If you suffered injuries in a truck accident in New York, you deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses when someone else is to blame. A dedicated truck accident lawyer at Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will work to build the strongest and most compelling case to prove why you qualify to get it.
At our firm, a client’s needs are the top priority. We do our best to make this process as stress-free and accommodating as possible while putting our passion for personal injury law to work for you. To begin, our New York personal injury lawyer provides a no-cost, confidential consultation so you can learn about your case and the rest of our services.
- We Navigate the Challenges of a Truck Accident Case for You
- Types of Recoverable Damages in a New York Truck Accident
- How Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. Will Handle Your Truck Accident Case
- Our Legal Services Will Never Add to Your Financial Burden
- Do Not Risk Your Right to Recover Compensation on Long Island
- Speak to Us About Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney Today
We Navigate the Challenges of a Truck Accident Case for You
Auto accidents involving semi-trucks are different from other types of car accidents. Aside from their potential to cause greater damage and more serious injuries, a truck accident case may involve violations of trucking regulations enacted to protect the public. They also frequently involve more than one liable party.
Some of the complexities we will navigate for you after a truck accident include:
- Proving violations of traffic laws or truck accident laws and regulations
- Identifying all liable parties
- Communicating and negotiating with insurance companies and defense lawyers
- Pursuing your insurance claim and negotiating with the insurance carrier
- Filing a truck accident lawsuit when necessary
Using Truck Accident Laws and Regulations to Prove Negligence
Commercial truck drivers and carriers must comply with federal and state truck industry regulations. If a driver or carrier fails to follow any of the laws below, we will build a case to hold them liable if the violation contributed to the accident:
- Hours of service: Truckers have strict limits on the number of consecutive hours they can drive and the breaks they must take in between to limit the risk of drowsiness behind the wheel.
- Alcohol use: While driving under the influence is a violation for all drivers, truckers are subject to lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits. A BAC of .04 is considered a violation of this trucker-specific limitation. The use of certain illicit, prescription, and over-the-counter drugs is also illegal.
- Training: Truckers must undergo a certain level of training to operate most commercial vehicles and hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
- Traffic violations: As is the case with most motor vehicle accidents, violating traffic laws is a significant cause of many collisions and truck accident injuries. When a driver acts carelessly or recklessly behind the wheel, a traffic violation can quickly lead to a crash and serious injuries.
There are numerous other laws and regulations truck drivers and carriers must follow. Our team of experienced truck accident lawyers has an intimate knowledge of these laws and regulations and understands how to use a violation to help establish the defendant’s negligence.
Identifying All Possible Liable Parties
Since they typically concern on-duty truckers, truck accidents tend to involve several liable parties, including:
- Truck drivers
- Trucking companies
- Truck manufacturers
- Maintenance companies
- Brokers
- Shippers
Vicarious liability laws dictate that a truck carrier is generally liable for its employees’ negligent actions. If a truck driver caused your accident, the carrier that employs them is likely liable for your injuries. Our experienced truck accident attorneys generally pursue the trucking company for compensation in these cases.
A truck accident lawyer at Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. also understands what it takes to hold multiple parties accountable and will explain the process when they meet with you to discuss your case.
For a free legal consultation with a Truck Accident lawyer serving New York, call (516) 932-0400
Types of Recoverable Damages in a New York Truck Accident
The goals of filing an insurance claim or lawsuit based on your trucking accident and injuries include recovering fair compensation for your medical care and other expenses and holding the at-fault parties accountable. Our personal injury lawyers gather documentation of damages and demand appropriate compensation through a truck accident claim or file a lawsuit.
Depending on your injuries and the physical and emotional effects of the accident, you could qualify to recover compensation for the following types of damages:
Economic Damages
This damage category relates to expenses you paid or will have to pay due to the accident and your injuries. These damages often include:
- Medical expenses, current and future
- Lost income
- Diminished earning capacity
- Accident-related expenses
Non-Economic Damages
Not all of your damages after a truck collision will have an obvious monetary value. Some are related to the intangible effects that you experience to which our law firm must assign value. For example, you could recover compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of enjoyment of life
If your loved one died in a New York truck accident, you may be eligible to pursue a wrongful death claim, which brings its own types of damages. We offer our condolences and legal support to your family to help you get through this tough time.
New York Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me (516) 932-0400
How Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. Will Handle Your Truck Accident Case
Our legal team will assist you with your case in many different ways if you decide to hire us. When Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. represents you, we will:
Regularly Update You on the Status of the Case
You can choose your level of involvement in the case, but we will always provide updates on new developments. Our goal is to offer all the information and support you need to feel confident in each legal decision you make and the overall direction of your trucking accident case.
Note that we employ a multilingual staff. If you feel more comfortable speaking Greek, Spanish, Bengali, Kannada, or Tamil during our discussions about your case, we will provide these accommodations.
Establish Liability for Each Responsible Party
Determining who you can hold liable in these cases is often confusing for victims, but doing so is vital to getting compensation that addresses your damages. Our truck crash team will investigate the accident and identify all liable parties. We will gather evidence to prove negligence and liability, such as:
- Violation of hours of service
- Improper cargo loading
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving
- Faulty or neglected truck maintenance
- Lack of training or licensing
The attorneys at our firm are not afraid to take on trucking companies or other third parties. We know how severe injuries can affect almost every aspect of your life. We represent clients with serious and catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, and loss of limb injuries.
Relay Messages Between You and Other Involved Parties
It is, in almost all cases, best for an injured person not to communicate with the other driver, trucking company, their insurance company, or any of their representatives after a collision. Statements you give about the accident, whether official or off the record, could get misinterpreted and end up devaluing or disqualifying your case.
The representatives of these adverse parties are often like “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” They may approach you with a caring and warm demeanor, but that presentation masks their intent. That is, to pay you nothing or as little as they possibly can for the various harms the at-fault party caused you to suffer.
Once you hire our personal injury attorneys, forward any messages you receive from the other parties, their insurers, or their lawyers to us. We will handle them while protecting the case’s integrity. We will also ensure they have our contact information, so you should not have to deal with their calls going forward.
Gather Evidence
Truck accident cases involve some unique forms of evidence that will require us to file a request with the truck carrier. Aside from the official police report, some of the evidence we will likely seek includes:
- Eyewitness statements
- The truck driver’s hours of service logs
- Maintenance and inspection reports for the vehicle
- Expert witness testimony regarding industry practices
- Photographs and video footage from any dashcams on the truck
- Black box data
A black box is an electronic device commercial vehicles have to record important information. For example, these devices tend to include an event data recorder (EDR). As explained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an EDR registers driver inputs and system status just before, during, and in the aftermath of a collision.
While retrieving all this potential evidence from the carrier may be difficult, it is likely to be vital in your case. The sooner we start representing you, the better our chances of obtaining this valuable information before it is lost or destroyed, and the greater our opportunity to build the strongest case possible on your behalf. Our commercial truck accident lawyers have extensive experience with spoliation letters (i.e., notices to the at-fault party to preserve evidence) and other tools to protect this evidence and gain access to it.
Estimate and Fight for the Compensation You Deserve
We will fight to recover compensation for all the damages you suffered as a result of a truck accident on Long Island. To accomplish this, one of our accident attorneys will present evidence including:
- Medical records
- Documentation of wages or earnings
- Eyewitness statements
- Expert testimony (e.g., medical experts, vocational specialists, economists, life care planners, etc.)
If you have additional evidence that could support your financial recovery, speak with the truck accident attorney we assign to your case. Our team at Friedman & Simon L.L.P. will fight for your right to compensation.
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Our Legal Services Will Never Add to Your Financial Burden
Operating on contingency means that our firm does not charge attorney fees unless our clients achieve financial recovery. We never ask for hourly or upfront compensation―our fees come as a percentage of whatever we recover for you rather than a bill you have to pay. Taking this approach keeps our services accessible even if you are facing financial difficulties after the truck accident.
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Do Not Risk Your Right to Recover Compensation on Long Island
New York imposes a statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits under New York Civil Practice Laws & Rules (CVP) §214. If you fail to take legal action within this allowable time frame, you may be unable to obtain compensation. Please note that a different deadline applies if you are filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Shorter statutes of limitation and other critical deadlines may apply to your claim depending on the unique facts of your case. This is one of the numerous reasons why a consultation with an experienced New York Truck Accident lawyer as soon as possible after the truck accident is important. The truck accident lawyer will review your case, advise you of your options, and be prepared to take prompt action to begin your case.
Our legal team will ensure you meet all applicable deadlines and protect your right to recover the compensation you deserve. The earlier we get started, the more time we will have to investigate and compile time-sensitive evidence, like black box data.
Speak to Us About Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney Today
Our team will navigate the complexities of your New York truck accident case while you focus on getting better or grieving the loss of a loved one.
Let Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. fight for you. Contact us to speak with a member of our legal team and receive a complimentary case assessment today.
Call or text (516) 932-0400 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form