Practice Areas
Semi Truck Accidents
Suffering serious injuries often leads to a great deal of financial stress. The cost of medical treatment adds up quickly, all while you miss weeks or even months of work.
Fighting for the rights of Kentucky truck accident victims
We understand that when a loved one sustains serious injuries, it can be life changing for the entire family.
Kentucky's central location makes it a high-traffic area for
commercial truck transit. These vehicles have size and weight on their side, resulting
in catastrophic outcomes when they collide with other vehicles. At The Powell
Law Firm, in Lexington and Louisville, we focus on holding negligent
truck drivers and trucking companies accountable when their negligence results
in harm to innocent people.
Semi-Truck Accidents At A Glance:
- Causes Of Semi-Truck Accidents
- Preventing Truck Accidents
- Truck Accident Compensation
Causes Of
Semi-Truck Accidents
Sometimes an "act of God" or unpreventable accident takes place.
Those are not the kinds of semi-truck accidents we are talking about. We are
focused on accidents that could have and should have been prevented. Many truck
accidents are caused by acts of negligence such as:
- Driving while drowsy
- Failing to follow rest requirements
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Overloaded or improperly loaded trailers
- Defective truck parts, including tires and brakes
- Distracted driving
- Failure to maintain trucks and trailers
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
These examples of human negligence are responsible for many truck
accidents in Kentucky. We believe you should not be left to bear the burden of
medical bills, lost wages and other costs on your own. You can rely on us to
pursue the maximum compensation available so you can be made whole again.
Preventing
Truck Accidents
It is no exaggeration to say that a loaded tractor-trailer, when
operated negligently, becomes a destructive weapon that weighs multiple tons.
There are few if any positive outcomes when a truck crashes into a passenger
vehicle.
These devastating accidents can be prevented by trucking companies
and truck drivers upholding their professional responsibilities and adhering to
the rules and regulations. Following rest regulations and hours restrictions,
thoroughly vetting job applicants and placing safety over profits can prevent
most semi-truck accidents from happening.
When they fail to uphold their end of the bargain, we focus on
making sure they are held accountable for the damage they cause the innocent
drivers and passengers on Kentucky roads.
Truck
Accident Compensation
Any settlement must provide for the past, present and future
costs of your injury. These include medical bills, lost earnings, pain and
suffering, in-home care, ongoing rehab and more. If the insurance company fails
to negotiate in good faith, we will put our award-winning litigation skills to
work to maximize your compensation. We will settle for nothing less than the
full and fair compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Don't Let Them Injure You A Second Time
The insurance companies will consider it a victory if you
agree to a quick settlement that leaves you without the resources you need to
recover and move forward. Our firm will make sure you are not hurt a second
time by their greed.
If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury during a
collision with a commercial truck in Kentucky, contact us for a free
consultation. We have office locations in Louisville and Lexington.
Victories & Results
FAQ
Driver fatigue and distraction are two of the most common causes of commercial truck accidents.
While federal trucking laws prohibit truck drivers from using handheld mobile devices while operating their truck, many truckers do it anyway.
Drivers also often drive much longer than legally allowed.
Under these federal laws, truck drivers can only drive continuously for 14 hours if they have just finished a 10-hour break. During those 14 hours, the driver must take at least a 30-minute break after the first eight hours, and may not drive more than 11 hours of the total 14 hours on duty (i.e., he can use the other three hours to eat, get paperwork done, etc.).
Violations of these rules can lead to driver fatigue and impaired driving abilities.
Cargo carried by a commercial truck can also cause an accident. If the driver did not load the cargo properly and it shifts or falls off, it can become a hazard to nearby vehicles. Accidents can be even more dangerous if the cargo is a hazardous material.
Other common causes of truck accidents include:
- Tailgating other vehicles
- Taking turns too sharply
- Excessive speed
- Intoxication or impairment from drugs or alcohol
The force of the impact between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle can cause substantial damage to any persons within the smaller car. In these accidents, you can expect injuries such as:
- Head trauma/brain damage
- Spinal cord injury
- Broken bones or fractures
- Lacerations
- Bruises
- Crushing injuries
- Amputations
Liability in a truck accident case can be extremely complex. While you might think that a driver is the liable party if he caused the accident, this is not entirely correct.
Instead, the trucking company that employs the driver will likely be the liable party. This is due to a concept called vicarious liability which states that employers are liable for their employees' actions, as long as the employee was acting within the scope of his or her employment.
Trucking companies might also be directly responsible if they:
- Allowed unfit drivers to operate their trucks
- Failed to repair and maintain their vehicles
- Allowed or encouraged drivers to violate the federal regulations regarding hours of duty
Proving liability and the cause of your accident will likely require obtaining evidence from the trucking company, such as hours of service logs, drug and alcohol test results, personnel files, and data from the truck's black box.
This is where it gets difficult. Because the trucking company can legally destroy many records after a certain period of time, you need to act quickly to preserve any evidence related to your accident.
We have years of experience dealing with trucking companies and know the proper way to draft and send a spoliation letter to ensure evidence preservation. Call us as soon as possible to get started protecting evidence and your legal right to compensation.
Once you have determined who is liable for your accident, we will begin assessing the full extent of your damages, including the following:
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Lost earning capacity
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral expenses
At The Powell Law Firm, PLLC, we work with experts in accident reconstruction and long-term rehabilitation to estimate how accidents happened, who is liable, your prognosis for recovery, and any permanent losses you suffered.
For a free case review and answers to any questions about your rights after a commercial truck accident, call us at 502-242-7000 today.