If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a semi accident, it is important that you contact an experienced truck accident attorney. Not just any attorney will be able to represent you appropriately in your case against the trucking company. Trucking accidents are not just larger automobile accidents. There are important differences between an auto accident and an accident with a semi-truck. Here are some of the reasons to pick an attorney with experience in semi-truck accidents:
1. A Trucking Claim is Complicated
A crash that involves a semi-truck is far more complicated than a regular car accident. Because trucking accidents are often catastrophic, causing severe injuries or death, insurance companies for the trucking company fight hard against victims so they don’t have to pay out big claims. A knowledgeable truck accident attorney will be able to use commercial truck law against the insurance companies and may be able to win a greater settlement for you.
After just six months, a trucking company can legally destroy driver logs and other information. Because of this, it is important that your personal injury attorney send an immediate retention of evidence letter to the trucking company so that vital information about the crash is not lost. Most attorneys who do not deal with truck crash claims on a regular basis do not know about these rules, and important evidence about the crash can be lost because of this lack of knowledge.
2. Multiple Responsible Parties
In a semi-truck crash claim, there may be several different parties liable for the accident. Although the truck driver may have been the one behind the wheel, there may be other entities at fault for the crash. Semi-trucks are commonly owned by one party, leased to another, and operated by a third. A semi may drive a million miles or more in its lifetime, so it is possible that faulty or negligent truck maintenance contributed to the crash. Limitations in driver hours and payments by the mile traveled make it possible that the trucking company violated trucking law. An experienced truck accident attorney knows that there may be more than one party who need to be held accountable after an accident.
3. Trucking Regulations
Federal trucking regulations can be complex for those lawyers who don’t deal with them regularly. Like doctors or lawyers who are professionals, trucking companies and their employees are supposed to be professional drivers. They are paid to drive 80,000-pound machines down the highway at high speeds. The laws that hold truckers and their employers to a higher standard can also trip up attorneys that don’t know any better. It’s important that any attorney handling your truck accident claim is familiar with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, other federal regulations, and state laws. Knowing these regulations will make it easier for your attorney to prove if the driver or the trucking company has violated these trucking laws and therefore were responsible for your injuries.
The attorneys at RSH Legal are experienced with semi-truck accident cases and know what steps to take to get you justice. Call today at 1-319-519-4193 or download our Law Guide to Iowa Truck Accident Claims to learn more.
