Truck and tractor-trailer crashes are the second leading cause of traffic fatalities in the country. In the congested roadways of Brooklyn, where laden delivery trucks are common, the potential for serious injury is always looming. Local crash data indicates that nearly 30 percent of NYC’s commercial truck collisions take place in Brooklyn.
Accidents involving passenger vehicles and large semis are often catastrophic events. If you or a loved one were hurt in a truck accident, The Rothenberg Law Firm is here to help. Our highly skilled legal team is adept at handling these complex claims and is committed to maximizing our clients’ legal recovery.
Seek the compensation you deserve by working with an experienced Brooklyn truck accident lawyer who leverages decades of experience helping clients successfully recover their losses.
How a Brooklyn truck accident attorney can help
Truck accident victims should not have to handle their case on their own especially when insurance adjusters attempt to shift blame or downplay the severity of injuries and losses. It is exactly situations like these when you need sound legal advocacy from a Brooklyn personal injury lawyer who can level the playing field and fight back on your behalf.
The Rothenberg Law Firm will handle every facet of your truck accident claim with professionalism, integrity, and candor. Leave the litigation to us, so you can focus on your health and recovery.
Our attorneys carry out independent investigations into the cause of the truck accident, and collaborate with experts to determine the full value of your claim.
Your legal counsel will:
- Identify all liable parties and potential avenues of monetary recovery
- Manage correspondence with insurance providers
- Ensure compliance with relevant statute of limitations
- Collect evidence that supports your claim
- Retain expert witnesses when needed
- Keep you informed of all milestones in the legal process
- Work to negotiate a settlement that reflects the true extent of your losses
- Try your case in front of a jury, if necessary
Our firm is equipped to handle all types of truck accidents in Brooklyn and the five boroughs of New York City, including rollover accidents, lost loads, jackknife collisions, underride accidents, tire blowouts, rear-end accidents, head-on collisions, wide turn wrecks, and crashes involving truckers’ blind spots.
Causes of truck accidents in Brooklyn
More often than not, there are multiple factors that contribute to large truck crashes. Unfortunately, many of these stem from human error or negligence or gross negligence. Driver fatigue remains a primary culprit in commercial truck accidents, but the blame may also lie with careless cargo loaders, or trucking companies that cut corners on vehicle maintenance.
Operators of commercial trucks must abide by federal hours-of-service regulations that limit the number of consecutive hours driven at a time. Sadly, truckers are often spurred by unreasonable deadlines to ignore these regulations, which means they are unrested, have slower reaction times, and are more likely to make a mistake.
The most common causes of large truck accidents today include:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Excessive driver fatigue
- Alcohol or drug impairment
- Improper and dangerous turning and/or lane changes
- Reckless driving
- Brake failure
- Mechanical malfunction
- Overweight loads
Proving negligence in a truck accident
A detailed investigation will determine the underlying cause of the truck accident, and which party or parties may be held liable. Our attorneys take proactive measures to collect critical evidence as quickly as possible. This may include surveillance footage of the accident, truck driver logs, the vehicle’s black box recorder, citations from the accident, cell phone records, witness testimony, and alcohol or drug test results. Our investigators will look into the trucking company’s internal records to review hiring and training protocols, as well as routine maintenance on the truck. We often work with accident reconstruction specialists and other industry experts to help establish liability and build a solid claim.
Multiple parties may share liability for a truck accident, including the truck driver, trucking company, the broker, manufacturer of faulty parts, third-party contractors who maintain or load the truck, as well as other negligent motorists.
Damages available in a truck accident claim
Delivery trucks and big rigs are massive vehicles that can weigh upwards of 80,000 pounds, so it’s no surprise that collisions with smaller passenger vehicles often result in catastrophic injury or wrongful death.
Our lawyers know how to maximize truck accident compensation and will fight for the money damages you deserve. Recoverable compensation may include monetary awards for:
- Medical bills – past, current, and future
- Lost income and benefits
- Rehabilitation expenses
- Diminished earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Permanent disability
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of quality of life
Time limits for filing a truck accident lawsuit
In New York, you have three years from the date of the truck accident to file a personal injury claim. If the collision caused loss of life, you have just two years to file a wrongful death suit. Once the statute of limitation expires, you will be barred from pursuing compensation through the courts.
Reach out for a free consultation in Brooklyn
Our dedicated lawyers and support staff will advocate for your rights and seek the most favorable outcome possible. To explore your options for legal recourse after a truck accident in Brooklyn, we invite you to reach out for a free consultation. The Rothenberg Law Firm has decades of experience and we are here to help you and your loved ones.
