is heavily regulated at the federal level, which means there is often a lot of documentation to sift through when determining what happened and who can be liable.
- There’s a lot of money on the line. Trucks usually carry at least $1 million of insurance coverage. With figures that high, insurance adjusters and their defense lawyers will put up a stronger fight in order to keep from paying it out.
- Trucking companies often have complex corporate structures and insurance coverages. Many trucking companies have layered insurance policies and complex corporate structures that obscure the entity’s liability or how much insurance coverage is available in the case. This can make it difficult for an accident victim to secure the full compensation they deserve.
Who Could Be Liable for a Truck Accident?
Multiple parties might be liable for injuries that result from a truck accident. Often, various companies are involved in the operation of commercial trucks on Connecticut highways, any one of which might be responsible for a truck accident. These include:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The owner of the truck, if it is not the driver or trucking company
- The freight company, which may own or load the trailer
- Third-party mechanics who service the truck and trailer
- Vehicle and auto part manufacturers, if the parts are defective
Statute of Limitations on Truck Accident Lawsuits in Connecticut
Generally speaking, Connecticut’s statute of limitations gives you only two years from the date of a truck accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, with few exceptions. If you miss this deadline, your truck accident lawsuit will likely be dismissed, and you will lose your right to seek compensation in civil court. Although two years may seem like a long time, building a strong case can take months. That’s why it’s important to speak with a truck accident lawyer in Plainville as soon as possible after an accident.
Contact Our Plainville, CT, Truck Accident Law Firm
Have you been injured in a truck accident in the Plainville area? Was someone else to blame? If so, you should not have to shoulder the burden of your expenses and losses on your own.
A Plainville truck accident attorney with Jainchill & Beckert, LLC can help you pursue the compensation you need. With over 55 years of combined experience advocating for truck accident victims in Connecticut, our law firm has the knowledge and skill to pursue the full compensation you’re entitled to. Contact us today for a free consultation.
