If you suffered injuries in a truck accident on Long Island, you deserve compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses when someone else is to blame. A truck accident lawyer at Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will help you prove why you qualify to get it.
At our firm, a client’s needs are the top priority. We do our best to make this process as stress-free and accommodating as possible while putting our passion for personal injury law to work for you. To begin, our team provides a no-cost, confidential consultation so you can learn about your case and the rest of our services.
In This Article
- We Help You Navigate the Challenges of a Truck Accident Case
- Types of Recoverable Damages in a Long Island Truck Accident
- How Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will Help with Your Truck Accident Case
- Our Legal Services will Never Add to Your Financial Burden
- Do Not Risk Your Right to Recover Compensation on Long Island
- Speak to Us About Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney Today
We Help You Navigate the Challenges of a Truck Accident Case
Cases involving trucks are different from other types of car accidents. Aside from their potential to cause greater damage and more serious injuries, a truck accident case may involve violations of trucking regulations enacted to protect the public. They also frequently involve more than one liable party.
Some of the complexities we will help you to navigate after a truck accident include:
- Proving violations of truck accident laws and regulations
- Identifying all liable parties
- Communicating and negotiating with insurance companies
Using Truck Accident Laws and Regulations to Prove Negligence
Commercial truck drivers and carriers must comply with federal truck industry regulations. If a driver or carrier fails to follow any of the laws below, we will build a case to hold them liable if the violation contributed to the accident:
- Hours of service: Truckers have strict limits on the number of consecutive hours they can drive and the breaks they must take in between to limit the risk of drowsiness behind the wheel.
- Alcohol use: While driving under the influence is a violation for all drivers, truckers are subject to lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits. A BAC of .04 is considered a violation.
- Training: Truckers must undergo a certain level of training to operate most commercial vehicles and hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
There are numerous other laws and regulations truck drivers and carriers must follow. Our team has an intimate knowledge of these laws and regulations and understands how to use a violation to help establish the defendant’s negligence.
Identifying All Possible Liable Parties
Since they typically concern on-duty truckers, truck accidents tend to involve several liable parties, including:
- Truck drivers
- Truck carriers
- Manufacturers
- Maintenance companies
- Brokers
- Shippers
Vicarious liability laws dictate that a truck carrier may be liable for its employees’ actions. If a truck driver caused your accident, the carrier that employs them could be liable for your injuries.
A truck accident lawyer at Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. understands what it takes to hold multiple parties accountable and will explain the process when they meet with you to discuss your case.
For a free legal consultation with a truck accidents lawyer serving Long Island, call 516-932-0400
Types of Recoverable Damages in a Long Island Truck Accident
Depending on your injuries and the physical and emotional effects of the accident, you could qualify to recover compensation for the following types of damages:
Economic Damages
This damage category relates to expenses you paid or will have to pay due to the accident and your injuries. These damages often include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Accident-related expenses
Non-Economic Damages
Not all of your damages after a truck collision will have obvious monetary value. Some are related to the intangible effects you experience to which we must assign value. For example, you could recover compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Diminished quality of life
If your loved one died in a Long Island truck accident, you may be eligible to pursue a wrongful death action, which brings its own type of damages. We offer our condolences and legal support to your family to help you get through this tough time.
Long Island Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me 516-932-0400
How Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will Help with Your Truck Accident Case
Our legal team will help you with your case in many different ways if you decide to hire us. When Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. represents you, we will:
Regularly Update You on the Status of the Case
You can choose your level of involvement in the case, but we will always provide updates on new developments. Our goal is to offer all the information and support you need to feel confident in each legal decision you make and the overall direction of your case.
Note that we employ a multilingual staff. If you feel more comfortable speaking Greek, Spanish, Bengali, Kannada, or Tamil, we will provide these accommodations.
Establish Liability for Each Responsible Party
Determining who you can hold liable in these cases is often confusing for victims but doing so is vital to getting compensation that addresses your damages. Our team will investigate the accident and identify all liable parties. We will gather evidence to prove negligence and liability, such as:
- Violation of hours of service
- Improper cargo loading
- Reckless driving
- Faulty or neglected truck maintenance
- Lack of training or licensing
The attorneys at our firm are not afraid to take on trucking companies or other third parties in addition to the trucker involved in the collision.
Relay Messages Between You and Other Involved Parties
It is often best not to communicate with the other driver, trucking company, or any of their representatives after a collision. Statements you give about the accident, whether official or off the record, could get misinterpreted and end up devaluing or disqualifying your case.
Once you hire our team, forward any messages you receive from the other parties, their insurers, or their lawyers to us. We will handle them while protecting the case’s integrity.
Gather Evidence
Truck accident cases involve some unique forms of evidence that will require us to file a request with the truck carrier. Aside from the official accident report, some of the evidence we will likely seek includes:
- The truck driver’s hours of service logs
- Maintenance and inspection reports for the vehicle
- Expert witness testimony regarding industry practices
- Photographs and video footage from any dashcams on the truck
- Black box data
A black box is an electronic device commercial vehicles have to record important information. For example, these devices tend to include an event data recorder (EDR). As explained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an EDR registers driver inputs and system status just before, during, and in the aftermath of a collision.
While retrieving all this potential evidence from the carrier may be difficult, it is likely to be vital in your case. The sooner we start representing you, the better our chances of obtaining this valuable information before it is lost or destroyed.
Estimate and Fight for the Compensation You Deserve
We will fight to recover compensation for all the damages you suffered as a result of a truck accident on Long Island. To accomplish this, one of our accident attorneys will present evidence including:
- Medical records
- Documentation of wages or earnings
- Eyewitness statements
- Expert testimony (e.g., medical experts, vocational specialists, economists, life care planners, etc.)
If you have additional evidence that could support your financial recovery, speak with the truck accident attorney we assign to your case. Our team at Friedman & Simon L.L.P. will fight for your right to compensation.
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Our Legal Services will Never Add to Your Financial Burden
Operating on contingency means that our firm does not charge attorney fees unless our clients achieve financial recovery. We never ask for hourly or upfront compensation―our fees come as a percentage of whatever we recover for you rather than a bill you have to pay. Taking this approach keeps our services accessible even if you are facing financial difficulties after the truck accident.
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Do Not Risk Your Right to Recover Compensation on Long Island
New York imposes a statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits under New York Civil Practice Laws & Rules (CVP) §214. If you fail to take legal action within this allowable time frame, you may be unable to obtain compensation. Note that a different deadline applies if you are filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
Our legal team will ensure you meet all applicable deadlines and protect your right to recover the compensation you deserve. The earlier we get started, the more time we will have to investigate and compile time-sensitive evidence, like black box data.
Speak to Us About Hiring a Truck Accident Attorney Today
Our team will navigate the complexities of your Long Island truck accident case while you focus on getting better or grieving the loss of a loved one.
Let Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. fight for you. Call to speak with a member of our legal team and receive a complimentary case assessment today.
Call or text 516-932-0400 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form