Truck Accident Attorneys in Murrells Inlet
All drivers owe others a duty of care on the road, but truck drivers should take special care. They bear responsibility for vehicles of massive size and weight. If handled negligently, large trucks can cause debilitating injuries and damage lives.
If your life was affected by a driver who did not take their responsibility seriously, our Murrells Inlet truck accident lawyers can help. Truckers, trucking companies, and other liable parties can provide multiple avenues for compensation. At Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, we work to maximize what you can receive, fighting for every penny you deserve in personal injury. Contact us now for a free case review.
Our Lawyers Fight to Recover Your Truck Accident Damages
The other side may count on you not recognizing the full extent of your losses or your eligibility for damages. At Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, we make sure to account for the entire scope of your accident in a goal settlement or award.
We want to pursue an amount that covers your:
- Emergency care
- Hospitalizations
- Surgeries
- Rehabilitation
- Prescriptions
- Long-term bills
- Lost income
- Reduced earning ability
- Pain and suffering
Compensation covers any accident-related loss. Anything deemed "accident-related" can become a point of contention with insurance providers and negligent parties, but we can make a case for appropriate damages.
Documentation like medical records, receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, and pay stubs can help us get started on tallying your damages. However, our team can also help by thinking bigger, looking at how the accident affected your hobbies, side revenue streams, and quality of life. Come to us with your evidence, and we can start building from there.
Recognizing Catastrophic Injuries
Truck accidents can prove disastrous due to trucks' size. The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that these vehicles weigh 20 to 30 times more than passenger vehicles and require 20 to 40 percent more distance to stop.
With that difference in play during a collision, catastrophic injuries can occur, such as:
- Broken or crushed bones
- Lost limbs
- Burns or disfigurement
- Neck and back injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
Higher medical bills accompany these injuries. For instance, hospital care for TBIs often costs more than other injuries, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Tougher fights often accompany these higher bills. With more money at stake, trucking and insurance companies may try to battle you over your bills. While they should offer a fair settlement, they may try to get away with the lowest amount possible. They may even behave in bad faith, deliberately underestimating your losses.
Tell us if you suffered debilitating injuries only to have an insurance company quibble over how much you can receive. We won't let them minimize your current struggles or future challenges.
Recognizing Fatal Accidents
The overwhelming majority of truck accident fatalities do not affect truck drivers. According to recent statistics from the IIHS, 84 percent of deaths from large truck crashes involved passenger vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, or pedestrians.
That means many truck accidents leave family members with a hole in their lives. Bereaved loved ones can pursue a wrongful death claim or lawsuit to pay for their losses.
Compensation covers:
- End-of-life medical care, including hospice
- Income previously provided by the deceased
- Funeral services and burial or cremation
- The deceased's and your pain and suffering
- Loss of guidance, support, and companionship
Under South Carolina law, the representative for the estate files the action. Family members-surviving spouses, children, or parents-can receive damages. Our truck accident wrongful death attorneys can help your family file.
At Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers, we emphasize customer service.
We strongly believe that how we go about your case is just as important as what we do on your case.
- We don't just determine a value for your case; we ensure we've explored all possible liable parties for maximum damages.
- We don't just talk to insurance companies for you; we ensure you don't face bullying, unfair pressure, or neglect.
- We don't just negotiate settlements; we ensure you understand the terms, our strategy, and your rights.
- We don't just take your case to court if necessary; we make sure you don't pay anything to us unless we win.
In other words, we don't just work for you-we work with you.
We Sort out Who to Hold Liable
Unlike other motor vehicle accidents, truck accidents can involve multiple parties, some of whom didn't directly contribute to the crash.
That includes:
- Trucking companies
- Government entities
- Product manufacturers
- Maintenance shops
Trucking companies can share liability with their drivers, meaning your claim or lawsuit could target both. In addition, government entities could come into play if a dump truck caused your crash or another vehicle owned by Murrells Inlet. Our truck accident attorneys can research who owned the truck or hired the driver that hit you and how that affects liability.
Owning or driving the truck isn't the only criterion for liability. Defective parts, design flaws, and maintenance errors can count as negligence. In addition, we can consult with mechanics and auto experts to determine if an equipment failure contributed to your accident.
We Negotiate While Preparing for a Fight
Many injury cases settle out of court, but settling can occur at any point in the process-and the process can take time. Pursuing compensation can require several rounds of back-and-forth with insurance providers or attorneys as we review their terms.
How that progresses depends on several factors, such as:
- The parties in the case dispute who bears liability
- An insurance company acts in bad faith
- It was a multi-vehicle collision
- The parties in the case disagree over your injuries
Some of these disputes need to go to trial to see a resolution. So, while we constantly work to reach an agreement, we always operate with an eye on taking your case to court if necessary. Sometimes, to motivate all parties, we need to make it clear we take litigation seriously.
However, we must take several steps before we can even file suit, let alone go to trial. In fact, we may wait until you have reached your maximum medical improvement before agreeing to a settlement or filing a lawsuit. Only then can we fully understand your losses, and we won't settle for less than what you deserve.
While you recover, we can use the time to investigate your accident, analyze it with the help of experts, and begin crafting an argument for your damages. Because we can use this time, don't delay in reaching out for help. South Carolina law typically allows three years for filing a personal injury lawsuit and less for those against a municipality. We need that time to evaluate, negotiate, and prepare for court. So, contact our team promptly so we can use this time appropriately.
Building a Truck Accident Case in Murrells Inlet
Several factors can go into a truck accident, but proving negligence forms the foundation of any injury case. Negligence means that someone violated their duty of care to you and caused your injuries. That violation could include an action or even the failure to act reasonably.
You don't have to put these pieces together on your own. A lawyer can handle every step in the process. In investigating your Murrells Inlet crash, our Murrells Inlet truck accident lawyers can follow the evidence of the event and the liable parties that caused your accident.
What Counts as Truck Driver Negligence?
Truck drivers can be guilty of the same carelessness as other drivers. They can also cause accidents due to the unique demands of their job. We can look into those possibilities to show how the truck driver could bear responsibility.
Common forms of negligence can include:
- Driving while impaired or drowsy
- Failure to yield
- Ignoring traffic signs or signals
- Speeding
- Failing to adjust for road conditions
- Following too closely
- Aggressive driving or road rage
A study reported by Reuters found drug use high among commercial truck drivers. Alcohol use was also reported, with the United States racking up the highest frequency of positive alcohol tests worldwide. Obviously, drunk driving constitutes negligent behavior for any driver, let alone one behind the wheel of a large vehicle.
Other forms of negligence are more subtle. Speeding can mean driving over the posted limit or too fast for road conditions. The same can apply to tailgating. Given that large trucks require significantly more stopping distance than other vehicles, a driver going too fast and following too closely in rainy conditions could find it impossible to avoid rear-ending another vehicle when forced to stop. That's negligence.
What Counts as Trucking Company Negligence?
In addition to sharing responsibility for their drivers' negligence, trucking companies may sometimes bear liability for their failures, such as:
- Negligent hiring practices
- Failure to properly train drivers
- Maintenance failures
- Ignoring equipment issues
- Not enforcing regulations
- Cargo loading mistakes
For example, if a driver had a history of drowsy or impaired driving and the company knew or should have known, the company bears responsibility for injuries that the driver caused. Their negligence included hiring that driver and allowing them behind the wheel of a large truck.
Additionally, commercial truck drivers can only drive for a certain amount of time before taking a break, per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Companies also must load trucks appropriately without weighing them down past their limit. Failure to uphold these requirements can leave a company in hot water.
What Other Types of Truck Accident Negligence Exist?
Some forms of negligence could also form the basis of a product liability claim.
Designers, manufacturers, dealerships, and third-party maintenance shops could also bear responsibility for a crash under certain circumstances, such as for:
- Design flaws
- Manufacturing failures
- Defective tires
- Installation errors
Their duty of care to you was to produce, market, sell, install, and maintain a product that would not harm others. If they failed to do so, you could have a case for damages.
This kind of product liability claim can come with unique requirements. Our attorneys can discuss this with you if we identify product liability in your case.
What Types of Truck Accidents Can Happen?
Due to their size and shape, trucks can cause specific types of accidents with specific consequences.
These accident types include:
- Rollovers
- Jack-knife
- Over- or under-riding
- Wide turns
- T-bones
- Head-on
- Rear-end
- Sideswipes
Some of these are unique to truck accidents, such as underride crashes. These happen due to the height of a truck. In a side or rear-end collision, a passenger vehicle could go under the trailer, crushing the cabin of the passenger vehicle. Override crashes can occur in head-on or rear-end collisions when the truck drives over the passenger vehicle.
Because of these unique accident scenarios, you may want an attorney with truck collision experience. Morris Law Accident Injury Lawyers has knowledge and experience in this area, handling truck accident cases since 2016.
How Do You Prove a Truck Accident Case?
Linking the liable party's actions to the accident that caused your injuries can involve evidence such as:
- Transportation logs
- Drug or alcohol testing
- Police accident reports
- Eyewitness accounts
- Accident reconstruction data
- Expert analysis
- Photos from the scene
- Traffic, security, or bystander video
- Medical records
You may require concrete evidence to make your case. For instance, maybe the driver fell asleep at the wheel. We can obtain their transportation logs to show they ignored regulations. This can also help us hold the trucking company liable.
Personal injury cases require substantial evidence. After all, insurance companies often work to limit your payout unless you have good reason to substantiate your injuries and damages. Our truck accident attorneys can work with authorities, doctors, mechanics, researchers, specialists, and other experts to compile the evidence you need.
Hold Murrells Inlet Truck Drivers Responsible-Get a Free Case Review Now
The driver who hit you may not have taken their obligation to you seriously, but we take that violation seriously. Our personal injury lawyers can help you with every aspect of your case.
Our team can provide a free initial evaluation for your Murrells Inlet case today. When you call, you can speak to one of our team members the same day. Contact our team now at (843) 466-4444.
