Truck Accident Lawyers in Silver Spring, MD Protecting the Rights of Victims of Commercial Truck Accidents
Take a stand after your Maryland truck crash. Contact our law firm
In our daily lives, we seldom think about the dangers of driving and the fact that we could be injured in an accident with a commercial truck. We often take for granted our personal health and safety in our daily lives. Even so, trucking accidents can cause extensive damage and catastrophic injuries. This is why it’s critical that you have an experienced Silver Spring truck accident attorney on your side, helping you every step of the way.
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Sadly, due to an increase in the sheer number of tractor-trailers, distracted driving, and driver fatigue, truck accident injuries are on the rise. Each year alone, more than 4,000 people on average die nationwide in collisions involving commercial trucks, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Being involved in a collision with a commercial vehicle can cause serious injuries such as broken bones that require medical treatment along with mental pain and suffering as well. In an instant, your entire life can be turned upside down. That’s why it’s critical that you clearly understand your rights and legal options.
Get the Maryland truck accident attorneys who get results
If you feel you have a truck accident claim in Silver Spring, Maryland, or surrounding areas, it’s important to understand what legal action you can pursue. Otherwise, you might not get the financial compensation you rightfully deserve for your truck accident expenses, which can add up fast after a serious commercial truck accident.
The effects of truck accidents can be life changing. You may suffer from physical pain from injuries sustained that prevent you from returning to work for a significant duration of time as well as emotional trauma that is difficult to manage. Finally, you may find yourself in extreme financial hardship due to your inability to work.
If you have suffered a personal injury, it may be necessary to hire a truck accident attorney. In these cases, pursuing compensation through a claim is often the best way to ensure that those who are liable for your pain and suffering help bear the financial responsibility for your anguish. Reach out to Finnegan Cannon as soon as possible and schedule your free consultation today.
Maryland Truck Accidents By The Numbers
- 7 percent of all Maryland motor vehicle accidents involve commercial trucks.
- 2 percent of fatal motor vehicle accidents in Maryland involve trucks.
- 42 truck accident fatalities occur each year on average in Maryland.
- 27 percent of fatal Maryland work zone accidents involve commercial trucks.
- 17 percent of Maryland truck accidents involve speeding truck drivers.
Source: Maryland Department of Transportation
FAQ About Maryland Truck Accident Claims
- What are the most common causes of truck accident cases?
- Should I call the police after my truck accident?
- What should I do after being injured in a truck accident?
- What makes truck accidents so complicated?
- What is the greatest amount of compensation I can recover?
- Should I accept a truck accident settlement offer?
- Can I ask for more money for my truck crash?
- Who's responsible for paying for my truck accident?
- What laws apply to Maryland truck accidents?
- Who investigates commercial truck accidents?
- Should I file a truck accident lawsuit?
- How long do I have to take legal action?
- Why should I hire a truck accident lawyer in Silver Spring, Maryland?
What are the most common causes of truck accident cases?
The most common causes of trucking accidents can be the result of weather conditions, driver error, and tire blowouts. Speeding truck drivers and distracted driving – especially driving a truck while using a cellphone or texting while driving (which is against the law) – is another common cause of serious truck accidents.
If you have suffered an injury from a truck accident in Silver Spring, you should consider obtaining legal representation to get the justice you deserve. While no amount of payment will ever be able to restore the state of physical and mental health you enjoyed prior to the injuries that you sustained, financial compensation might help pay for medical bills and other costs not covered by your insurance.
Should I call the police after my truck accident?
Yes. If you are involved in a truck accident, especially one involving injuries or significant property damage, it is generally a good idea to contact the police and have the accident investigated. Maryland law also imposes specific reporting requirements for accidents involving bodily injury or death.
By reporting your truck accident, you can also create an official record for your collision. That way, if there are any questions later about what happened, you will have an accident report documenting your truck accident.
This can be very important since many trucking companies and insurance companies will work hard to deny truck accident claims rather than pay injury victims the compensation they deserve. Why? Because many truck accident injury claims are worth a lot of money. That’s not right. That’s why we fight hard for truck accident injury victims throughout Maryland.
What should I do after being injured in a truck accident?
After being injured in a truck accident many victims do not realize the extent of their legal rights. If you have been injured due to the negligent actions of a truck driver you may be entitled to compensation.
If you are injured in a truck accident case, the first step towards getting justice is to seek legal representation from a truck accident lawyer at Finnegan Cannon. Our attorneys are skilled in handling cases similar to yours. If you want the best chance of receiving a fair settlement for lost earnings, medical expenses, and more, contact Finnegan Cannon immediately and let us assist you through this complex process.
What makes truck accidents so complicated?
Compared to other motor vehicle accidents, commercial truck accidents often turn out to be complicated legal cases for many different reasons, including:
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- Severity of accident often much worse due to the large size of many tractor-trailers, delivery trucks and other commercial vehicles.
- Multiple at-fault parties in many truck accident cases, which means you often have to deal with several insurance companies and multiple attorneys.
- Access to evidence from truck accident can be difficult to obtain since the trucking company often owns such data and can legally destroy it after a short period of time.
- Different rules and regulations apply to commercial truck accidents compared to other motor vehicle crashes.
- Truck drivers and trucking companies often live in different states than the one where your truck accident occurred.
What is the greatest amount of compensation I can recover?
Under Maryland laws, if you have sustained an injury with a commercial vehicle, you only have a certain period of time to file a claim. Understanding these complex laws can be critical to potentially recovering both economic losses as well as non-economic losses in the future.
- Economic losses: Refers to the out-of-pocket expenses that an individual is responsible for following an injury. This includes past and future hospital bills, rehabilitation services, lost income and lost earning capacity for future wages, and property damage.
- Non-economic Losses: Non-economic losses refer to pain, suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical impairment all of which apply to past and future events involving your case.
The amount of compensation you may be able to recover will be dependent on the facts of your case and if you are able to prove the extent of your injuries. Our skilled team of Maryland truck accident lawyers can assist you in making the most out of your personal injury claim.
Should I accept a truck accident settlement offer?
Many times, trucking companies or insurance companies will make a settlement offer soon after a truck accident. Receiving such an offer might seem like a lifeline, especially if you already have mounting medical expenses and many other bills due to your truck crash.
But it’s important to understand how truck accident settlements work. These are designed to pay for your accident-related expenses. And once you accept such an offer, that’s it. You cannot ask for more money in the future, even if your accident expenses go up significantly months or years later.
This is why you should always carefully consider any settlement offer before agreeing to accept it. Otherwise, you could end up having to pay for many accident expenses out of your own pocket, even though you did nothing wrong.
Can I ask for more money for my truck crash?
Yes. If you have not agreed to accept a settlement offer, you can still ask for more money from the at-fault party responsible for compensating you. However, negotiating a better settlement offer can be very complicated. And many trucking companies and insurance companies will insist that their first offer is their best and final offer.
This is why it often pays to have an experienced Maryland truck accident attorney negotiating your settlement offer on your behalf. Our legal team knows the tactics trucking companies and insurance companies often use. We also know how to negotiate effectively with them.
Who’s responsible for paying for my truck accident?
First, it’s important to understand how Maryland’s motor vehicle insurance system works. The state has an at-fault insurance system. This means the at-fault party is responsible for paying for your injury-related expenses.
For most motor vehicle accidents, this means being compensated by the at-fault driver’s insurance company. However, Maryland commercial truck accidents are different. Depending on the circumstances of your crash, more than one at-fault party may be responsible for paying for your accident, including:
- The truck driver who was driving the truck at the time of your crash.
- Trucking company the truck driver works for, especially if the company knowingly hired a reckless truck driver or failed to properly maintain the truck.
- Company that loaded the truck, especially in cases of tractor-trailers improperly loaded, which often results in jackknife or rollover truck accidents.
- Person or company who owns the truck’s cab, which can be different than the owner of the truck’s trailer.
- Manufacturer of truck parts – including defective truck brakes or tires – especially if these truck parts failed and caused the collision.
- Insurance company for any of these companies or individuals.
Knowing who’s responsible for paying for your Maryland truck accident can be confusing. This is why it’s critical that you have an experienced attorney on your side who understands how the legal system works in Maryland handling your truck accident injury claim or lawsuit.
What laws apply to Maryland truck accidents?
Along with Maryland traffic laws, many federal rules and regulations apply to commercial truck accidents. This is because drivers who operate commercial trucks must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
Such federal trucking laws include Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which is part of the Code of Federal Regulations governing the trucking industry. Such rules include:
- Number of hours a truck driver can work each day and week. Known as Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, they can be found in Title 49, Part 395 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Such HOS rules include:
- Must take a 30-minute break after driving 8 hours.
- Must take 10-hour break after driving for 11 hours.
- Cannot work more than 60 hours in seven days.
- Driving training requirements in order to obtain and maintain a CDL, which can be found in Title 49, Part 380 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
- Inspection, repair and maintenance requirements for commercial trucks, which can be found in Title 49, Part 396 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
- Safety and health standards for truck drivers and trucking companies, which can be found in Title 49, Part 399 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Who investigates commercial truck accidents?
Along with local police or state troopers from the Maryland State Police, commercial truck accidents are often investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), especially if the truck crash results in a fatality or serious injury.
In addition, there are often many other additional, independent investigations when it comes to commercial truck accidents. Such investigations are often conducted by trucking companies, insurance companies and their attorneys.
Why so many investigations? Because there’s often a lot of money at stake. And each business does not want to be the one that’s responsible for paying for your accident-related expenses. This is why you should have a truck accident lawyer investigating your collision on your behalf. That way, you can make sure your truck injury claim or lawsuit receives the attention it rightfully deserves.
Should I file a truck accident lawsuit?
This is a very difficult decision that you need to carefully consider. Sometimes, the best way to get the money you deserve is to take legal action and file a truck accident lawsuit seeking damages, the legal term for financial compensation.
Some of the reasons why people decide to file a lawsuit include:
- The insurance company makes a lowball settlement offer and refuses to offer more money.
- The insurance company denies your truck accident injury claim.
- You believe the best way to get the maximum financial compensation is to take legal action.
Whatever you decide to do, we can be there for you every step of the way during your Maryland truck accident case.
How long do I have to take legal action?
In most cases in Maryland, you have three (3) years from the date of your truck accident to file a truck accident lawsuit. This deadline is known as the statute of limitations as defined in Maryland Code Section 5-101.
But just because you have three years does not mean you should wait that long to take legal action. If you do, the evidence you need to build a strong, successful legal case might no longer exist. And without such evidence, you might have a hard time winning your case.
For example, truck companies only have to keep certain evidence for a short period of time. This includes:
- Hours of Service (HOS) logs.
- Truck inspection and repair records.
- Black box truck data records.
Why should I hire a truck accident lawyer in Silver Spring, Maryland?
At Finnegan Cannon, our personal injury lawyers have been protecting the rights of those harmed in truck accident cases for years. We recognize that no amount of money will be able to return your life to the state you enjoyed prior to your injuries.
However, we also believe that our clients deserve compensation for their injuries, medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages caused by someone else’s negligence. If you have been injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle, reach out to Finnegan Cannon as soon as possible and schedule a free consultation today. We look forward to working with you.
Move forward after your Maryland truck accident. Contact us and schedule your free case evaluation. Our Silver Spring law firm handles truck accident injury claims and lawsuits in Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Howard County, Frederick County, Charles County, and other nearby communities.