Truck Accident Attorneys in Valparaiso, IN

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

If you are the victim of a trucking accident, you should know that you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, repair costs, and pain and suffering. In cases where the truck driver is determined to have acted negligently or wrongly, causing the accident, he or she can be held liable for their actions.

Truck accidents can result from a number of mistakes or failures on the part of the truck driver and employer:

• Driver fatigue: Truck drivers are often pushed to meet deadlines and if they fall behind, can be tempted to violate standard working guidelines and drive over time. This can lead to driving under fatigue.

• Underriding/overriding: Some of the most horrific truck accidents involve overriding or underriding. Override is when a truck runs over a car in front of it, and underride is when a car is caught underneath the trailer of the truck.

• Equipment failures: Trucks are to be maintained and checked before setting out on the road. If a malfunction, like brake failure, is traced back to a failure to maintain the truck, the truck driver and possibly the employer may be found liable for negligence.

• Jack-knifing: Jack-knifing is one of the most common types of truck accident and occurs when a driver loses control over the truck and fails to regain control. While the drive attempts to brake, the velocity of the trailer overtakes the cabin, causing the truck to jack-knife and sweeping over anything in its way.

Truck accidents often result in catastrophic injury to its victims, and even death in serious cases. If the accident was the result of negligence or a blatant failure on the part of the truck driver, he or she should be held liable and the victim should be rightfully compensated.

Compensation For Truck Accident Victims

Truck accidents often result in more severe injuries and damages than typical car accidents due to the sheer size and force involved. The financial impact of a truck accident extends far beyond the immediate aftermath, but there are several types of compensation survivors like you can be entitled to.

● Medical expenses: These include emergency room visits, hospitalization costs, surgeries, medication, physical therapy and ongoing rehabilitation. Your claim should also include future medical needs related to your injuries. Some injuries from truck accidents require long-term care or permanent medical equipment, all of which should be factored into your compensation.
● Lost wages: This compensation addresses both immediate and long-term financial impacts. If your injuries prevent you from working temporarily, you deserve compensation for those lost earnings. In cases of permanent disability or reduced earning capacity, you may receive compensation for future income you would have earned if not for the accident.
● Pain and suffering: Acknowledges the physical discomfort and emotional distress caused by the accident. Truck accidents frequently lead to significant trauma, anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress disorder. While harder to quantify, these noneconomic damages are equally important components of your claim.
● Property damage: Covers repairs or replacement of your vehicle and personal belongings damaged in the accident. Given the destructive potential of commercial trucks, vehicles involved in these accidents are often severely damaged or completely totaled.
● Loss of enjoyment of life: This may be compensable when injuries prevent you from participating in activities you previously enjoyed.
● Loss of consortium damages: It may be available to your spouse if your injuries have negatively impacted your relationship and ability to provide companionship.

How much you get depends on these details:

● Were the injuries brutal – broken bones or worse?
● Did the truck driver doze off or ignore the rules, proving fault?
● Was your car totaled or just scraped?

These factors shift the numbers. Insurance companies do not make it easy, often tossing out low offers to save themselves cash. That is where a lawyer changes the game. A legal team digs into the wreck, gathers proof and pushes back against stingy adjusters. They know the process from filing claims to negotiating and even taking them to court if needed.

Without someone fighting for you, it is easy to walk away with less than what covers your losses. With our help, you stand a chance at what is right. We have helped numerous truck accident victims secure the compensation they need to rebuild their lives. So, call us for a consultation. Our team works diligently to help ensure that all current and future costs related to your accident are considered in your claim.