If you are involved in a truck accident, the damage to your vehicle can be expensive and the risk of injury is high. Insurance companies will pressure you to accept a settlement for less than you deserve. Hiring a skilled NYC truck accident lawyer who has experience handling automobile and commercial vehicle accidents is the best way to get the compensation you deserve.

Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm is one of the premier personal injury law firms in New York City. Our truck accident lawyers are known as the voice of the injured for a reason; we fight for our clients, and we get results. If you’ve been injured, contact us today to speak with a skilled New York truck accident lawyer about your legal options.

Types of Truck Accident Cases Our Firm Handles

Our law firm handles cases involving any type of large truck or similar big rigs. These include:

• Box trucks
• Cargo trucks
• Commercial semi-trucks
• Concrete trucks
• Dump trucks
• Fuel trucks
• Garbage trucks
• School buses
• Sweeper trucks
• Tractor-trailers
• Tow trucks

Common Causes of Large Trucking Accidents

In New York, large truck accidents occur most frequently in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Bronx and Queens also have a considerable share of commercial truck accidents. Large truck accidents take place least often in Staten Island.

Wherever the accident occurs, the actions triggering the truck accident are similar. Common causes of truck accidents include:

• Distracted driving
• Driver fatigue
• Driving under the influence
• Improperly loaded or secured cargo
• Overloading
• Poor vehicle maintenance
• Reckless driving
• Speeding

By conducting a thorough investigation, New York City truck accident lawyers can determine which entities are liable for the crash. One party is not always the sole culprit in any accident. Liability often extends beyond the driver and the trucking company.

For example, the truck crash may have occurred due to defective parts, such as a tire blowout. In such cases, the manufacturer or a repair facility may bear responsibility for the accident. If a poorly maintained road or dangerous road conditions contributed to the collision, the jurisdiction overseeing the road may prove liable. Passenger vehicles, motorcycles, or even pedestrians may have caused the crash.

If the truck accident was due to overloading or poorly secured cargo, the freight company is usually at fault. Overloaded trucks are more likely to jackknife or rollover. Some truck accident victims do not come into contact with the truck per se but are hit by items falling out of the vehicle onto the road or other cars.

The investigation includes obtaining any surveillance video, interviewing eyewitnesses, reviewing police reports, hiring an accident reconstruction specialist, and examining all relevant documents.

Federal regulations regarding truckers and the amount of time they may drive are very strict. These issues are overseen by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). A trucker may drive up to 11 hours per day out of a 14 hour period, but after eight hours, a 30 minute rest period is mandated. The remaining time of the 14-hour period may include stopping for refueling or freight unloading. Once the 14 hours are up, the truck driver cannot drive again for 10 hours. There are exceptions under certain circumstances, and all of this information is logged by the trucker. Personal injury lawyers review these records to ascertain whether the truck driver and the trucking company were adhering to the regulations. Fatigued drivers contribute to a considerable share of motor vehicle accidents.  

Benefits of Hiring a New York City Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer

According to the NY State Department of Motor Vehicles, over 5,000 people are injured or killed by large trucks each year in the State of New York. Due to the size and weight of semis and other commercial vehicles, accidents involving trucks often cause greater damage and more serious injuries than those caused by smaller vehicles. If you’ve been injured in a commercial vehicle accident, the truck accident lawyers at Raphaelson & Levine can help you recover compensation for a number of damages, including:

• Current and future medical bills (related to the truck accident)
• Pain and suffering (including mental anguish and emotional duress)
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation costs
• Home and vehicle modifications (such as wheelchair ramps and lifts)
• Permanent injury, disability, and property damage or loss
• Loss of career or earning capacity (including lost wages from time off of work)

If truck accident victims  succumb to their injuries, compensation in a wrongful death case may include:

• The victim’s final medical care expenses
• Funeral and burial costs
• Lost wages and future lost wages
• Inheritance reduction due to the victim’s demise
• Services the deceased provided, such as child care
• Loss of parental guidance for children
  

How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in NYC?

The statute of limitations in New York State for filing a personal injury claim after a truck accident is three years from the date of the accident. Failure to file a claim within that timeframe means the court will not permit the case to go forward.

The estate’s personal representative may file a wrongful death lawsuit within three years of the death date.

However, if the truck accident involves a vehicle operated by a government entity, whether city, county, or state, an initial claim requires filing within six months of the accident. This would apply to garbage trucks, school and city buses, and the like.

The faster an investigation begins, the more evidence is available. Waiting too long can mean critical evidence, such as surveillance video, can disappear. Eyewitnesses are more difficult to find and may not remember what they witnessed as clearly. That is why it is crucial to contact a New York truck accident lawyer as soon as possible.

When Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney, Experience Makes a Difference

How does one find a good truck accident lawyer in NYC? Many personal injury attorneys are listed in local directories like the Yellow Pages. If you do an Internet search, you’ll find many attorneys who have helpful web pages. But before hiring any of these attorneys, make sure you ask how many truck accident cases they have actually handled and what the outcome of those cases was. At Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm, our lawyers have decades of experience representing clients in truck accident cases and have secured truck accident settlements and verdicts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for our clients. We understand New York’s trucking regulations and laws and will ensure your voice is heard, respected, and justly awarded.

Truck Accident Settlements & Verdicts Obtained By Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm:

• $900,000: A former client was rear-ended by a truck at a stoplight. The accident exacerbated existing back injuries. Our firm argued that the collision significantly worsened our client’s condition. The result was a $900,000 truck accident settlement.
• $750,000: A 30-year-old woman was injured in an accident when the car she was riding in was hit by a truck. The impact caused a herniated disk that required epidural injections and a laminectomy. Even though our client had previous back injuries, our lawyers were able to secure $750,000 on her behalf.
• $500,000: Our client suffered severe injuries after being rear-ended by a tractor-trailer on the expressway. The case was difficult to prove because the accident did not leave even a scratch on his vehicle. Our lawyers were able to prove that the accident did cause serious physical injury and secured almost $500,000 on our client’s behalf.
  

For a Free Truck Accident Case Review, Call and Speak to an NYC Truck Accident Attorney Now

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in a truck accident caused by a truck driver’s negligence or recklessness, you need the services of the experienced truck accident lawyers at Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm. Call us today at 212-268-3222 to arrange a free consultation with a member of our legal team. Our knowledgeable attorneys fight hard for you so that you may receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Because we work on a contingency basis, you pay no fee unless you receive compensation.

‍