Our Ohio Truck Accident Lawyers Are Here to Help

Truck Accident Lawyer in Ohio

Truck accident victims pursuing a trucking accident claim on their own can find the process incredibly complex and time-consuming. Commercial truck accident claims in Ohio require examining multiple documents and evidence.

At Amourgis & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Ohio truck accident lawyers have extensive experience and success in pursuing compensation for our clients injured in truck accidents. We know what it takes to get a full financial recovery for our clients from the trucking companies.

Contact our firm today to schedule a free initial case review. You can reach a knowledgeable truck accident attorney in Ohio by calling or contacting us online. We will discuss your accident and case in detail. During our discussion, you will learn about your options for pursuing compensation for your truck accident injuries and damages.

How Our Ohio Accident Lawyers Can Help

If you believe you may have a claim for compensation after a truck accident, our injury lawyers may be able to help you by:

• Investigating your accident and recovering critical evidence, such as driver logs, truck recorder data, maintenance logs, and load manifests.
• Working with accident reconstruction experts to build a strong, persuasive legal argument. We can show how your accident occurred and who may bear responsibility for it.
• Identifying liable parties and sources of compensation, including liability insurance policies and excess coverage policies carried out by the trucking companies.
• Aggressively negotiating for a swift settlement of your claim. We aim to compensate you for your past, ongoing, and future damages.
• Preparing to take your case to trial, if necessary.

Evidence Our Ohio Truck Accident Attorneys May Use in Your Injury Claim

Truck accident lawsuits require our Ohio truck accident attorneys to review many more pieces of evidence than would be examined in your average car accident claim. Due to the regulations in the trucking industry and the complexity of large commercial trucks, multiple pieces of evidence may be collected to show what caused the accident and who may have been responsible for it.

Important evidence in Ohio truck accident injury claims includes:

• The driver’s logs – Truck drivers are limited by federal and state regulations on the number of hours they can drive in a day or a week before they are required to rest or take time off the road. Drivers may violate the hours of service regulations to meet strict delivery schedules. In doing so, drivers risk becoming tired or sleepy behind the wheel. Reviewing the driver’s logs can show if a driver’s hours of service violation played a part in the accident.
• Toxicology reports – When a truck accident results in severe injury or death, the semi-truck driver may be required to undergo a drug and alcohol screen.
• The truck’s data recorder – Many modern commercial trucks are equipped with data recorders that log information, including the truck’s GPS position, the truck’s speed, and the driver’s steering and acceleration/deceleration inputs. This data can show what the truck driver did moments before an accident.
• The load manifest – The load manifest can show if a truck was overloaded or carried improperly secured cargo. Those issues may indicate a car was at risk of going out of control.
• The truck’s maintenance logs can show if a trucking company ignored necessary or recommended maintenance. Those logs may also indicate maintenance was inadequately or negligently performed, failing truck parts or systems.

Of course, our semi-truck accident attorneys will review other evidence commonly seen in other motor vehicle accident cases. That evidence includes the police accident report, accident scene photos, vehicle damage/repair reports, and records of the victim’s medical treatment.

Compensation Available in an Ohio Truck Accident Lawsuit

After you’ve been involved in a semi-truck accident caused by someone else, you may be entitled to compensation for the damages you’ve suffered as a result of the accident. Contact an Ohio truck accident lawyer for a free case evaluation to understand the compensation available to your specific situation.

Compensation from a semi-truck accident insurance claim can include:

You may also be entitled to compensation for any property that was damaged in the accident. Compensation would cover the repair costs for your damaged vehicle or the vehicle’s replacement value if it was totaled in the accident.

Why Are Truck Accidents So Complicated?

Semi-truck accident cases often prove to be some of the most complicated kinds of motor vehicle accidents for these reasons:

• Truck accidents cause serious injuries. Due to the size and speed of large commercial trucks, truck accident victims often suffer severe and catastrophic injuries. Recovering from these truck accident injuries can require much time and expense. Injured accident victims may still be undergoing treatment when trying to resolve a trucking accident claim. Any recovery will need to account for future damages and costs incurred by accident victims. During truck accident settlements or a trial, the trucking company may dispute what constitutes fair compensation for the victim’s injuries.
• Truck accidents can have multiple liable parties. Most motor vehicle accidents typically only involve motorists. But truck accidents can be caused by the acts and omissions of numerous companies in the trucking industry. For example, trucking, freight, and truck manufacturers may bear a part of the liability for a truck accident. Cases can become complicated if each company tries to shift blame to other parties. Also, companies in the trucking industry often have complex insurance coverage schemes. That can make it difficult to determine how much liability coverage is available to compensate an accident victim.
• Truck accidents involve multiple pieces of complex evidence. State and federal regulations of the trucking industry can lead to the production of numerous documents. Reviewing these documents can show that semi-truck drivers or trucking companies negligently failed to follow the rules. For example, an attorney might find hours of service violation, which indicates the trucker spent too much time behind the wheel. An Ohio truck accident attorney can explore whether these actions led to an accident. These documents may prove hard to review for someone unfamiliar with the trucking industry. Unfortunately, trucking companies sometimes try to hide, alter, or destroy these documents after an accident. Uncovering these records can require an extensive forensic investigation.

Let our experienced Ohio trucking accident lawyers take the burden and stress of your truck accident case off your shoulders. That will allow you to focus on your recovery and return to everyday life.

Who Can Be Held Liable for an Ohio Truck Crash?

Most motor vehicle accidents only involve the motorists who were operating their vehicles. However, semi-truck accidents can have multiple parties who may be held liable for the accident, and those parties share the blame for the crash.

Potentially liable parties in trucking accidents can include:

• The semi-truck driver – The driver can be held responsible when their carelessness triggers an accident.
• The trucking company – The trucking company may be held liable for the actions of a driver it employs. The trucking company may also be held responsible for hiring or retaining a risky driver, inadequately training the driver, or poorly maintaining its truck when a part failure causes an accident.
• The truck’s owner (if different from the truck driver or trucking company) – Sometimes, trucks are owned by someone other than the driver or trucking company. The truck’s owner may be liable when inadequate maintenance causes an accident.
• The freight company – Freight companies may be held responsible when an excessive or improperly secured load causes a truck accident.
• The truck’s mechanic – Mechanics or garages that work on the car may be held responsible for an accident caused by inadequate or negligent maintenance.
• The truck’s manufacturer – The truck’s manufacturer, might be liable if a defectively designed or manufactured truck part caused an accident.

Statute of Limitations for Ohio Truck Accident Cases

In Ohio, the statute of limitations generally requires you to file a truck accident lawsuit within two years of the accident’s date. Under certain circumstances, a court may rule that your truck accident lawsuit does not accrue until you discover or could reasonably find the cause of the accident.

The court can permanently dismiss your case if you fail to file your truck accident injury lawsuit before the limitations period expires. You will lose your right to seek compensation in court if that happens. This is why contacting an Ohio personal injury lawyer is your best bet at securing a fair settlement.

What are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents?

At Amourgis & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our truck accident lawyers see these common causes of truck accidents:

• Speeding – A speeding commercial truck cannot slow down, stop or maneuver safely. A speeding truck can be involved in a collision, jackknife, or rollover accident that injures other motorists and passengers.
• Unsafe lane changes – Truck drivers put other motorists at risk when they fail to signal or check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes on a road, street, or highway.
• Truck driver fatigue – Truck drivers, have limits on their service hours. When they exceed those limits, they put themselves at risk of operating their vehicles while tired, fatigued or sleepy.
• Driving under the influence – Sometimes, truck drivers turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with long road trips, putting them at risk of driving while intoxicated.
• Following too closely – A large truck cannot stop as quickly as smaller passenger vehicles. When a car follows too closely behind another vehicle, the driver creates the risk of a rear-end accident.
• Inexperience – operating a commercial truck takes training and experience. Drivers with insufficient training or experience can pose a severe risk to other motorists on the road.
• Lost drivers or drivers on unfamiliar routes – Truck drivers who get lost or lack experience on a particular course may cause an accident if they end up on the road unsafe or not intended for commercial vehicles.
• Inadequate truck maintenance – Deferred or poorly performed maintenance on critical systems, such as brakes, can lead to failure in urgent driving situations.
• Unsafe or unsecured truck loads – A truck that is overloaded or whose load is not safely secured creates a safety risk. The truck driver can lose control of the vehicle if the load shifts during travel.
• Poor weather or road conditions – Broken pavement and slick roads due to rain, snow, or ice can cause a truck driver to lose control of the vehicle, especially if the driver does not adjust the truck’s speed for those conditions.

Catastrophic Injuries Caused by Semi Truck Accidents

Truck accidents can inflict serious, life-altering injuries on the occupants of passenger vehicles, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Examples of catastrophic truck accident injuries caused by truck accidents include:

Truck accidents can easily lead to significant, permanent injuries that dramatically affect the lives of accident victims.

Talk to an Experienced Ohio Truck Accident Lawyer Today

If you have been seriously injured in a truck accident caused by a careless truck driver or a negligent trucking company, schedule a free, no-obligation initial consultation today with an Ohio truck accident attorney from Amourgis & Associates, Attorneys at Law. We will discuss your case, and you will learn about your legal rights.

We stand ready to help you and your family. We have six convenient Ohio locations in Akron, Cincinnati, Independence (Cleveland), Columbus, Beavercreek, and Canfield.