Truck Accident Lawyers in Las Vegas
Large trucks are an integral part of our economy and daily lives. These massive vehicles transport the majority of commercial goods used in our country, and it’s likely that some stop by your home once a week to haul off your garbage. While tractor-trailers and other big trucks may be vital to our society, though, they also create a major safety hazard. A roadway collision that would otherwise be minor can turn catastrophic when an 18-wheeler is involved. If you or a loved one have been injured in such a collision, a truck accident lawyer in Las Vegas may be able to help.
At High Stakes Injury Law, we provide legal guidance to victims of big truck collisions. We can help identify who was at fault (e.g., truck driver vs. trucking companies), investigate the incident, negotiate with insurance companies, and take your case to trial if necessary. We are a full-service law firm committed to getting justice for injured victims. We know that commercial truck accidents can have devastating results, and going through the legal process is likely the last thing you want to do. That’s why you should contact our law firm as soon as you seek medical attention. We’ll set you up for a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
Call (702) 707-5934 or reach out to us online today to explore your legal options.
Table of Contents
- Do You Have a Valid Personal Injury Claim?
- What Types of Large Trucks Create Safety Hazards?
- What Are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents?
- Are Truck Drivers Always At Fault?
- What Are Common Truck Accident Injuries?
- How Can a Las Vegas Truck Accident Attorney Help?
- Is There a Deadline for Filing a Lawsuit for Truck Crashes?
- Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer in Las Vegas Today
Do You Have a Valid Personal Injury Claim?
If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, you’re probably wondering whether you’re entitled to compensation. Perhaps you think your own actions contributed to the incident, or maybe you simply think that no one was at fault. Fortunately, you don’t have to wonder about these issues. Truck accident lawyers in Las Vegas can help you understand your case and what financial recovery you may be entitled to. However, there are a few components to all valid personal injury claims that you should know. If the following elements exist in your case, you might be eligible for substantial compensation:
- Duty of care: Truck drivers have a duty of care to others on the road. This is a responsibility to not engage in actions that could harm others. Trucking companies and other parties that might be involved have similar duties.
- Violation of duty: The violation of a duty of care has the potential to cause harm. For instance, truckers driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.04% — half the legal limit for other drivers — are considered reckless and criminal in Nevada.
- Damages causation: Truck accident victims must be able to show that the trucker’s violation of duty caused injuries or damages. Medical bills or lost wages related to injury treatment typically fall into this category — as do many other damages.
Any accident involving a large truck must have these elements for compensation to be owed. Keep in mind that the damages suffered do not have to be monetary in nature. Compensation for pain and suffering and other non-financial losses are common. Of course, there are also some instances where all three of these elements may be present — but pedestrians, motorcyclists, drivers of passenger vehicles, and other victims are still not entitled to financial recovery. The truth is that personal injury cases can be complex. That’s why you should speak with an experienced truck accident attorney in Las Vegas today.
What Types of Large Trucks Create Safety Hazards?
When people think of accidents involving large trucks, they typically immediately envision tractor-trailer vehicles. This is an understandable assumption, considering how often we pass these trucks on the road. However, there are actually a variety of different commercial truck types that have the potential to cause destructive accidents. Some of the vehicles involved even drive through quiet neighborhoods where children play near the streets. If you’ve been involved in an accident with any of the following large commercial trucks, it’s important to seek legal advice immediately:
- Tractor-trailers
- Garbage trucks
- Large pickups
- 18-wheelers
- Delivery vehicles
- Semi-trucks
Of these vehicles, most people are surprised to see pickup trucks listed. Unfortunately, this is becoming an increasingly prevalent problem on our roadways. Pickup trucks increased in height by 11% between 2000 and 2018, and the average truck’s weight increased by 24% over the same period. They create many of the same hazards as their large commercial truck counterparts, and collision involving one of these vehicles can be just as disastrous. Regardless of the vehicle involved in a crash, though, injury victims may be entitled to compensation. Reach out to our truck accident lawyers in Las Vegas today to learn more.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents?
When people think of trucking accidents, they often envision negligent truckers falling asleep behind the wheel. While driver fatigue certainly is an issue, the dangers presented by these massive vehicles are far more varied. Our law firm has worked with clients involved in a wide array of accident types, but regardless of the underlying circumstances, severe injuries are always possible. Still, it never hurts to know the hazards that you’re up against when a tractor-trailer is nearby. Here are the most common causes of accidents involving large and commercial trucks:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Damaged or faulty equipment
- Driving under the influence
- Weather conditions
- Improperly loaded cargo
- Roadway obstructions
- Illegal maneuvering
- Improper lane changes
- Unmaintained roadways
- Wide turns
- Failure to check blind spots
- Tailgating
- Disobeying traffic lights and signs
- Unsecure dangerous cargo
Semi-truck accidents and collisions involving other commercial trucks can be devastating. It only takes one moment of negligence from a truck driver to completely change someone’s life. As evidenced by the above list, however, fault in these accidents can be complicated. After all, how can truck drivers control unmaintained roadways or ensure that trucking companies are meeting their responsibility of properly maintaining the fleet? This raises many questions about potential liability in these collisions, and these are questions that a trucking accident lawyer in Las Vegas can help answer. Contact High Stakes Injury Law today, and we’ll help you get answers.
Are Truck Drivers Always At Fault?
As evidenced in the last section, truck accidents are not always due to negligence on the part of the trucker. However, they are liable for a variety of different accident types. This obviously includes collisions involving drunk driving, driver fatigue, and illegal roadway maneuvers, but it’s also the responsibility of truck drivers to ensure their cargo is secure. This is the case even if other parties load the truck. The driver must ensure everything is properly balanced, that cargo weight limits are met, and that there are no potential issues that could put others in danger.
However, it is worth noting that the average truck accident case doesn’t involve a negligent trucker. In fact, drivers of passenger vehicles are at fault in 80% of all commercial trucking accidents. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Don’t simply assume that you were at fault for an incident. The trucking and insurance companies will no doubt try to convince you that you’re liable, and they may act as if a lowball settlement offer is generous on their part. In reality, accident victims may be entitled to substantial compensation even if they’re partially responsible for their accidents.
This is another instance when the law can get complicated, so consider reaching out to a Las Vegas personal injury law firm for legal advice.
What Are Common Truck Accident Injuries?
Regardless of who is at fault for commercial trucking accidents, the results are typically devastating. More than two-thirds of all fatalities in these tragedies occur among passenger vehicle occupants. It’s easy to understand why when you learn the size differential. Smaller passenger vehicles typically weigh around 3,000 lbs. By comparison, a fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 lbs. If you’ve been involved in a semi-truck accident, you very likely suffered severe injuries. For most accident victims, these injuries typically fall into one of the following categories:
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Disfiguration and serious burns
- Lung injuries (from leaking hazardous materials)
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Lost limbs
- Crush injuries
- Wrongful death
Clearly, such injuries can result in significant medical expenses. In a worst-case scenario, the loved one of a victim could end up making funeral arrangements and dealing with the cost of that process. Whether you were only out of work for a month, will need medical treatment for years, or lost someone you love due to the negligence of a truck driver, contacting a tractor-trailer accident attorney in Las Vegas may be the most important decision you make. Every case is different, and it’s possible that you might not be eligible for compensation. However, there’s no excuse not to know for sure since we offer free case evaluations at High Stakes Injury Law.
How Can a Las Vegas Truck Accident Attorney Help?
After involvement in a big rig accident, you might just get a call from an insurance or trucking company. In fact, injured victims receive such a call more often than not. That’s because these companies typically want to get claims settled quickly — before you have a chance to speak with experienced truck accident lawyers in Las Vegas. Once these companies start throwing money your way, you might wonder whether you need an attorney at all. You could deal with settlement negotiations and even go to trial on your own, but doing so could prove costly. Remember, an insurance company will pay out as little as they possibly can.
Additionally, an attorney with experience in these cases can handle the following on your behalf:
- Visiting and investigating the accident scene
- Documenting vehicle damage
- Hiring accident scene recreation experts
- Drafting your legal claim
- Documenting all injuries and losses
- Recovering video of the incident
- Interviewing medical experts to fully understand your injuries
- Interviewing witnesses
- Recovering evidence in the possession of trucking companies
- Finding violations in the truck driver’s background
These are just a few of the tasks we handle at High Stakes Injury Law. Our legal team works diligently for every truck accident victim who obtains our services. Our goal is to secure maximum compensation on your behalf, and that takes a lot of work and dedication. It’s this effort that helps explain why accident victims with legal representation recover compensation amounts higher than their counterparts without an attorney. You’ve got a lot on your plate after involvement in a commercial truck accident. Let us handle the legal burden for you so you can focus on healing.
Is There a Deadline for Filing a Lawsuit for Truck Crashes?
Once a truck wreck takes place, a countdown begins. That’s because every personal injury case has a deadline by which it must be filed. The statute of limitations for a trucking accident in Nevada is two years. If you don’t file before the deadline expires, it can become impossible to seek fair compensation. After all, commercial vehicle owners and insurers are unlikely to pay what you deserve if the threat of a lawsuit isn’t hanging over their heads. Not filing within a timely manner can be devastating — particularly for those who suffer a potentially lifelong consequence such as a traumatic brain injury or permanent disability.
By now, you’re likely thinking that two years is plenty of time to file a claim. However, this time can easily get away from you. Trucking crashes often lead to long settlement negotiations. At times, an insurance company will drag out this process in order to take advantage of a looming filing deadline. They may also hope that you’ll simply give in. Your biggest concern after a semi-truck crash, though, is the fact that personal injury cases can become more difficult to prove after longer periods of time. Evidence vanishes, memories fade, witnesses move, and a million other things can happen to derail your claim.
Don’t put your case at risk by procrastinating. Reach out to our Las Vegas trucking accident attorneys as soon as possible.
Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer in Las Vegas Today
Truck accidents are among the most devastating collisions that a person could be involved in. The sheer size differential — even among smaller big rigs or large pickup trucks — is enough to cause serious injuries. If you or a loved one have found yourself injured due to one of these collisions, the road to recovery can be a tough one. The property damage inflicted on your vehicle is likely the least of your worries, and dealing with insurance companies and truck accident claims is likely the last thing you want to do. Fortunately, our team of skilled legal professionals can help.
At High Stakes Injury Law, we’ve spent over three decades helping accident victims secure compensation in Las Vegas. Our legal team commits itself to every client that comes through the door, so when you choose to work with us, you know you’re getting dedicated experience. The path to recovering compensation is often a difficult one, but it’s not one you have to travel alone. You can sit down for a free initial consultation at our law firm to learn more about your rights to compensation.
Contact us today by calling (702) 707-5934 to schedule your case review. Our truck accident lawyers in Las Vegas are ready to help.
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I Was Injured In An Accident.
What Do I Do Now?
By Scott L. Poisson
Do I Have A Case?
Dealing With The Insurance Company
When a Lawsuit Is Filed
Overcoming Common Defense Themes
Special Considerations in Specific Types of Cases