Truck Accident Lawyer Serving Columbia, SC
Being involved in a truck accident can be a frightening experience. Semi trucks traveling at high speeds can inflict a great deal of damage and that can lead to serious injuries. If you or a loved one were involved in a truck accident in Columbia, SC, the team of experienced attorneys at LEIP Law can help.
When you are involved in a truck accident, it is different than a typical car accident. There could be a number of parties held liable for damages. But you don’t have to worry about who is to blame and which party is most responsible for your injuries. At LEIP Law our Truck Accident Attorney will take care of all those details and determine who is liable. That could include any of the following parties:
- Driver of truck
- Trucking company
- Trucking products manufacturer
- Lessors
- Trucking products distributor
- Cargo shipper
The reason for your truck accident could be caused by defective truck parts, driver negligence or improper loading of the truck with cargo. Finding the source of the issue is accomplished through a thorough investigation process conducted by a professional truck accident attorney at LEIP Law.
Auto Accident Injuries
The term truck accident does not refer to collisions involving pickup trucks. Large trucks that exceed 10,000 pounds are referred to as tractor trailers or semis. The sheer size of these trucks cause serious accidents that can involve multiple cars. You do not have to bear the main brunt of truck accident to receive compensation. Even if your injuries are not as severe as other motorists involved in the same accident, you are still entitled to be compensated for your pain, suffering and losses.
The Legal Process
When you hire a Columbia, SC truck accident attorney at LEIP Law, you will have a legal representative by your side through the entire process.
- Investigation – Our attorneys conduct in-depth investigations on everything involved with your truck accident. Insurance companies typically try to settle for much less than is rightfully deserved, which is why it is important to collect every fact and circumstance.
- Filing a claim – Once the investigations have been concluded, an LEIP lawyer will file a claim on your behalf. That claim will highlight the liable party or parties, the demand for compensation and other pertinent factors.
- Negotiation and Litigation – Our attorneys will attempt to reach a settlement through the negotiation process and when that does not occur, we will represent you in court during the litigation stage where we will present your case.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Accidents involving trucks are more common than most people tend to realize. Not all are catastrophic, but many involve a plethora of injuries, some more serious than others. Identifying the cause of a truck accident is integral to your claim, and LEIP Law undergoes an extensive investigation process to find out those details. First and foremost, it is important to understand the different types of truck accidents, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Sideswipes
- Blind spot crashes
- Tire blowout
- Jack knifes
- Rollovers
- Rear-end collisions
It is also important to note that there are several causes for these types of accidents. No two situations are identical as there are many mitigating factors. We determine why these types of accidents occurred. The identification process may involve bringing in experts to verify those facts. Some of the more common reasons are as follows:
- Driving Under the Influence
- Faulty maintenance of truck
- Lack of driver experience
- Hazardous weather
- Poor road conditions
- Defective parts
- Distracted driving
- Driver exhaustion
- Speeding and careless driving
Truck accidents can be caused by similar things that result in a car accident, although there are specifics that make many of these cases unique. For example, most truck drivers are only permitted to drive so many hours per day. Exceeding that amount may hold the driver and company liable. At LEIP Law, we will provide you with a truck accident attorney who will look into all nuances of your claim and identify the cause of the accident while supporting it with evidence.
Trucking laws
Trucking laws have been instituted at the state and federal levels to ensure safety among all motorists and passengers. Many truck accident claims are filed because one of these laws were broken. The trucking industry relies heavily on these laws and regulations to ensure safe passage. If you were involved in a truck accident, it may be because a driver did not follow some of those laws. That could be any of the following violations:
- Too many hours of service without rest
- Lack of proper licensing
- Improper training hours compiled
- Unsafe truck maintenance
- Inadequate driver log records
- Substance or alcohol abuse
Operating a truck comes with a high level of responsibility as drivers are entrusted with the safety of not only themselves, but others on the roadways. Traveling with heavy loads also adds another element of danger. For those reasons, truck drivers must be properly trained, rested, and monitored. A failure to do so could also lead to negligence on the part of the trucking company. This is where a truck accident attorney may be able to step in and prove negligence. That could also mean compensation on your behalf.
Our attorneys use appropriate means of investigating the accident to identify the exact cause or causes. That could mean retrieving black box data, similar to the way airplanes are monitored. GPS navigation systems allow for the monitoring of drive time, speed, and other pertinent details. Driver logs may also be examined, as well as employment records, training history, and other documentation to determine whether the company properly trained the driver responsible for the truck accident. Our lawyers may also obtain toxicology reports for the purpose of determining if the driver was under the influence.
There are other details we use to build your case, as we follow a strict and extensive protocol throughout the investigative process. This is done in an effort to help get you the most compensation and ensure your quality of life is as good as it can possibly be following such an unfortunate ordeal.
Taking on Trucking Companies
Trucking companies are held to a high standard, which means they must maintain diligent and exact operational methods. That involves arduous and extensive training of drivers, issuing of commercial licenses, and keeping updated and accurate records or truck maintenance and driver hours. Companies should also keep precise hiring records. We will examine all of these records and documents in an effort to locate as many gaps as possible. That will work to build a strong truck accident claim as we continue to handle truck accident claims in Columbia, SC.
