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Truck Accident Lawyer in Harrisonburg, VA
Large trucks are responsible for the movement of most cargo across the country. However, big rigs pose a threat to other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
According to data reported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, large trucks and buses were involved in more than 418,000 accidents in a recent year. Size, weight, cargo load and rigorous schedules are all factors that can lead to serious and even fatal tractor-trailer accidents. A collision with a large truck can cause catastrophic bodily harm to the occupants of smaller vehicles.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of an accident with a large truck in Harrisonburg, Virginia, you may be struggling financially and physically. You may be facing a long recovery and feel overwhelmed with medical bills.
If you are missing time from work due to your injuries, you may feel additional financial stress.
Our Harrisonburg truck accident lawyer at Kendall Law Firm is here to help, and you could be entitled to fair compensation for your injuries. You will need to act quickly so you do not lose your right to recover damages. A single call to the Kendall Law Firm can get the legal process put to work for you.
During your complimentary consultation at Kendall Law Firm, an experienced Harrisonburg semi-truck accident lawyer will review your case and explain your legal options. If we believe that you have a valid Harrisonburg truck accident lawsuit, we will offer to handle your case on a contingency fee basis.
You will not owe any legal fee unless we obtain money for you through a truck accident settlement or a jury award. We will help you fight for justice so that you are able to get your life back on track. Call us today at (866) 590-6409 to get started.
How Can a Truck Accident Attorney Help Me?
After a truck accident, life can seem overwhelming. Your injuries may be significant and require expensive medical treatment. Unpaid bills can quickly turn into insurmountable debt, especially if you have no income due to missed work.
Even your normal monthly expenses can seem too much to handle. You do not need to struggle with these challenges alone. A determined truck accident lawyer at Kendall Law Firm can help you pursue full compensation from those responsible for your injuries.
Experience is key at Kendall Law Firm. We have helped truck accident victims rebuild their lives back by demanding the maximum compensation from the insurance companies.
When you allow a Kendall Law Firm lawyer to handle your case, you will receive compassionate treatment paired with aggressive advocacy. Our legal experience comes from years of diligent representation of accident victims and their families in Harrisonburg and throughout the Shenandoah Valley.
Truck accidents are more complicated to resolve than crashes involving only passenger vehicles. That is why it is so important to have an experienced truck accident lawyer on your side. In a truck accident, multiple parties may have contributed and been at fault.
From the truck driver to the trucking company, the cargo loaders, the vehicle mechanic or the manufacturer of the defective component, the list of potentially responsible parties is long. A detailed investigation is required to identify all the parties that should pay compensation.
With a Harrisonburg truck accident lawyer by your side, you can leave the legal research to us so that you can focus 100% on your recovery.
We will handle all legal elements of your case, starting with determining who the right parties are in the case. Then, we will gather evidence, file all legal documents and negotiate with the insurance companies.
The insurance companies are typically a part of every truck accident case. These companies have master negotiators and their main objective is to pay out as little as possible to settle claims.
This means that if you try and go up against the insurance company alone, they will try to take advantage of you by dismissing your claim or offering a low settlement that covers only a fraction of your losses related to the truck accident.
If you accept the insurance settlement, you cannot go back to the insurance company and ask for more money if you have additional expenses. Do not accept any quick insurance settlement or talk to the other party’s insurance company without first consulting with an experienced personal injury attorney.
Common Causes of Semi-Truck Collisions
The sheer volume of semi-truck accidents reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that truck collisions can occur anytime and anywhere.
The most common causes of truck accidents include:
- Distracted Driving: Distracted driving can happen when staring at a cell phone, adjusting the radio, eating, drinking, or just daydreaming.
- Impaired Driving: Driving after consuming alcohol or while using some types of over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines can impair a truck driver’s alertness and reactions and lead to accidents.
- Drowsy Driving: Truckers often spend long hours behind the wheel to meet delivery deadlines and truck driver fatigue is a serious problem in the trucking industry. Many truckers do not follow the rules requiring minimum periods of rest after a certain number of hours of driving. The federal hours of service rules are in place to keep tired truck drivers off the roads.
- Speeding: The faster a truck is traveling, the longer it takes the vehicle to stop. Driving too fast is the cause of many semi-truck accidents. drivers often ignore the speed limits or drive too fast for road or weather conditions.
- Braking Too Slowly: The weight of large trucks makes it harder to slow down in situations that require faster stopping.
- Wide Turns: The turning radius of large trucks can cause sideswipes at intersections.
- Improper Driving for Weather Conditions: When inclement weather is present, all motorists, including large trucks, need to adjust their driving to travel at safe speeds for the weather conditions. It takes much farther to stop on wet pavement.
- Mechanical Defects: Defective or poorly maintained parts on a truck, including brakes, tires, the steering column and other critical parts are common contributors to truck accidents on the roadways.
- Manufacturing Defects: When a part on a truck that was improperly designed causes an accident, a claim can be made against the truck manufacturer.
Oftentimes, many factors that cause accidents are at play in a large truck accident. If you suspect these situations or any others were at play in your accident, please contact a truck accident lawyer in Harrisonburg today to build your legal strategy.
Can I File a Lawsuit for a Tractor-Trailor Truck Accident in Harrisonburg?
You may file a lawsuit if you were injured in a truck accident as a result of another driver’s carelessness or negligence.
The case would be heard in Circuit Court or District Court depending upon the amount of money in dispute. District Court judges typically hear cases involving amounts of money up to $25,000. If you were seriously injured by a trucker’s negligence and have tens of thousands of dollars of losses, your truck accident lawsuit would be filed in Circuit Court and heard by a jury, if the case were to go to trial.
Our experienced legal team at Kendall Law Firm can assist you with each step required to file a case for your Harrisonburg truck accident lawsuit.
Do I Have Legal Rights to a Truck Accident Compensation?
You always have the legal right to pursue compensation for injuries that were caused to you by someone else. However, in the state of Virginia, this can be a little trickier than in some states.
Virginia still uses the legal doctrine of pure contributory negligence. This means that you may only recover damages if you can prove that another party acted negligently and was 100% responsible for your injuries. You will not be able to recover any damages if you were found to be partially responsible for the accident.
Our attorney can help you decide how to best proceed with your claim. In certain situations, the most effective strategy may be to proceed with an insurance settlement without filing a lawsuit. Discussing your options with Kendall Law Firm is the best first step.
Contact Our Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer
Kendall Law Firm has been providing experienced and compassionate legal representation to car and truck accident victims since 2009. Attorney David Kendall served our country as a military attorney in the U.S. Marine Corps, and now focuses his fight for justice in the private sector.
At Kendall Law Firm, we hold our community in the highest regard and believe in giving back to the communities we serve. We take an active role in charitable efforts in all three towns where we have offices, including Harrisonburg.
We focus our law practice on helping injured victims and invite you to review our past client testimonials and to see what has earned us an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
If you or a loved one has experienced injuries in a Harrisonburg truck accident, please contact our truck accident lawyers today for a free consultation about your case.