When to hire a truck crash attorney

In the aftermath of an accident involving a truck, it can be hard to know what to do. From doctors’ appointments and medical bills to dealing with insurance companies, the days after a truck accident can be stressful and confusing. If you have been injured in a truck accident, your first task is to get the medical treatment you need. Don’t delay; putting off essential medical care can compromise your recovery. Your second task: hiring a truck crash lawyer who specializes in cases like yours. Why hire an experienced truck crash lawyer? Here are a few reasons:

1. Timeliness. The days after a truck crash are critical: truck crashes must be investigated immediately before evidence is lost. Our law firm works with an extensive network of experienced professionals, including police, accident reconstruction experts, professional mechanics, forensic toxicologists and traffic/mechanical engineers. Working with some of the most knowledgeable experts in the trucking industry allows for a comprehensive understanding of each unique case, and can help sort out liability, crash reconstruction, witness statements and much more. We only work with clean-cut cases where the trucker and trucking company were clearly at fault. Experts can help in that determination early on, and can work quickly to assess the on-scene crash dynamics. Time is of the essence; thankfully, we have a great cadre of independent professionals at our disposal at a moment’s notice. 

2. Complexity. Trucking cases are far more complex than car-accident cases; they often involve multiple defendants and  higher insurance maximums. Truck carriers have large intrastate minimum insurance requirements, and the insurance coverage doubles or triples if trucks cross state lines. Every semi truck accident defendant has sizable insurance coverage, and trucks and trailers are often insured by different companies.  Sometimes the load on the tractor-trailers, as well as the brokers and shippers, will have additional insurance. Tracking lines of insurance can be difficult, especially as insurance adjusters are not necessarily forthcoming with all insurance available (and truck drivers have been known to give false insurance information). Semi truck accidents require specialized knowledge of insurance coverage.

3. Severity. Semi truck accidents are typified by an 80,000 pound semi truck crashing into a smaller car, truck or motorcycle; the injuries sustained are almost always severe. Some even result in death, as we saw with the I-70 crash on April 25, 2019. Essentially, big truck accidents mean big damages; holding constant for other factors, injuries, medical bills and “non-economic” factors like pain and suffering tend to be greater in semi-truck cases. Common truck accident injuries may include: traumatic brain injuries, neck and spinal injuries, broken bones, lacerations and burns.

4. Law. Crashes caused by commercial vehicles involve different laws than auto accident cases, and these laws vary by state. All commercial truckers are held to specific mandated Federal Motor Carrier Safety (FMCSA) regulations. These laws dictate the number of consecutive hours driven (or days worked); modified speed limits for trucks over a certain weight threshold; whether or not a truck can operate beyond state lines; and training and disciplinary protocols for truck drivers (for which the motor carrier may also be found in violation). Truckers and their carriers can be in violation of the FMCSA for: reckless driving, cell phone distraction, fatigue, drugs or alcohol, exceeding mandated hours of service, faulty log books, mechanical failures, as well as many technical violations. Multiple federal regulations apply to driving commercial motor vehicles that do not apply to general passenger vehicles; a competent truck accident attorney will understand these distinctions.

5. Network. Due to the complexity of truck crash cases, attorneys who specialize in trucking cases have formed a dedicated network of resources that are available only to a select group. Peter Anderson is among the few Colorado trucking lawyers who belong to the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys; he was one of only 60 lawyers selected nationally for ATAA’s first bootcamp training for truck crash lawyer certification. As a seasoned Colorado trucking lawyer with over 20 years of experience, Peter M. Anderson has both specialized education in trucking law and experience in handling Colorado trucking crash cases.