Heavy truck wrecks, especially heavy truck collisions with passenger vehicles, are not like other automobile wreck cases. Because they involve a commercial motor vehicle, which we sometimes call an 18-wheeler or semi-truck, numerous Federal Motor Carrier Safety standards and regulations apply to drivers and owners of 18-wheelers. Further, in a heavy truck or 18-wheeler truck, you can bet that the truck’s insurance company will be there investigating the collision and gathering evidence before you can even get medical treatment. Some commercial truck companies have investigative teams which are dispatched almost immediately when a collision involving an 18-wheeler occurs.
We realize the need to act quickly and decisively when dealing with an 18-wheeler crash. We have the resources necessary to begin gathering evidence and investigating as soon as you contact us and request that we begin work on your case. We have the highest quality investigators and work with the crash reconstruction experts to immediately begin determining the cause of the wreck, and dispute an insurance company’s claim that you did something wrong.
The most common causes of truck wrecks we see are:
- Defective equipment such as brakes, tires, lights and reflective tape
- Unqualified drivers and shoddy hiring practices
- Truck driver fatigue (being forced to work more hours than allowed)
- Failure to keep a proper lookout or distraction inside the truck cab
- Overloading – load over the maximum weight limit
- Speeding (often a cause because truck drivers in south Alabama are often paid “by the load” – meaning how many loads they can deliver in a day)
- Improper training or lack of an adequate safety program by the trucking company
Our lawyers know the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. They can investigate and identify the rules that were broken in your crash in order to prove negligence or even recklessness by an 18-wheeler driver.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that any lawyer can handle an 18-wheeler crash. Without the resources to fight insurance companies, proven track record of winning in the courtroom, and the necessary investigative tools, a lawyer or law firm simply cannot get you the compensation you deserve. Here at Gilmore Law Firm, we are ready 24-hours a day to make sure your truck wreck is quickly and fully investigated.