Who Is Liable in a Semi-Truck Crash? Unlike many car crashes, a semi-truck crash often involves several potentially responsible parties. The driver, the trucking company, the trailer owner, the shipper that loaded the freight and the maker of a failed part may all play a role. Identifying every responsible party is an early job for a truck accident lawyer, because each party may carry its own insurance. Claims against the driver Most claims start with the driver's con
Truck Accident Statistics From FMCSA and NHTSA Data
Truck Accident Statistics From FMCSA and NHTSA Data Federal crash data gives a national picture of how often large trucks are involved in serious crashes. The figures below come from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and each is labeled with its year. A truck accident attorney might use figures like these for context, but statistics describe patterns across many crashes, not what happened
Who Can Be Held Responsible for an 18-Wheeler Crash?
Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Truck Accident? Unlike many car crashes, a semi-truck crash often involves several potentially responsible parties. The driver, the trucking company, the owner of the trailer, the company that loaded the cargo and the manufacturer of a defective part can each play a role. Identifying every responsible party is an early job for a truck accident lawyer, because each responsible party may have separate insurance. The truck driver The sta
How Long a Car Accident Claim Takes, Stage by Stage
How Long a Car Accident Claim Takes, Stage by Stage A car accident claim moves through stages that can take months or longer. The vehicle damage part often resolves within weeks, while the injury claim usually waits until treatment has run its course. A car accident lawyer can explain where a particular claim stands, though every claim is different. The first days Getting medical care comes first, even if injuries seem minor at the scene, and the records made that day
Rear-End and T-Bone Collisions: How Fault Is Decided
How Fault Works in Rear-End and T-Bone Car Crashes Rear-end crashes and T-bone collisions are two crash types that come up often in injury claims. The name of the crash describes how the vehicles met, but it does not decide who was at fault. An auto accident lawyer reviewing these crashes usually begins with the sequence of events, from the speed of each car to the signals that controlled the intersection. What causes rear-end collisions Many state traffic codes prohi
Car Accident Claim Timeline: From the Crash to Settlement
How Long a Car Accident Claim Takes, Stage by Stage A car accident claim moves through stages that can take months or longer. The property damage part often resolves within weeks, while the injury claim usually waits until medical treatment has run its course. A car accident attorney can explain where a given claim stands, although no two claims follow the same path. Right after the crash Getting medical care comes first, even if injuries seem minor at the scene, and
How Fault Works in Rear-End and T-Bone Car Crashes
What a Car Accident Attorney Looks at After a Rear-End or T-Bone Crash Rear-end and T-bone collisions come up again and again in injury claims. The label describes how the vehicles met, but it does not decide who was at fault. A car accident lawyer reviewing one of these crashes will usually start with the sequence of events, from the speed of each car to the signals that controlled the intersection. What causes rear-end collisions Many state traffic codes prohibit fo
ELD Records and ECM Black Box Data in Semi-Truck Crash Cases
ECM Black Box Data and ELD Records After a Truck Accident After a serious tractor-trailer crash, the most precise record of the last seconds before impact often sits inside the truck itself. Most people call it the black box, yet the term covers several separate systems. For an 18-wheeler accident lawyer, knowing which device holds which record shapes the first evidence requests in a claim. What the black box means on a commercial truck Most heavy trucks have an engin