Truck Accidents

Do You Need Help and Guidance from a Truck Accident Attorney in Minnesota?

Accidents caused by commercial trucks often lead to devastating property damage and catastrophic injuries. At Robichaud, Schroepfer & Correia, P.A., our truck accident lawyers have decades of combined experience seeking the benefits our clients need following an unfortunate incident involving a commercial vehicle such as semi truck or semi-trailer — also known as a tractor-trailer or an 18-wheeler. Truck accidents can cause life-altering injuries, often leading to severe emotional and financial strain. You must pursue the appropriate legal avenues with the help of experienced truck accident attorneys. Our goal is to ease as much of your burden as possible through personal service, individual attention, and communication every step of the way.

When the cost of your medical treatment is combined with your lost wages following a truck accident, you could suffer financial ruin in addition to life-altering injuries. Our firm’s Minnesota truck accident attorneys will aggressively fight to seek the full and fair monetary compensation corresponding to your injuries, suffering, and losses. We will carefully investigate the scene of your semi truck accident, the history of the truck driver, and any witness statements to gain a clear understanding of what happened and the causal factors of the incident. Trust us to fight for you. You need to focus on your health and recovery — let us worry about everything else.

Contact our Minnesota truck accident lawyers at RSC Law to schedule a free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys will help you identify the appropriate next steps for your case and begin building your strategy to pursue fair and appropriate compensation for your associated injuries, medical bills, vehicle expenses, and other damages.

The Parties That Could Be Responsible in a Truck Accident

Multiple parties could bear responsibility for a truck accident in Minnesota. Your personal injury lawyer will investigate your case to determine which of the following parties may be liable for your injuries:

• Truck Drivers: A driver may be held liable if their negligent behavior — such as speeding, fatigue, distracted driving, or substance abuse — led to the accident. However, not all truck accidents involve the fault of truck drivers.
• Trucking Companies: If the trucking company failed to conduct proper background checks, enforced unrealistic schedules leading to driver fatigue, or neglected vehicle maintenance, they could be held responsible for injuries and damages suffered by truck accident victims.
• Truck Owners: If a truck owner failed to properly maintain the vehicle or ignored necessary repairs before sending the truck driver on the road, they could be liable when an accident occurs. Truck owners can also be held responsible for truck accident victims’ damages simply due to owning the vehicle.
• Cargo Loaders: Improperly loaded or secured cargo can cause or exacerbate truck accidents. If this is the case, the cargo loading company responsible for loading the truck might be held liable.
• Safety Inspectors: If a safety inspector approved a truck that was not safe to operate and this led to an accident, they could bear some responsibility.
• Manufacturers: If a truck accident was caused by a defective part, the manufacturer of that part could be held liable.

Determination of liability for a truck accident involves complex legal and factual analysis. Contact the knowledgeable Minnesota truck accident attorney team at our law firm to schedule a free consultation.

How Commercial Truck Accident Claims Differ from Other Automobile Accident Claims

Truck accident claims in Minnesota often differ significantly from other automobile accident claims due to several factors:

• Multiple Parties Involved: In Minnesota truck accidents, multiple parties may be held liable, often including the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loaders, and potentially even manufacturers of truck parts. A car accident with another type of vehicle will typically not involve as many factors or potentially liable parties as a Minnesota truck accident.
• Larger Insurance Policies: Trucking companies typically have larger insurance policies as compared to personal auto insurance held by many truck accident victims. This can mean higher potential compensation, but it can also mean you will face more resistance from insurance companies.
• Complex Regulations: The trucking industry is subject to various state and federal regulations, which can play a role in determining liability of truck drivers, owners of commercial vehicles, trucking companies, and other parties in truck accident cases. Our Minneapolis truck accident lawyers are adept at analyzing truck crashes in relation to the regulations under Minnesota’s laws.
• Severity of Injuries: Accidents with commercial trucks often lead to more severe injuries, which can involve higher medical costs and increased compensation. Accident victims’ medical bills are a very significant factor in many truck accident cases.
• Detailed Evidence: Evidence like logbooks, GPS data, and black box data can be crucial in a truck accident case, making them often more complex than car accident cases.

If you’ve been involved in a Minnesota truck accident, consult with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Truck accident victims often face greater potential harms due to the vehicles involved, but there may be greater potential for compensation as compared with many other auto accident cases. Your Minneapolis truck accident lawyer will guide you regarding the steps to pursue truck accident claims with your insurance company, and they will also determine whether there is cause for you to pursue a truck accident lawsuit.

The Dangers Posed by Semi Trucks Among Other Vehicles on the Road

Semi trucks pose significant dangers on the road due to their size, weight, and the nature of their operations. Your personal injury attorney will look for evidence indicating connections between your truck accident and any of the following key dangers associated with tractor-trailers and other large trucks or commercial vehicles on the road:

• Driver Fatigue: Commercial truck drivers often work long hours without sufficient rest, leading to impaired judgment and slower reaction times.
• Speeding: Excessive speed can make it difficult for truck drivers to control the vehicle and stop in time to avoid an accident.
• Blind Spots: Large trucks have significant blind spots on all sides, often making it difficult for the truck drivers to see smaller vehicles in their proximity.
• Stopped Trucks: Trucks stopped on the side of the highway pose a serious hazard to other motorists, especially if they block sightlines.
• Mechanical Problems: Trucks with mechanical issues or cargo issues can lead to devastating truck accidents.
• Large Size and Weight: The sheer mass of semi-trucks can cause severe damage and injury in the event of a collision.
• Increased Truck Traffic: With surging truck traffic across the country and in Minnesota, there has been an uptick in truck crashes and Minnesota truck accident injury cases.

Your Minneapolis truck accident lawyer will investigate the incident to determine which of these potential factors may have been involved in causing your injuries. Your legal team will also assess whether other factors such as distracted driving may have contributed to a truck crash and your personal injury.

While police reports will indicate what the police believe happened in a truck crash scenario, there are many parties involved in a commercial trucking or logistics operation that may not have been fully accounted for or explored in terms of who or what caused a serious accident. This will tend to add to the complexity of a trucking accident case, and the personal injury attorneys at our Minneapolis law firm will identify whether some of these other parties besides the truck driver may have contributed to the commercial vehicle accident.

Tractor-Trailer Accidents are Closely Tied to Many Types of Severe Injuries

Semi-trailer accidents often lead to severe injuries due to the size and weight of these vehicles. Some common severe injuries associated with commercial truck accidents include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): These can range from mild concussions to severe brain damage. TBI can lead to long-term cognitive issues, physical impairment, and emotional distress.
• Spinal Cord Injuries: Trucking accidents can involve injuries to the spinal cord, potentially causing partial or complete paralysis — often leading to a lifetime of disability.
• Broken and Dislocated Bones: The force of a truck collision can break or dislocate bones, requiring surgery and lengthy recovery.
• Internal Injuries: Damage to organs, internal bleeding, or punctured lungs can be life-threatening.
• Severe Lacerations: Deep cuts can lead to significant blood loss, nerve damage, and scarring.
• Neck and Back Injuries: These can lead to chronic pain, limited mobility, and, in some cases, permanent disability. Our personal injury lawyers can guide you to determine the estimated impact of neck and back injuries on your life in the long term. Do not neglect to include long-term effects among damages in a personal injury claim.

If you’ve been involved in a commercial truck accident, it’s critical to seek medical attention immediately after the crash occurs — even if you don’t feel immediate pain— as some symptoms of common injuries may not appear right away. It is also a good idea to get checked out by a medical professional to assess any potential injuries. Your medical treatment will provide documentation of any diagnosed injuries, and seeking immediate medical attention will help you and your personal injury attorney demonstrate that you promptly took the appropriate steps to address any potential injuries from your trucking accident — perhaps also preventing additional treatments needed due to a worsening of known or unknown conditions.

It’s also vital to consult an experienced truck accident attorney who can help you understand your rights and potential compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, property damage, and other expenses. Our Minneapolis truck accident lawyers will guide you to ensure you pursue appropriate medical care so your diagnosis will be recorded in a medical report, which can also be crucial as you pursue a personal injury case against the truck company or any other parties.

Contact RSC Law Today to Schedule a Consultation and Assess Your Truck Accident Case

Truck crashes can lead to severe injuries, severely impacting your life and your loved ones. These accidents are handled differently from normal car accidents due to the many parties involved and their potential fault for the accident. Furthermore, the nature of motor-vehicle accidents involving trucks can lead to greater injuries and vehicle damage. At RSC Law, our experienced truck accident attorney team is ready to guide you during this difficult and stressful time.

If you have been in a truck accident, contact our legal team at Robichaud, Schroepfer and Correia, P.A. today to schedule a free consultation. Our Minneapolis truck accident attorneys will assess the unique details of your case and begin planning the next steps for your legal strategy to pursue fair and appropriate compensation.