Lafayette Truck Accident Lawyers

Providing Valuable Legal Help to Truck Accident Victims Pursuing Financial Compensation

The U.S. relies upon the commercial trucking industry for its economy and basic day-to-day way of life. This multibillion-dollar industry employs more than eight million people, many of whom make their homes in Louisiana. But while big rigs are vitally important to the country and its people, semi-trucks are also inherently dangerous to all others who share the roads with them, thanks in no small part to their sheer size and weight.

Most semi-truck accidents result in serious injuries and may prove to be deadly. If you have recently suffered an injury in a big rig accident or lost a loved one in a wrongful death following a semi-truck accident, you deserve the chance to pursue justice and seek compensation. However, this is sometimes easier said than done, especially in truck accident cases involving commercial trucking companies.

Commercial truck accident cases are inherently more complex than the majority of other motor vehicle accident cases. There are a number of reasons why, not least of all being that the severity of the injuries and serious damages that arise from large truck accidents often mean more costly medical care and, thus, a larger settlement. But there are other reasons, including the teams of lawyers that sometimes represent truck drivers and their trucking company employers. It is difficult, if near impossible, to bring a personal injury lawsuit against a commercial truck company while recovering from serious injuries or grieving the loss of a loved one.

Help is available. Contact our team today to discuss your commercial truck accident case.

What Are Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents?

Many unique factors may figure into why a semi-truck accident occurred. The majority of the causes for semi-truck accidents are similar to those of most other motor vehicle wrecks. However, because of the size and role of tractor-trailers, there may be additional causes as well.

Common causes of 18-wheeler accidents include the following:

• Aggressive driving.
• Blind spots.
• Brake failure.
• Dangerous weather conditions.
• Defective vehicles and vehicle parts.
• Disobeying the rules of the road.
• Distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue and drowsy driving.
• Driving over the speed limit.
• Driving through stop signs and red lights.
• Drunk driving and driving under the influence of drugs.
• Failure to obey traffic lights and traffic signs.
• Improperly secured cargo in the tractor-trailer.
• Inadequate training for the truck driver.
• Negligent maintenance and truck defects.
• Not paying attention behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.
• Road debris and road disrepair.
• Tailgating.
• Talking on the cell phone while driving.
• Texting while driving.
• Truck safety violations.
• Unsafe lane changes.

What Types of Injury Are Commonly Seen in a Commercial Truck Accident?

Minor injuries are uncommon in accidents involving big trucks. The majority of injuries seen in large truck accidents are severe and sometimes deadly.

Common semi-truck accident injuries include the following:

• Amputations and loss of limbs.
• Back and neck injuries.
• Broken bones and bone fractures.
• Burns.
• Catastrophic injuries.
• Concussions.
• Crushing injuries.
• Hearing loss.
• Loss of sight.
• Paralysis.
• Soft tissue injuries include deep cuts, lacerations, bruising, and torn ligaments.
• Spinal cord injuries.
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Whiplash
• Wrongful death.

What Types of Commercial Truck Crashes Does Our Personal Injury Law Firm Represent?

Our personal injury law firm represents a variety of cases involving semi-truck crashes and other vehicles involved in such trucking accidents. Truck traffic is a necessity for keeping the economy moving, but other drivers must be aware of the dangers inherent in sharing the roads with other vehicles that are much larger and heavier than their own.

In accidents with large trucks, the truck occupants are rarely those who’ve suffered injuries. More often, the most catastrophic injuries are suffered by the drivers of other cars involved in accidents with big rigs.

Cases our truck accident lawyers represent include the following:

• Drunk driving accidents.
• Head-on collisions.
• Highway accidents.
• Jackknife accidents.
• Rear-end collisions.
• Semi-truck rollovers.
• Sideswipe accidents.
• T-bone accidents (also known as broadside collisions or side impact crashes).
• Wide right-hand turn accidents.
• And more.

Why Are Accidents Involving Commercial Trucks Inherently More Difficult Than Most?

Higher Fatalities and Injuries

Accidents involving large commercial trucks are often more dangerous and result in higher rates of fatalities than other accidents involving vehicles designed expressly for passenger use. Because of this, there will often be more costly medical treatment required for survivors of semi-truck crashes.

The more costly the medical care required, the more necessary it is to demand full compensation in your personal injury case. Therefore, the more expensive the settlement, the more likely that insurance companies and liable parties are to fight against such settlements.

Multiple Liable Parties

But it doesn’t end there. Accidents involving commercial trucks are likely to have more potentially liable parties than most other car accidents. In addition to the truck driver, whose negligence might have been the cause of the accident, the commercial truck company may also be held liable. Additionally, vehicle manufacturers, auto repair shops, cargo loading companies, government entities, and other drivers could also be held liable in a semi-truck accident case.

How Do You Prove Truck Driver Negligence?

Truck drivers hold a responsibility to maintain a reasonable duty of care on the road. When they fail to uphold this duty, the resulting accidents can lead to devastating injuries and financial losses. Proving negligence in truck accidents is a critical step in pursuing a successful truck accident claim in Lafayette.

Ways to Prove Truck Driver Negligence in Louisiana

Truck drivers have a duty to follow federal motor carrier safety standards and Louisiana law to prevent serious truck accidents. When they fail to do so, accident victims may pursue a truck accident claim against the at-fault party—whether that’s the truck driver, trucking company, or vehicle’s owner. Below are the key factors your Lafayette truck accident lawyer may investigate to prove liability in your case.

Driver Fatigue

Driver fatigue is one of the most common causes of truck accidents. Long hours behind the wheel of large commercial vehicles often lead to exhaustion, slower reaction times, and poor judgment. A skilled truck accident attorney can review electronic logging devices (ELDs), timecards, and dispatch records to determine whether a truck driver violated trucking regulations on rest periods. Evidence of fatigue can help strengthen your truck accident lawsuit and establish fault.

Speeding or Reckless Driving

Reckless driving and speeding dramatically increase the likelihood of semi truck crashes. A fully loaded tractor-trailer requires significantly more distance to stop than a car. Your Lafayette truck accident attorney may use black box data, dashcam footage, or witness statements to show that the driver was traveling above the speed limit or making unsafe lane changes. Proving this type of negligence is crucial in recovering financial compensation for serious injuries and medical expenses.

Distracted Driving

When a truck driver texts, talks on the phone, or uses GPS while driving, they put everyone on the road at risk. Distracted driving can cause devastating truck wrecks, leading to spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, and even wrongful death. An experienced lawyer will examine cellphone records, surveillance footage, and police reports to show how distraction contributed to your Lafayette truck accident case.

Driving Under the Influence

Commercial truck operators must follow strict safety regulations, including drug and alcohol testing under federal motor carrier safety rules. When a driver operates a semi truck while impaired, they endanger all other vehicles on the road. Toxicology results and police reports can be critical in holding intoxicated drivers and large trucking companies accountable for catastrophic injuries and fatal accidents.

Poor Vehicle Maintenance

Failing to maintain a commercial vehicle can lead to truck crashes caused by brake failures, tire blowouts, or steering problems. Under Louisiana law, both the trucking company and vehicle’s owner share responsibility for proper inspections and repairs. Your truck accident lawyer can review maintenance logs, inspection records, and service reports to identify neglect and build a solid truck accident lawsuit.

Traffic Violations

Ignoring traffic signals, failing to yield, or running red lights are dangerous acts of negligence. In truck accident cases, such violations often lead to collisions that cause severe injuries and major property damage. A Lafayette truck accident lawyer can use traffic camera footage, citations, and eyewitness testimony to show how a driver’s disregard for transportation safety led to your injuries and lost wages.

Overloaded or Unbalanced Cargo

Improperly loaded cargo can make semi trucks unstable and difficult to control. Cargo that shifts during transport may cause truck wrecks, jackknife accidents, or rollovers. By reviewing weigh station reports, cargo manifests, and photographs, an experienced attorney can demonstrate how overloading contributed to the truck crash and help you seek maximum compensation for the injuries suffered.

Lack of Proper Licensing or Training

Truck drivers must undergo rigorous training and hold proper credentials before operating commercial trucks under regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. If an unqualified driver causes an accident, both the driver and their trucking company may be liable. Your personal injury law firm will confirm the driver’s licensing status and training history to determine whether inadequate preparation contributed to your truck accident claim.

Failure to Signal or Check Blind Spots

Because large commercial vehicles have wide blind spots, drivers must remain alert when merging or turning. A failure to signal or check mirrors often results in side-impact truck wrecks that cause serious injuries. Dashcam videos, witness reports, and accident reconstruction experts can help your personal injury lawyers establish negligence and fight for a fair settlement on your behalf.

To build a strong case, it is important to gather comprehensive evidence that supports your claim. This includes analyzing police reports, reviewing medical records, consulting accident reconstruction experts, and collecting eyewitness testimonies. Each piece of evidence helps demonstrate how the truck driver or other parties contributed to the accident and the resulting damages.

At Landgrave Garcia Injury Attorneys, we understand the challenges of navigating a truck accident claim. Our team works diligently to determine liability, hold negligent parties accountable, and fight for the compensation you deserve. If you were involved in a Lafayette truck accident and need guidance on your legal rights, contact our lawyers for a free consultation. We are here to help you take the first steps toward recovery and justice.

When you work with a dedicated Lafayette truck accident lawyer, you gain access to resources and investigative tools that help prove liability, calculate medical bills and non-economic damages, and pursue legal action against all responsible parties. If you’ve suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a semi truck accident, reach out for a free consultation with an experienced lawyer who will take your attorney-client relationship seriously, always keeping you informed of your progress.

Are Truck Drivers the Only Liable Parties in a Commercial Truck Accident?

Commercial truck drivers are not the only parties who may be held liable for damages in a tractor-trailer accident case.

The potentially liable parties include the following:

• And potentially the truck accident victims themselves.
• Cargo loaders.
• Government entities.
• Other drivers on the road.
• Pedestrians.
• The commercial trucking company.
• Truck manufacturers.
• The owners of the trucks.
• The truck driver.

What if You Are Partially to Blame for Causing the Commercial Trucking Accident in Louisiana?

It is possible for more than one party to carry some of the negligence for causing an auto accident. In Louisiana, we call this comparative fault (or comparative negligence).

Louisiana is a pure comparative fault state.  That means that so long as you are not 100% to blame for causing the accident, you stand the chance of recovering a portion of compensation to help pay for medical bills, property damage, and other expenses that arose as a direct result of the large truck accident.

If the facts show that you were 30% at fault (for example), then you should expect to see your maximum compensation reduced by that 30%. As your personal injury attorneys, our truck accident lawyers will endeavor to ensure that the facts support your claim so that you can recover a full settlement for your injuries.

How Much Compensation Can Truck Accident Attorneys Help You Recover Following an 18-Wheeler Accident?

As your personal injury lawyers, our aim is to establish negligence on the part of the at-fault party (or parties) and help you recover compensation for your injuries and other losses. While no financial recovery can ever reverse the damage done, the hope is that the compensation will help make you ‘whole’ again, at least from a financial standpoint.

If successful in the pursuit of a financial settlement offer, you may recover both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages can help compensate you for the following:

• Funeral costs, memorial costs, and burial expenses in the event of a large truck accident fatality.
• Lost wages and lost income-earning capacity (if the injury has robbed you of your ability to return to your line of work).
• Property damage (for expenses like motor vehicle repairs, damage to personal property, and more).
• Past medical bills (for things like emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, surgery, and more) and future medical expenses.
• Physical therapy bills and rehabilitation costs.

Non-economic Damages

Non-economic damages may include the following:

• Disfigurement, dismemberment, or disability.
• Emotional distress.
• Loss of companionship or consortium.
• Lost quality of life or enjoyment of life.
• Mental anguish.
• Pain and suffering.
• Wrongful death.

In certain cases of wanton neglect, maliciousness, or recklessness, it may also be possible to pursue punitive damages for your personal injury claim. To learn more about punitive damages, please contact our truck accident lawyers in Lafayette to speak for help today.

Schedule a Free Consultation for Your Lafayette Truck Accident Case

After a trucking accident, the road to recovery can feel overwhelming. Medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress can take a serious toll on you and your family. Dealing with insurance companies can make the stress even worse. At Landgrave Garcia Injury Attorneys, we understand the challenges you face, and we are committed to providing personalized legal support to help you seek the compensation you deserve. Every 18-wheeler accident case is different, which is why our truck accident lawyers take the time to listen to your story, assess the details of your claim, and develop a strategy tailored to your unique circumstances.

We believe in standing up for accident victims and holding negligent trucking companies and drivers accountable. If you or a loved one has been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, don’t wait to explore your legal options. Our law firm offers a free consultation to answer your questions and discuss how we can assist you in pursuing financial recovery. Let our 18-wheeler accident lawyers handle the legal process while you focus on healing.

Contact our Lafayette truck accident lawyers to schedule your free consultation today at 337-242-7604.