Maryland Commercial Truck Accident Attorneys Fights for Maximum Compensation for Your Injuries
Holding trucking companies accountable for damages caused due to negligence
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that accidents involving cars and large trucks tend to be more dangerous and catastrophic than accidents between passenger cars. Not only does the force of impact increase dramatically when involving a delivery vehicle or an eighteen-wheeler, but the drivers operating these vehicles are often insulated from their own negligence by insurance companies and accident investigators whose sole job it is to quickly minimize the costs and damages caused by their negligent driving.
At the offices of Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A., our skilled Maryland commercial truck accident attorneys have more than 150 years of combined experience aggressively pursuing cases on behalf of clients injured in accidents involving commercial trucks. Our resources allow us to understand and navigate the complicated web of federal and state laws which oversee the commercial trucking industry, and we have a long record of success in guiding clients to the recovery they deserve. We help injured commercial truck accident victims in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
How are accidents involving commercial vehicles different from other auto accidents?
Whether a commercial truck driver is working for a trucking company or as an independent contractor, any accident involving a commercial vehicle immediately triggers a professional “response team” into action. These investigators work either for the trucking company or their insurer, and their only goal is to minimize all potential liability as much as possible. Their tactics can include:
- Arriving quickly at the scene to collect key evidence;
- Pressuring injured parties into making statements intended to minimize any eventual recovery;
- Coercing injured parties into accepting early settlement agreements—before the full extent of their injuries and long-term medical expenses can be properly determined;
- Persuading injured parties into forgoing their right to an attorney;
- Impounding and even destroying evidence critical to a negligence case; and
- Engaging in tactics solely intended to delay a claim
These investigators are aggressive, and uninterested in determining the actual cause of an accident. Their goal is protecting their employers and limiting the damages they must pay.
Why do I need an attorney specializing in commercial truck accidents?
While many attorneys take on cases for motorists injured in accidents involving passenger cars, not all of them have experience and special knowledge needed to pursue a case involving a commercial truck accident. Some of the challenges specific to these types of accident claims include:
- Collecting and analyzing all key evidence relating to the accident. For example, commercial vehicles are equipped with a “black box” which preserves engine data from the time of the accident, and commercial drivers are required by law to keep an ongoing log. However, critical evidence must be quickly preserved and collected. .
- Effectively reconstructing the accident, using experts specializing in scientifically analyzing accident evidence and data.
- Identifying all of the potential defendants. Besides the driver, these claims can often implicate negligence by the driver’s employer, by the company loading cargo onto the vehicle, the company leasing the vehicle, the company hired to maintain or repair the vehicle, and so on.
- Understanding the various state and federal laws which apply to various types of commercial vehicles. For examples, trucks carrying hazardous materials are subject to greater regulation than other big rigs, and the drivers of those trucks must meet stricter qualification guidelines.
- Determining the full extent of a client’s injuries, as well as the total cost of their medical expenses and other damages. Not all injuries are apparent in the immediate aftermath of an accident. Early settlement offers are intended to protect trucking companies and their insurers by coercing the injured into limiting their own rights.
Our skilled Maryland commercial truck accident attorneys are aware of, and prepared to address, each of these issues on your behalf.
Contact an experienced commercial truck accident attorney today if you or someone you love has been injured by a commercial truck
If you are injured in any accident involving a commercial truck, it is important that you do not make any statements to accident investigators, and do not sign any settlement agreement without first consulting with one of our knowledgeable truck accident attorneys. At the law firm of Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel & Gold, P.A., we are passionate about protecting the rights of those injured by the negligence of commercial truck drivers, and are committed to aggressively pursuing claims against large commercial trucking companies. We will travel to your home or hospital to meet with you if you cannot come to one of our 5 area offices. Contact us for a free initial consultation at (800) 229-7026, or online.