Truck Accidents
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Derwood Truck Accident
Were You Injured In a Trucking Accident in Derwood Or Other Area Of The Commonwealth Of Derwood?
Inexperience, negligence, and traffic violations have disastrous results when it comes to commercial trucks. These large vehicles must be carefully operated and maintained to prevent accidents. They must also be loaded properly to ensure maneuverability and to avoid undue wear and tear on braking, steering, and suspension systems. A single mistake or cut corner can have disastrous results.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer, semi-truck, tanker, flatbed, or other large truck, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.
We Have Offices in Derwood – Call Now!
A Newport News truck accident lawyer at LegalDemo5 can talk to you about what happened and can help you get a clear picture of what to expect in filing a claim and seeking monetary damages for your medical care, property damages, lost earnings, and even emotional trauma.
Your consultation is free, and you pay nothing for our legal services unless we recover a settlement or award on your behalf. We can determine what caused your accident and therefore should be held legally responsible for your injuries and losses.
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- We are a family-owned law firm.
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- Our dedicated legal team has more than 150 years of combined experience helping injured clients.
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Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck Driver Errors
- Distracted driving
- Sleepiness/ fatigue
- Driving under the influence
- Speeding
Passenger Car Errors
- Driving in a trucks blind spot
- Texting while driving
- Following too closely to a truck
- Cutting off a truck
Call us to arrange your free case review. From our office, we help truck accident victims across Derwood.
Was Negligence the Cause of Your Injuries?
It is important that you do not waste any time in talking to an attorney after a truck accident. The trucking company and their insurance provider are already working to conduct their own investigation into the incident, and they will use any advantage they can find. You need a professional who is looking out for your best interests.
Our Derwood truck accident attorneys have experience with cases involving:
- Fatigued truck drivers
- Hours-of-service violations
- Overloaded trucks
- Imbalanced truck loads
- Jackknife accidents
- Poorly maintained trucks
- Defective truck and auto parts
- Dangerous roads and roadway hazards
- Drunk or impaired driving
- Distracted truck drivers
How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in Derwood?
In Virginia, you only have a certain time to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim after a motor vehicle accident. This applies to truck accidents, as well, and is known as the "statute of limitations." Once the statute of limitations has passed, you will not be able to file a claim to seek compensation for your damages.
If someone was injured or killed in the truck accident, Virginia law allows you to bring a claim within two years of the date of the accident or the date of the death. If no one was hurt but you suffered property damage, you have five years to file your claim.
In any case, it's always best to seek legal assistance as soon as possible after the accident. The longer you wait to file a claim, the greater the likelihood that valuable evidence will be lost. We encourage you to reach out to our truck accident attorneys right away if you or your loved one was involved in a serious truck accident in Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, or anywhere throughout the state.
Truck Accident FAQ
accidents?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are approximately 500,000 truck accidents across the country each year. Most of these truck accidents are minor, do not cause any injuries, and are not officially reported. But a concerning percentage of them are serious and change lives for the worse forever. About 5,000 truck accident fatalities per year or 14 per day are suffered by drivers and pedestrians.
Trucking companies try to skirt around the issue when the question of liability in a truck accident is raised. Do not be convinced by the opposition in your claim that the accident "just happened' or was caused by "bad luck." The truth is that the leading cause of truck accidents is human error, often on the part of the truck driver. Something as simple as changing lanes without giving motorists the time needed to move out of the way can be all it takes to cause a catastrophic wreck.
Truck accidents take many forms and types. The type of truck accident involved in your case is important because the liability will often change based on how the accident unfolded. Out of all the different types of truck accidents, jackknifes, rear-end collisions, wide-turn sideswipes, and rollover accidents are the most common.
Highways and freeways see more truck accidents on average than city streets. The reason is likely due to the fact that most commercial trucks and big rigs stay on the highway for the majority of their trips, only using the off-ramp nearest to their delivery destination. As such, you are far more likely to encounter a commercial truck – and a negligent commercial truck driver – on the highway. Furthermore, semi-trucks travel at their fastest speeds when on the highway, which inherently makes it more likely for a trucker to lose control of their vehicle or hit another motorist due to inattention.
To determine fault in a truck accident case, strong evidence will be needed because the opposition will be fiercely defensive. Oftentimes, an expert crash reconstructionist will be needed to uncover what happened with indisputable clarity. Unique evidence from the truck and the parent trucking company can also be used by your attorney, like data from the truck's "black box" recorder. This data usually shows if the brakes were applied at the time of impact and how many breaks the truck driver took that shift, which could indicate that the trucker was exhausted while driving.
With our resources and over 150 years of combined experience, you can count on our attorneys at LegalDemo5 to provide the level of counsel you need in any courtroom in Derwood. Call us today!
