A semi-truck accident can affect your life in many ways. You may be left with serious injuries and significant medical bills. You may feel the financial effects and the psychological trauma of a truck accident long after your physical injuries have healed. The losses can be especially frustrating if the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence.
Our Henderson, NV, truck accident attorneys at Sam & Ash Injury Law know how devastating truck crashes can be. We want to help you pursue a just financial recovery for your injuries if they were caused by another driver’s negligence. With more than 20 years of legal experience and over $400 million recovered on our clients’ behalf, our attorneys have the experience and the track record you can trust.
After a serious accident, you deserve What’s Right. Let us help you demand it. Contact Sam & Ash Injury Law today for a free consultation with a truck accident lawyer in Henderson, NV.
Complexities of a Truck Accident Case
Truck accidents tend to be more complicated than other traffic collisions for several reasons:
- More severe injuries – Due to their size and weight, large trucks tend to inflict more severe injuries when they collide with passenger vehicles. Commercial truck drivers and trucking companies are required to carry higher amounts of liability insurance than automobile drivers because of the serious harm a truck accident can cause.
- More expensive medical treatment – The more severe the injuries, the higher your medical costs are likely to be. The cost of treating injuries suffered in a truck accident can put crash victims in serious financial trouble.
- More lost income – If you have to miss weeks or months of work while healing after a truck accident, that could cost you a lot of missed income. The financial squeeze can be especially acute when the lost income is coupled with large medical bills.
- More potentially liable parties – The majority of car accidents are caused by negligent drivers. With truck accidents, the driver, trucking company, and several other parties could all be partly liable for the crash.
Accidents involving semi-trucks are often more complicated to resolve. A serious truck accident requires a thorough investigation by a knowledgeable attorney to identify all the potentially liable parties and the insurance policies available to provide compensation.
What To Do After a Henderson, NV, Truck Crash
After a truck accident, you need to do what you can to protect your rights and give yourself the greatest chance of recovering compensation. Here are some critical steps to take after a truck accident in Henderson, NV:
- Call 911 – There’s a good chance you or someone else involved in a truck accident will need emergency medical treatment. Be sure to alert the authorities as soon as possible. You will want to let the dispatcher know how many ambulances are needed.
- Get the truck driver’s information – If you are able to exchange information, ask the truck driver for their name, address, driver’s license number, employer, and insurance information. If the truck driver is uncooperative, wait for the Henderson police or another law enforcement agency to arrive. The officer will collect information from everyone involved in the accident and include it as part of the police report.
- Document the accident scene – If possible, take some photos of the accident scene. Try to get pictures of all the vehicles involved in the crash, the damage each vehicle sustained, your injuries, and anything in the vicinity that might have contributed to the collision. Look for any potential eyewitnesses and get their contact information.
- Seek medical attention – If you are not taken to the hospital from the scene, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. You need to be checked for any internal injuries. Some injuries may not be immediately apparent except to a trained medical professional. Inform your doctor of all your injuries from the accident so they can be entered into your medical records.
- Keep critical evidence – Your medical records, pay stubs, receipts, crash scene photos, and other proof of your losses are important pieces of evidence in truck accident cases. Be sure to save them.
- Notify your insurance company – Most insurance policies require policyholders to notify the insurance company of an accident. But you are not required to give a statement to the insurance company representing the truck driver who caused the crash. The truck driver’s insurer may use any information you provide or statement you give to deny or minimize your claim. It is best to consult a knowledgeable personal injury attorney before contacting the at-fault driver’s insurer.
- Stay away from social media – You should not post any photos or comments about the accident on social media. Insurance companies can use the comments or photos to argue that you are not as seriously injured as you claim to be. Your best bet is to stay off social media entirely while your claim is pending.
- Talk to a truck accident attorney – Certain pieces of evidence, such as the truck’s electronic data recorder, can disappear quickly after the crash. Speaking to a truck accident lawyer right away gives the lawyer the opportunity to preserve this evidence and develop a strong case to help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
Types of Truck Accidents
Some of the most common types of truck accidents in Nevada include:
- Head-on accidents – Head-on accidents are among the most devastating because of the combined forces involved. Many head-on truck accidents are the result of impaired driving, distracted driving, severe driver fatigue, and other forms of negligence.
- Rear-end accidents – Trucks are so much larger and heavier than passenger vehicles that they can do serious damage in a rear-end collision. Large trucks require much more room to stop. Many rear-end truck accidents are caused by truck drivers speeding or following too closely.
- Sideswipe accidents – Sideswipe truck accidents often occur because truck drivers fail to keep track of cars located in the truck’s blind spots. A trucker may cause a sideswipe accident by trying to merge into a lane that is already occupied.
- T-Bone accidents – As with sideswipe accidents, the angle of a T-bone crash means anyone in the struck vehicle has little protection from the truck. T-Bone truck accidents are often caused by truck drivers running stop signs or traffic lights because the driver is distracted or failed to allow enough room to stop safely.
- Jackknife accidents – If a truck driver slams on the brakes, the forward momentum of the trailer can cause it to swing around the decelerating cab. Jackknife accidents are caused by truck drivers suddenly hitting the brakes because they are speeding, following too closely, or distracted.
- Wide-turn accidents – Trucks make wide turns because of the length of their trailers. This can cause a collision if the driver misjudges the turning radius.
- Rollover accidents – Trucks have high centers of gravity. That can cause the truck to overturn if the truck driver takes a curve too quickly or the cargo is not secured properly and shifts in transit.
Proving Fault in a Semi-Truck Accident in Henderson, NV
Truck accidents may have more than one liable party after a crash. Some of the parties that may be liable for an accident are:
- The truck driver – Truck drivers can be held liable for an accident if their negligent actions contributed to the crash. Examples of truck driver negligence include distracted driving, speeding, following too closely, and impaired driving.
- The trucking company – Trucking companies may be held liable for the actions of their employees and putting pressure on drivers to violate hours-of-service regulations.
- Truck maintenance crews – Truck maintenance crews can be held liable for an accident if they fail to replace a worn or defective part, contributing to the crash.
- Vehicle and parts manufacturers – Truck and parts manufacturers can be held liable if a defective part contributes to an accident.
- Truck cargo loaders – Cargo loaders can be held liable if they fail to properly load and secure a truck’s cargo.
What Must Be Proven in a Truck Accident Case?
To recover compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, you must show that the truck driver or another party acted negligently and caused the accident and your resulting injuries. Insurance companies will likely challenge any claim, so you will need evidence to support your case, such as:
- Police accident reports
- Medical records
- Eyewitness accounts
- Crash scene photos
- The truck’s electronic data recorder
- Surveillance camera video photos
- Witness testimony
A knowledgeable truck accident attorney can have the truck examined and gather any evidence before it is lost to support an injury claim.
Types of Compensation in a Truck Wreck Case
The compensation you may seek after a truck accident depends on the extent of your physical injuries and financial losses attributable to the accident. Generally speaking, you may demand compensation for:
- Medical bills and related expenses
- Lost income and reduced future earning potential
- Physical pain and emotional distress related to the crash
- Damaged personal property
Time Limitation To File a Truck Accident Lawsuit
You have two years from the date of a truck accident to file a lawsuit. If you file suit after the statute of limitations has expired, your case may be dismissed as untimely. You will lose your ability to recover compensation. That is why it’s important to meet with a lawyer as soon as possible after the accident to discuss your legal options.
Contact a Henderson Truck Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, you deserve What’s Right. The Henderson, NV, truck accident attorneys at Sam & Ash Injury Law are here to help you demand just compensation. Contact us today for a free case review.
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