You can secure professional legal assistance after a commercial vehicle accident. These accidents can involve 18 wheelers, semi trucks, tractor trailers, and other large vehicles, often resulting in major injuries and significant financial losses.
With so much at stake, it is a big risk to your financial future to stand up against major trucking companies and insurers on your own. However, our Kokomo personal injury lawyers can help protect your rights and fight for you to recover the maximum compensation possible.
We’ve been helping Indiana injury victims for over 100 years, and we have recovered substantial compensation on behalf of our clients. Contact us today for a free consultation to learn how our Kokomo truck accident lawyers can help.
Commercial Trucking Accident Claims Are Complicated
Truck accidents can be complicated legal cases. Because many drivers work for a trucking company or another business, you may not just take legal action against the driver who caused your crash.
Your case may also involve several companies, their insurance companies, and their attorneys. For example, trucking companies may be liable for a wreck if they hired inexperienced drivers, failed to perform correct maintenance, or if the accident occurred during work hours.
When you’re facing multiple corporations with deep pockets, you need experienced legal representation in your corner. Our truck accident attorneys in Kokomo have the resources and experience to stand up against corporate entities and make sure you’re treated fairly.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
Why Hire Our Team After a Truck Wreck?
The physical injuries sustained by you or other people in your vehicle may be severe. That’s why it’s critical to get an experienced personal injury attorney working on your claim who knows how to investigate these crashes.
Our legal team can help you every step of the way. We understand the state and federal trucking regulations that apply to Indiana crashes. We know how the legal system works.
That’s because we have decades of experience handling complicated cases in Howard County and throughout Indiana. Our law firm started taking cases in 1913, and we’re ready to use our knowledge and experience to help you.
There is no fee
unless you win
Who Can You Sue After a Truck Crash?
Truck accidents often involve many different people and several companies. If any of them were responsible for causing your crash, you could take legal action against each one of them. At-fault parties may include:
- A negligent truck driver
- The company that employs the driver
- The owner of the cab, if it’s a different company
- The owner of the trailer in cases involving tractor trailers
- The company that loaded the cargo, especially if the cargo shifted and caused a rollover crash
- The company that packaged the shipment in the truck, especially if the items came loose and contributed to what happened
- The company that manufactured the truck or particular parts, particularly the brakes and the tires. Tire blowouts sometimes occur due to manufacturer defects.
Each of these parties has its own insurance company, and each insurer has the same goal: to pay you as little as possible.
Fortunately, you don’t have to try to handle your legal case alone. Instead, you can get professional assistance immediately from a truck accident lawyer in Kokomo, Indiana.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in Indiana?
Whoever was at fault for your truck wreck, it’s essential to understand that you only have a limited amount of time to take legal action in Indiana. The deadline (known as the statute of limitations) for filing a lawsuit related to a truck accident is two years.
Two years might seem like a long time, but many people might not realize that trucking companies do not have to save electronic data or other significant evidence for two years. Unless an attorney intervenes, they have the right to destroy evidence much sooner.
That’s why you should talk to an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible.
How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer Help You?
A truck accident attorney in Kokomo, IN, can assist with all aspects of your legal needs. Your lawyer can gather evidence, track your losses, and deal with legal communication so you have time to focus on your recovery.
Our team prioritizes your legal needs when we take on your claim. We can speak to insurance agents for you and guide each step of the legal process.
We believe in maintaining open communication with our clients and can also provide information about steps to avoid following your truck accident. For example, we recommend avoiding posting on social media after a commercial vehicle collision.
What Kind of Truck Accident Claims Do We Handle?
You could work with a truck accident lawyer if you sustained injuries in a(n):
Semi Truck Crash
A fully loaded semi truck (also called an 18 wheeler or tractor-trailer) can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. These massive vehicles can cause tremendous damage in a collision with a passenger car.
Jackknife Truck Accident
When the driver has to slam on the brakes, the wheels can lock up, and the trailer can swing out from the cab. These jackknife accidents can block multiple lanes of traffic, resulting in numerous injuries.
Underride Truck Collision
An underride accident can occur when a tractor-trailer driver hits the brakes suddenly or the brake lights aren’t working. A car driver may be unable to stop in time, causing the car to slide beneath the trailer.
Rollover Truck Crash
In a rollover truck accident, the wheels on one side of an 18 wheeler lift off the road, and the entire rig rolls over onto the street. These accidents can involve multiple vehicles and can even result in the truck’s cargo spilling onto the road.
How Do We Investigate Commercial Truck Accidents?
Collisions caused by big rigs, tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, and other large commercial vehicles are unlike many other crashes. That’s why it’s essential that you have a truck accident lawyer with experience gathering evidence that supports these claims.
Evidence often includes data recorded in a truck’s electronic data recorder. Sometimes referred to as a “black box” or engine control module, this device records essential information, including:
- The speed the truck was traveling at the time of the crash
- When the truck driver took their last break
- Whether the driver used the brakes or not before the crash
Your attorney can secure this information. Other key evidence includes:
- Inspection reports (or evidence the company failed to conduct inspections routinely)
- Driving history, especially if the driver has received traffic violations for speeding, drunk driving, or other infractions
- The trucking company’s records, especially if the company hired a driver with known a record of reckless driving
These are just a few examples of necessary evidence unique to these types of claims. Your lawyer can search for evidence and other vital details when investigating your case.
Should You Accept a Truck Accident Settlement Offer?
Many times, trucking companies or their insurance providers make settlement offers to people injured in accidents or their families soon after the incident. Unfortunately, while it might be tempting to accept their offer, most settlement offers don’t come close to covering all your accident-related expenses.
That’s why it’s essential to carefully consider an offer before agreeing to accept it. It’s also important to realize that you often can only accept one settlement offer for all your current and future accident expenses.
If your expenses go up significantly in the future or if you need additional medical procedures, including follow-up surgery, you cannot go back and ask for more money once you have accepted a settlement.
Can a Lawyer Assess Settlement Offers?
Our truck accident attorneys in Kokomo can help you review any settlement offers you receive. Before you sign anything or accept any monetary compensation, it’s important to talk to a lawyer.
An experienced attorney can calculate how much your claim should be worth, including:
- All current and future medical bills and costs
- Lost wages and loss of future earnings
- Property Damage
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and trauma
If you have lost a loved one in a truck accident, you may be eligible to recover compensatory damages for funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and other economic and non-economic damages.
This is why it is important to speak with a Kokomo wrongful death lawyer to ensure you don’t accept an undervalued settlement that could leave you with unpaid expenses and further financial losses.
Contact Our Kokomo Truck Accident Law Firm for a Free Consultation
Our legal team at Vaughan & Vaughan can handle your needs after a collision with a large truck. You can start building your claim today with an experienced Kokomo semi truck accident lawyer. We can fight to ensure you recover full and fair compensation for your losses.
Learn more about how we can help. Contact us or set up a free initial consultation now.
