Montgomery Truck Accident Lawyer

Evidence is everything. A Montlick Attorney Helps Protect It.

Timing is everything after an accident involving a big rig. The trucking company will act fast to send their investigators to the crash scene, potentially damaging evidence and/or disrupting essential aspects of the scene. Some companies aim to pay the injured victim as little as possible. When you’ve experienced the trauma of an accident, the last thing you should have to worry about is whether or not you’ll receive compensation to aid in your recovery.

When you contact Montlick, one of our commercial trucking accident lawyers will do everything possible to ensure the evidence you need to win is preserved, safeguarded, and leveraged. Trucking companies work fast, but our Montgomery personal injury lawyers work faster.

How A Montlick Lawyer Can Help
Although we can’t change what’s happened to you, we can do our best to improve your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve. Our team of dedicated Montgomery truck accident lawyers will act quickly to preserve critical evidence in your case. A few ways we’ll do this include:

• Taking footage of the scene as soon as possible: We’ll document any visible damage to the vehicles involved in the crash and any skid marks left on the road. If applicable, our team will also take photos of any weather conditions that might have contributed to the accident, such as snow or rain.
• Ensuring black box data isn’t deleted: Information in a truck’s black box can be precious in determining the cause of the accident and assigning responsibility. Reconstruction experts rely heavily on the data from the black box to piece together the sequence of events that led up to the accident. We’ll fight to ensure this data doesn’t get deleted.
• Speaking with witnesses: Your attorney will work hard to track down valuable witnesses to your accident. This could include other motorists involved and first responders.
• Collecting all relevant medical records: Medical records are essential for establishing damages in a personal injury lawsuit. We ensure they’re preserved promptly to remain valid throughout your legal proceedings.

How You Can Strengthen Your Case
Immediately following your accident, there are steps you can take to help strengthen your case. If you are safe and physically able to:

• Seek medical attention
• Document the scene by taking photos or videos
• Collect witness contact information
• Contact Montlick

Montlick Attorneys Add Value to Your Case

Insurance companies generally award injury victims higher amounts of compensation when those victims have retained legal representation. A study conducted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) revealed the following:

• 85% of payouts by insurance companies for personal injury claims were paid to victims that an attorney represented.
• Injury victims with legal representation received, on average, 300% more financial compensation than injury victims who did not have legal representation.

An aggressive Montlick tractor-trailer trucking accident lawyer has the negotiating power to help victims obtain substantially greater compensation than they would if they took on the powerful trucking company alone.

Since claims against trucking companies and commercial insurance carriers can be complicated issues of state and federal law, you need a trial-tested attorney you can trust. Our lawyers are willing to go the distance–taking cases to court if that’s what’s necessary to win the total value of our client’s claim.

Proving Fault in Your Trucking Accident Case

Truck accident cases are, by nature, more complex. Many parties, such as the driver, truck owner, manufacturer, cargo loader, or even road authorities, could be found at least partially responsible. Adding to the complication, each party may use a different insurance company. Trucking accident cases can get overwhelming quickly. Let a Montgomery truck accident lawyer from Montlick sort it out for you and fight to get you the money you deserve.

If the Driver Is At Fault
We’ll start with your case by looking into how the driver operated the vehicle. A tractor-trailer driver must follow all standard rules of the road, plus additional state and federal regulations. For example, drivers must have a commercial driver’s license and follow strict requirements for sleep and breaks. They must keep driving logs and obey the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) rule of not driving for more than 11 hours daily.

If the Driver’s Employer Is At Fault
Because a company employs most truck drivers, the driver’s employer may ultimately be found liable for your accident. Despite federal laws placing strict limitations on routes and work hours, it’s not uncommon for employers to push drivers past their limits. Trucking companies might push their drivers to keep going even when they need to sleep or encourage them to overload the vehicle.

If the Maintenance Company Is At Fault
The trucking company may outsource work to local maintenance companies, and in these cases. The maintenance company could be fully or partially liable. If they fail to perform necessary maintenance or do so poorly, our commercial trucking accident lawyers will investigate and fight to hold them accountable.

If the Shipping/Loading Company Is At Fault
A company that loads the vehicle’s cargo may find themselves partially responsible for the accident. Loading an 18-wheeler improperly can cause dangerous driving imbalances that can cause rollovers and other accidents. If loads aren’t adequately secured, it can contribute to causing an accident. Our attorneys know how to prove liability, even when it’s complicated. .

If the Truck’s Manufacturer Is At Fault
In some cases, the driver and trucking company did everything correctly, but faulty manufacturing put everyone at risk. Manufacturers are meant to make safe products. If they make a defective part or vehicle, and that product goes on to cause an accident, they may find themselves responsible for an accident.

If the Road Authorities Are At Fault
Roads are supposed to be maintained by the relevant local, state, or federal authorities. If improper road design, construction, or maintenance contributed to your accident, you may have a claim against these authorities.

The Startling Dangers of the Trucking Industry

Our country’s truck driver shortage hit a record high of over 80,000 drivers in 2021. Given the size of the industry, this shortage spells trouble. Trucking companies feel pressured to overwork their current employees. Combine this with the poor sleeping conditions, and thousands of fatigued truck drivers pass through Alabama roads daily.

Drowsy driving poses similar risks to drunk driving, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The Driving Drowsy Vs. Driving Drunk study shows:

• Staying awake for 18 hours straight impairs the mind the same as having a 0.05 percent blood alcohol concentration.
• Being awake for 24 hours continuously is comparable to having a BAC of 0.10 percent.

Sick drivers may also take over-the-counter or prescription medications that cause drowsiness and continue to work due to demand. A FMCSA report found that 17 percent of commercial truck drivers involved in collisions were under the influence of over-the-counter drugs such as cold medicines.

Common Causes of Trucking Accidents

Due to their size and weight, trucks are more difficult to maneuver than other vehicles. By default, the dangers of crashing into smaller vehicles are exacerbated by their wide blind sports and the long distances required to stop. The most common causes of trucking accidents include:

• Human errors such as inexperience, speeding, road rage, overloading the truck, failing to secure loads, and not paying enough attention to traffic or weather conditions.
• Mechanical failures such as problems with brakes, tires, or other mechanical features.
• Employer or manufacturer failures like negligent designs, poor supervision of drivers, negligent truck maintenance, failure to prevent driver fatigue, and negligent training.
• Environmental issues like debris in the road, load shifting, and jackknifing.
• Additional causes such as weather conditions, other drivers, and more.

Blind Spot Dangers
While all motor vehicles have blind spots where the driver cannot see, the length and height of a tractor-trailer truck significantly reduce the driver’s visibility. Commercial truck drivers cannot see certain angles on both sides of the trailer toward the end of the vehicle. The truck mirrors cannot reflect objects directly in front or to the immediate left. While there are no zones that make driving large trucks safer, truck drivers must recognize these no zones and exercise caution when making lane changes.

Most commercial trucks today come equipped with large mirrors to reduce large blind spots, but this doesn’t entirely eliminate the problem. Truck drivers and commercial carriers can reduce the risk by installing cameras to eliminate truck blind spots. Another option is to equip their fleets with crash avoidance systems. Crash avoidance systems can also minimize carriage underride/override crashes and backing-up accidents. However, even with the most up-to-date safety precautions, the size and design of large trucks still pose a huge blind spot risk.

Unfortunately, transportation companies have a substantial financial incentive to place profits before safety, making the nation’s roadways more dangerous. While not every “no zone accident” is the trucking company’s fault, a truck driver’s lack of attention to a truck’s no zones and/or neglect to use extra care to avoid accidents in blind spots can be a basis of liability.

Types of Trucking Accidents in Montgomery

In some ways, truck accidents are very similar to car accidents. However, the massive size of the truck can make a huge difference, and contributes to the significant force and impact of the collision. Common types of truck accidents are:

• Head-on collisions happen when a truck strikes a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.
• Rear-end collisions happen when the truck hits the vehicle in front of it, often causing severe injuries or death.
• Under-rider collisions happen when a smaller vehicle hits the truck’s rear and then becomes trapped under it.
• Side collisions happen when a truck crashes into the side of another vehicle or vice versa, usually occurring at an intersection, at a stop light, or during a sudden lane change.
• Other collisions happen when a truck hits an object that is not a moving vehicle, such as a pole, animal, or pedestrian.
• Rollovers happen when the truck has lost balance due to a load shift, sudden change in the weather, or a mechanical issue.
• Jackknife accidents occur when a truck with two separate parts, such as a cab and a trailer, folds in on itself. This hinging effect resembles a pocket knife folding into its handle (hence the name) and can be catastrophic.

Potential Recovered Damages for Truck Accident Victims

Compensation for truck accident victims can cover the following damages:

• Economic Damages: Victims of truck accidents may be able to recover compensation for any economic losses they have suffered due to the accident, such as lost wages, medical bills, and property damage.
• Non-Economic Damages: These damages are not directly related to financial losses but include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of companionship, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Punitive Damages: If a truck driver was found to have acted recklessly or with gross negligence in causing an accident, victims may be able to pursue punitive damages to punish the at-fault party.
• Wrongful Death Damages: In cases where a victim dies due to the negligence or recklessness of another party, their family members may be able to seek wrongful death damages. This includes funeral costs and other expenses associated with their death.
• Loss of Consortium Claims: If the victim is unable to provide love and companionship to their spouse due to injury or death caused by a trucking accident, the spouse may claim loss of consortium against the at-fault party.

Alabama Regulations You Should Know

The State of Alabama has implemented several regulations to enforce federal laws surrounding traffic infringements and accidents. Code § 32-10-5 requires individuals involved in accidents that have resulted in injury or death to law enforcement immediately. A casualty caused in a traffic accident must be reported with an SR-31 report to the Public Safety Commission within 24 hours. If no death occurred, it must be reported within 15 days.

Wish You Had A Lawyer In The Family? Now You Do®

When you choose Montlick for your Montgomery commercial trucking accident lawyer, you get compassionate representation and aggressive fighters to get you the compensation you deserve. When you contact Montlick, you will:

• Speak with an attorney. Remember, legal assistants, paralegals, or legal “specialists” are not qualified to advise you. That’s why we put you on the phone with a lawyer directly.
• Get a FREE consultation with a lawyer. We will help you understand your legal options. Our confidential consultations are always thorough, helpful, and completely free.
• Get answers. One of our attorneys will answer any questions you have about your claim.

Have you suffered injuries because of the negligence of a commercial driver? You need a Montgomery truck accident lawyer you can trust. Call Montlick nationwide 24/7 at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) today.

Let us worry about fighting the legal battle while you focus on moving forward.