$6.5M settlement for 33-year-old woman involved in a rollover accident
$4.1M suit settles over pick-up’s crash with UPS Semi
$3.8M arbitration award for plaintiff in car-truck accident
$2.05M recovery for family of a Philadelphia man who died in a motorcycle accident
$2.015M recovery for family of a Philadelphia woman who died in a car accident
Were you injured in a truck accident in Philadelphia? You may expect the truck driver or trucking company to accept responsibility and provide you with the funds you need to offset the harm they caused you. Unfortunately, many trucking companies and insurance companies are more concerned about their bottom line than they are about making things right with you after a truck wreck.
After a motor vehicle accident, truck drivers and carriers often take extraordinary steps to deny responsibility and limit their obligation to support crash victims. This behavior leaves victims needing professional legal assistance to secure fair compensation for their losses.
Don’t get pushed around by big companies and their insurers. Contact Eisenberg, Rothweiler Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck, P.C. for help getting the money and accountability you’re owed. Consultations are free and come with no obligation, so there’s no risk in speaking with a Philadelphia truck accident lawyer from our firm.
Truck Accident Liability in Philadelphia
Truck drivers are not the only parties responsible for the operation of their vehicles. Depending on the circumstances, any of the following parties may be liable in a Pennsylvania truck accident case:
Truck drivers and owner-operators
Truck owners
Trucking companies
Cargo loading teams
Manufacturers of defective truck parts
Negligent truck repair shops or mechanics
Government entities responsible for road maintenance
Our Philadelphia Truck Accident Attorneys Fight For Fair Compensation to Truck Accident Victims
Many truck accidents cause significant property damage and catastrophic injuries, resulting in expensive legal claims. Big trucking companies and their insurers would prefer not to pay these legal claims and often deny liability by:
Blaming the accident on victims or other road users
Claiming the driver was an independent contractor or non-employee
Repairing or junking trucks to hide evidence of mechanical defects
Deleting or concealing documentation of unsafe company practices
Potential Compensation for Semi-Truck Accidents
A successful third-party claim against a truck driver or another at-fault party could provide you with compensation for:
Hospital bills and other crash-related medical expenses
Lost wages from any time you miss work due to your injuries
Projected losses in earning capacity, if your injuries are permanent
Subjective losses, such as pain, suffering, and lost quality of life
BUSINESS INFORMATION Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg, & Jeck, P.C. 1634 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103 Phone:(215) 585-2814 Email:info@erlegal.com
“Dan J., Josh and Fran, more than four years ago my life and the life of my family was changed. … Then a good family friend brought me to your firm. …Because of you all I was given a voice and it was heard loud and clear. … We are now able to put this behind us and move forward. So Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!”
— Danaka and Mark Anderson
“When a loved one is catastrophically injured, your first concern is to get the best medical care. But you should also get the best legal team as soon as possible. After my daughter was paralyzed in a van accident, I was referred to Eisenberg Rothweiler…the next morning, Fred Eisenberg and Dan Sherry flew up to the hospital.”
— Al Piro
“It was a difficult time for my wife and me, but you always assured us that you would do your best to make life more comfortable for us in the future—and YOU CAME THROUGH. …We really appreciate all the time and research you put into our case. …You are more than our lawyers—you are our friends. As a former Vietnam Vet and Marine, I say to you “Semper Fi”.”
Large commercial trucks are several times larger and heavier than most other vehicles on the road. Increased size and weight mean these vehicles hit with greater force and cause more destruction in the event of a collision.
2 LARGE TRUCKS TAKE LONGER TO SLOW DOWN
Brake systems must work much harder to slow or stop larger loads. As a result, big rigs are especially hazardous and prone to rear-end collisions in dense or unpredictable traffic.
3 COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ARE MORE COMPLEX
Large commercial vehicles are not simply big passenger vehicles. Big trucks have complicated control systems unfamiliar to most drivers, which can prove dangerous when operated by inexperienced or distracted drivers.
How Our Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help
If you sustained injuries in a Philadelphia truck accident due to the negligence of the truck driver or another party, you shouldn’t have to deal with this situation alone. You don’t deserve to have your legitimate injury claim minimized, denied, or delayed by penny-pinching trucking companies or insurance providers.
Working with a knowledgeable trucking accident attorney in Philadelphia is the best way to protect your rights and demand what you are owed for your losses. A lawyer can investigate the crash, collect valuable evidence, and hold negligent parties liable for the full extent of your accident-related losses.
Common Causes of Trucking Accidents
A truck accident may be the result of multiple contributing factors, such as:
Distracted driving
Texting while driving
Driving under the influence
Driverfatigue
Driving too fast for conditions
Following too closely
Failure to checkblind spots
Failure to yield the right of way
Running red lights or stop signs
Improper turning or merging
Driver inexperience
Cargo shifts and spills
Overloaded cargo in trailers
Jackknifing and rollovers
Underride and override collisions
Defective truck parts
Poorly maintained trucks
Poor road conditions
Common Injuries Associated with Trucking Accidents
When a large truck hits a much smaller passenger vehicle, the smaller vehicle‘s occupants usually suffer more severe injuries.
In one recent year, there were 6,344 “heavy truck” crashes throughout the state of Pennsylvania, which accounted for 6.1 percent of statewide crashes that year.
That year, 2,523 (39.8 percent) of all truck accidents resulted in injuries. Injurycrashes involving heavy trucks accounted for 5.6 percent of all such crashes in Pennsylvania that year.
That same year, 110 Pennsylvania truck accidents resulted in fatalities. Fatal crashes involving heavy trucks accounted for 10.4 percent of fatal crashes statewide.
Truck Accident FAQs
Injuries sustained in a trucking accident tend to be more serious due to the sheer size of the trucks involved. The average weight for a standard empty semi-truck is anywhere from 18-21,000 lbs, and trucks can carry up to 42-46,000 lbs of cargo (with a maximum of 80,000 lbs distributed across all wheels).
As mentioned, injuries from a truck accident tend to be more severe than those seen in passenger car collisions. The most common trucking accident injuries include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputation or loss of limb(s) and wrongful death.
There are various reasons why trucking accidents occur. For instance, truck drivers can slam into other vehicles if they are tired or fall asleep behind the wheel. Comedian Tracy Morgan was seriously injured in a truck accident with a drowsy truck driver. In other cases, maintenance issues on semi-trucks can lead to an accident. Unqualified or dangerous truck drivers cause crashes. These are only three of many possible examples.
Depending on the circumstances, you can potentially hold several parties accountable — including the truck driver and the company they work for. However, it is often the case that the trucking company does not own the tractor-trailer attached to the semi-truck; a third-party leasing establishment does. This is often a source of contention and can further complicate a claim.
In some cases, you may be able to hold the manufacturer of the truck and/or the maintenance facility who last worked on the vehicle liable if a defective part is to blame for the accident or poor maintenance occurred. If the accident was caused by improperly packed cargo, then you can potentially hold personnel who loaded the truck responsible.
Since so many parties can be liable, it is highly recommended that you seek experienced legal counsel if you have been involved in a truck accident.
The answer to this question is dependent on several factors. Such factors include the total cost of past, present and future medical bills, lost wages, as well as pain and suffering. These details vary from case to case. Some cases do not settle, so our firm prepares every case for trial to achieve the maximum amount of recovery for each of our clients.
As soon as you take care of yourself and your family, you should contact legal counsel. Our firm has experience investigating and litigating complicated truck accident claims. We understand that your life has been profoundly impacted and we will work tirelessly to see that you are properly compensated for damages. To schedule a free consultation with one of our Philadelphia truck crash lawyers, call (215) 546-6636 or contact us online. Se Habla Español.
Contact an Experienced Philadelphia Truck Accident Attorney for Help with Your Claim
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Philadelphia, contact Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck, P.C.
You could be owed money from the at-fault party, and a Philadelphia truck accident injury lawyer can help you demand it!
