Commercial truck drivers must maintain control of their tractor-trailer in heavy Bronx traffic. Unfortunately, when a tractor-trailer strikes another motorist, a pedestrian, or a bicyclist, the results are traumatic and sometimes deadly.
If you suffered serious injuries or lost a close loved one to a tractor-trailer accident, you may want to contact a Bronx personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
Truck Driver and Company Negligence
A truck driver who engages in reckless behavior while driving places others at risk for life-changing injuries. The negative impact of a tractor-trailer accident on your life is something that you must live with forever.
Negligence refers to the failure to use the same care another reasonable person would use in like circumstances. For example, commercial truck drivers spend hours on the road, sometimes with strict deadlines for deliveries and picking up goods or materials.
Some truck drivers may use drugs or alcohol to help them stay awake. However, the false sense of alertness can impair their judgment and reduce reaction time.
In addition to drugs and alcohol, truck drivers may cause accidents due to:
- Distracted driving: Interior and exterior distractions can divert a driver’s attention for one second too long
- Aggressive driving: Driving a tractor-trailer in Bronx traffic can cause a driver to become angry, resulting in red-light running or speeding
Some Bronx tractor-trailer accidents result from truck issues, such as:
- Poorly maintained brakes
- Faulty brakes
- Worn tires
- Malfunctioning lights
- Cracked windshields or no working windshield wipers
The trucking company for which the driver works is sometimes liable for tractor-trailer accidents. A truck that is not consistently maintained or inspected may result in a serious crash. If the trucking company is liable, your lawyer must prove it and fight for compensation for your damages.
Your Injuries and Related Damages
A tractor-trailer accident leaves you with more than a cut or scrape. The sheer size and weight of such a truck can cause significant and catastrophic injuries. The costs associated with such bodily harm can far exceed your insurance or savings.
When the injuries result from the careless actions of a Bronx tractor-trailer driver, you have a right to pursue compensation. It is important to note that compensation is never promised nor guaranteed. The outcome of one tractor-trailer case may differ from your case.
Pursuing compensation can help you pay for the care you need for injuries such as:
- Spinal cord injury: The costs associated with such an injury can cost millions throughout a patient’s lifetime.
- Traumatic brain injury: A loved one may require continuous care in a skilled nursing facility, with a monthly fee of thousands.
- Multiple bone fractures: Pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists are at risk for severely broken bones that require a lengthy recovery or possible amputation.
- Internal bleeding: An often silent danger, this type of injury requires immediate medical attention.
- Burns or road rash: Damage to the skin is especially painful as the skin is the body’s largest organ.
The severity of these and other injuries can forever change your life. Your interaction with others, such as playing with your children, may become limited or impossible. In addition, the harsh reality of the harm you suffered can set in, leaving you with a feeling of anger and frustration.
In addition to the new limitations on your life are the expensive medical costs associated with your care. An inability to work only compounds your stress as you worry about how to face the future.
A Bronx personal injury lawyer can help you through this dark time. What happened to you was most likely preventable, had the truck driver used caution and care. No matter how defensively you drive, walk, or ride a bicycle, the sheer force of impact can alter life as you knew it.
Your Tractor-Trailer Damages
Depending upon your situation, you may face a long recovery.
However, if your tractor-trailer accident was so severe that you can no longer work, consider contacting an attorney without delay.
- Loss of income is just one type of damage. Other damages include:
- Medical expenses: Costs associated with your care both now and in the future
- Pain and suffering
These are a few examples of the types of damages a Bronx lawyer typically includes in a personal injury case. Each tractor-trailer accident is unique, and the details involved can greatly impact the outcome of a civil case.
Pursuing compensation on your own is a time-consuming project. Your injuries leave you little time to learn the legal process—something vital for your case. In addition, phone calls, paperwork, interviewing witnesses, and other important tasks are difficult to undertake as you recover.
Hiring a Bronx tractor-trailer lawyer to help you with your fight can ease your stress. The physical, emotional, and psychological pain of your injuries makes it far too challenging to deal with your civil case. Give careful thought to contacting a Bronx tractor-trailer lawyer today for a free case evaluation.
Deadly Bronx Tractor-Trailer Accidents
A pedestrian or bicyclist who encounters an out-of-control tractor-trailer may not survive their injuries. If you lost someone close to you due to a negligent truck driver, you may qualify for a wrongful death claim and lawsuit.
Your relationship with the decedent is important as to whether New York law allows you to pursue compensation. The complexity of state wrongful death laws is why you may want to consult with a lawyer.
A Bronx wrongful death lawyer can investigate your loved one’s fatal accident to determine liability.
They can then pursue the following types of damages on your behalf:
- Funeral expenses
- Final medical costs
- Lost wages
- Loss of inheritance
While not a complete list of possible damages, this list demonstrates how a loved one’s death can affect your life. In addition to monetary loss, there is such loss as that of companionship.
The sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one due to a tractor-trailer crash can leave you heartbroken. The loss of friendship and companionship your loved one provided you is why you may want to hire a lawyer.
The non-economic damages like that of companionship that one suffers are priceless to those left behind. A Bronx wrongful death lawyer has the experience necessary to convey the impact of such a loss on your life. This can serve as an invaluable tool when it comes to your fight for compensation and justice.
Compensation can never replace your loved one. It can, however, ease your financial stress and serve as a form of justice for your loved one. A wrongful death lawyer can determine if your relationship with the victim qualifies you for a wrongful death case.
Understanding Insurance Company Motives
Your worry and concerns regarding your financial situation may keep you from resting. However, when an insurance adjuster contacts you regarding a proposed settlement, it may seem like the perfect solution.
An insurance adjuster who is all too eager to help you—and who represents the trucking company—wants to protect the company’s best interests. Their goal is to resolve your claim quickly and for the least amount of compensation possible.
The amount initially offered to accident victims is generally far less than they deserve. What is crucial to understand is that accepting the offer prevents you from pursuing additional compensation later.
An initial offer typically comes when victims are most vulnerable, soon after the accident. Medications can cloud your mind, and shock about the accident can overwhelm you. Insurance companies know this and strive to use your confusion to their advantage.
No one knows what type of medical care your injuries may require in the future. But, unfortunately, accepting a settlement offer now can prevent you from seeking the help you need later.
A Bronx Personal Injury or Wrongful Death Lawyer Protects You
A Bronx tractor-trailer accident lawyer serves to protect your best interests. First, think about letting a lawyer handle negotiations with insurance companies. Then, the lawyer you hire can keep you informed as needed.
Your primary focus must remain on your recovery or mourning your loss. The traumatic accident you or a loved one endured demands a fair settlement. While most personal injury and wrongful death cases settle without going to trial, your lawyer may decide to proceed to court.
Having a lawyer on your side protects your best interests. If you face a long recovery or an irreplaceable loss due to a negligent truck driver, consider taking action by contacting a Bronx lawyer now.
These Important Steps Can Help Your Lawyer
You may feel helpless when it comes to helping your lawyer with your case. However, there is some information you can provide to help them make a strong start on your case.
Any information you may possess regarding your accident can assist your lawyer with their investigation.
Types of information that may help include:
- News reports about the accident
- Official police report
- Photographs of the accident scene
- Contact information and names for eyewitnesses
At any time, if you remember something important, contact your lawyer right away. Refrain from posting information about the accident on social media. If shared on the wrong page, the insurance company may use the information against you.
You must take swift action in contacting a lawyer. Time passes quickly when you suffer serious injuries or a loss. The lawyer you hire needs time to build your case, and, unfortunately, time is not on your side.
The statute of limitations for personal injury cases is three years, with two years allowed for wrongful death. The time starts at the moment of injury or death, making it a high-speed clock for pursuing compensation. Should the statute of limitations expire before you file your lawsuit, you generally get no second chance.
You Can Afford a Bronx Tractor-Trailer Lawyer
Accident victims are sometimes hesitant to contact a lawyer due to their fear of legal fees. The good news is that most Bronx personal injury and wrongful death lawyers do not collect a fee unless they secure compensation for you.
This means if they do not win your case, you do not pay their legal fees. A free case evaluation is your opportunity to learn more. The understanding of no retainer or deposit can free your mind of worry regarding securing a lawyer.
The trucking industry has insurance companies and lawyers on its side. It is a large industry with skills in denying compensation, underpaying accident victims, or blaming victims for the accident.
These tactics are something that a Bronx tractor-trailer attorney can easily recognize and counter. The same aggression used toward you with an initial settlement offer is how your lawyer can represent you.
At the same time, your attorney maintains a caring and compassionate form of communication with you, their client. As civil law attorneys, their experience with accident victims is an important tool in helping others through the legal process.
Your accident was traumatic and life-altering, and for that, you deserve a fair settlement. However, managing your case alone is risky due to the insurance company’s years of experience.
Rest is vital for your recovery and if grieving, time with family is important. An attorney can handle the intricate details of your case so that you can concentrate on what matters most: your health and family.
Consider Contacting a Bronx Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer Now
The decisions you make soon after your accident can forever impact your future. A Bronx tractor-trailer accident lawyer can protect your best interests by fighting for the compensation you deserve—not what insurance companies want to pay.
Do not let time slip away. Consider contacting us today. A free case evaluation and owing no attorney fees unless they win your case leave you nothing to lose.