Toledo Truck Accident Lawyer

Anyone who has spent any time on the roads and highways of Ohio knows that trucks, tractor-trailers, and commercial vehicles make up a good percentage of the traffic. Trucks are an important part of our economy, bringing every conceivable consumer goods from iPods to SUVs to retailers across the state. While the trucking industry plays an important part in providing jobs and goods for many of us, it is the profit-based aspect of this industry that can be a danger to the rest of us who share the road.

If you have been harmed in a truck accident, a skilled personal injury attorney is the ally you need now. To discover your options for recovery, reach out and speak with a local Toledo truck accident lawyer today.

What You Should Do After a Truck Accident

When you are involved in a truck accident, the trauma and pain you are experiencing from your injuries can make it difficult to think clearly or know what you should do next. If you are able to pull your car to the side of the road to a safe place, this is an important first step.

Next, you should call the police and tell them you were in an accident, if you are in a position to do so. If there are injuries, ask for them to send an ambulance to the scene as well. Getting prompt medical attention is of primary importance when you are involved in a truck collision.

Do not delay getting the medical treatment you need. Doing so could not only worsen your injuries but even cause you difficulty later with proving your case for compensation. If you are able to take photos of the scene of the accident, property damage, injuries, or anything else that might prove relevant to your case later, these could all serve as valuable forms of evidence later on.

In addition, if you can exchange insurance information with the truck driver, this could save valuable time down the line. Your physical well-being is what matters most. After securing treatment and collecting any information at the scene of the accident, you should contact a Toledo truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Our attorneys can help you protect your legal rights and assert your right to compensation.

Establishing Fault After a Truck Accident

When it comes to establishing legal fault after a truck accident, you need to demonstrate that someone was negligent. Proving negligence involves showing that someone owed you a duty of care, failed to follow that duty, and that failure was the direct cause of your injuries and damages.

Truck drivers have a duty to observe all rules of the road, observe federal and state trucking industry regulations, and exert reasonable care when behind the wheel. If the truck driver breaches any of these standards and causes an accident that injures another motorist, they can be legally liable. Examples of negligent driving behaviors include illegal turns, driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving while fatigued.

Likewise, the truck company is required to observe strict hiring and training procedures when it comes to hiring drivers. If the truck driver and/or truck company failed to uphold their duty of care, our Toledo attorneys can collect the full body of available evidence to hold them accountable for their negligent actions that caused your harm. We can also work zealously to bring any other responsible individuals or entities to account through a civil suit for compensation, whether that is the manufacturer of the truck or a local government entity.

Key forms of evidence could include the police accident report, eyewitness statements, and footage from the police dashcam or nearby traffic cameras. Our attorneys can also speak with accident reconstruction professionals and other expert witnesses to build a case that reflects the maximum value of compensation owed to you.

Truck Accident Injuries

Tractor-trailers are enormous and cumbersome vehicles, and even with all the safety advances for automobiles implemented in recent years, an accident with a truck can cause serious damage to both cars and their drivers. Some people who are involved in truck accidents are fortunately able to emerge from these wrecks either unscathed or with minor injuries, but others aren’t so lucky. The harm that can be delivered from a 90,000-pound vehicle can be considerable.

Truck injuries can result in permanent injuries to the spinal cord or the brain, and there is no real way to “recover” from that sort of damage. It should also be mentioned that these injuries require long-term or lifelong care, which can cost millions of dollars, making it important to swiftly contact a Toledo truck accident attorney. To learn more or begin your road to recovery following an accident schedule a consultation with us today.

Most people don’t know how to get their lives back on track after suffering an injury due to an accident involving a large or commercial truck. Our mission is to create individualized plans to get our clients back to health quicker, get the bills paid, and live the lives they want to live.

Prevalence Of Truck Accidents

The trucking industry is, for the most part, based on rewarding its drivers for quick delivery. Drivers have a financial incentive to get their freight to their destination either on or ahead of schedule. With some freight being delivered thousands of miles away, some drivers engage in risky behavior like going without adequate rest in order to make or beat their deadline. As the alarming statistics below demonstrate, the results of this behavior are being felt all across the nation.

• The National Safety Council reported that in just one recent year, 5,700 large trucks were involved in a fatal crash
• 117,300 large trucks were involved in crashes resulting in injury
• The majority of deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of other vehicles, followed by truck occupants, pedestrians, and cyclists
• 63% of the crashes happened during the day
• 6% of the crashes happened in construction zones
• Top Five Counties for Truck Fatalities in Ohio: Cuyahoga (8), Hamilton (8), Franklin (6), Lucas (6), Montgomery (6), and Seneca (6)
• The rate of fatalities caused by commercial vehicles nationwide is one in eight; in Ohio, that rate is one in seven

These numbers are hardly surprising. Trucks are certainly not agile and maneuverable vehicles. It takes a truck moving 50 miles an hour at least a quarter of a mile to come to a complete stop, and even with their array of mirrors they still have enormous blind spots. When this scenario is combined with a lack of sleep on the part of the truck driver or poor maintenance by the freight company mechanics, death could be the result.

Furthermore, it is not surprising that most Americans are unaware of what their rights are and what they are entitled to in compensation when they get injured. Getting into an accident is a frightening and emotionally draining experience, and the primary concerns of the average accident victim are basic: Will I live? Will I be able to walk again? Am I going to be okay? Worrying about whether or not your injury will bankrupt you should be the least of your concerns.

A Toledo truck crash attorney has a complete understanding of your rights as a truck accident victim. Their aggressive advocacy is crucial to secure the compensation that you deserve and will need in order to pay for your lost property, medical bills, and loss of income. There is also the possibility of emotional distress, limitation of lifestyle, and pain and suffering, each of which can not only affect the victim but also their families and loved ones.

Statute of Limitations for Truck Accident Claims

Every state has its own filing deadline for auto accident claims. In Ohio, the filing window for truck accident lawsuits is the same as for other types of motor vehicle cases. Generally speaking, the law provides you two years from the date of the accident to begin a lawsuit seeking compensation for your injuries and damages.

It is wise to secure legal representation well in advance of that timeline. Preparing to file a lawsuit can be an extensive process. And if you miss the two-year statute of limitations, you could be left without any options to get compensation at all for what happened to you as there are very few situations or exceptions that would extend this deadline.

A Toledo truck accident attorney can evaluate your potential claim and identify the correct filing window that applies. We can help you take prompt legal action to pursue all forms of compensation you may be entitled to while navigating the entirety of the lawsuit process on your behalf.

Contact A Toledo Truck Accident Attorney For Help

You would think that a truck accident where the driver of the truck was at fault would be an obvious matter in terms of liability. Unfortunately, insurance companies do their best to lower costs, cut corners, and offer low settlements in order to maximize their profits. One of the standard tactics of truck insurers is to offer injured parties a settlement quickly before the victim has a full understanding of what the injury is going to cost.

Charles Boyk has a history of aggressively representing the victims of truck accidents in Ohio, and is widely respected as an expert on trucking industry litigation. Should you or a loved one be involved in an accident involving a truck or other commercial vehicle, having Charles Boyk on your side could be the difference between waiting for years for an inadequate settlement and waiting for months for a fair one. Contact our offices for a free case assessment with a Toledo truck accident lawyer today. Our attorneys also operate in a number of other locations including Perrysburg and Oregon.