Truck Accidents
Our New York truck accident attorneys have helped victims recover hundreds of millions of dollars. Contact us today to discuss your legal options.
I Want a Free Consultation
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:
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:
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.
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:
If truck accident victims succumb to their injuries, compensation in a wrongful death case may include:
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.
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.
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.
