Arlington 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney

Experience Matters in an Arlington 18-Wheeler Accident Case

There are likely tons of firms that wouldn’t hesitate to take your truck accident case, but there are a select few that can legitimately claim to be qualified in handling 18-wheeler and other types of commercial vehicle accident cases.

Do you have a legal question?
Enter your phone number below and let's talk.
--

The experienced team of Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyers at Grossman Law Offices has worked with truck accident cases for 20 years and been victorious in hundreds of cases like these.

There are many types of commercial vehicles. We have been successful in personal injury and/or wrongful death claims involving everything from rock haulers to dump trucks, different construction vehicles, moving vans, buses, tankers and other kinds of commercial vehicles. Even though there are different kinds of commercial vehicles, these cases usually share some similarities:

• They are bigger and wind up causing way more damage than regular cars.
• Different laws apply to them compared to regular passenger vehicles.
• The last key fact, but perhaps the most important, is they’re owned by big companies that usually take an aggressive approach at preventing plaintiffs from getting fairly compensated.

You should be aware, though, that we can be just as aggressive. If you want the best shot at emerging successful in your 18-wheeler case, you need to obtain the services of a firm that’s qualified, stocked with resources, ability and a track record of thrashing opposing lawyers in court and getting them to take a fair settlement that they usually try to dodge.

Once you decide to work with Grossman Law Offices on your Arlington 18-wheeler accident case, you are investing in over two decades of experience found in a team of lawyers who have won hundreds of truck accident cases (as well as thousands of successful personal injury cases).

In this article you will get all the key details involved in a commercial vehicle accident case, and learn about the key factors that could pose problems for a successful recovery.

How 18-Wheeler Accident Cases Work

Dealing with any wreck is taxing and stressful, but there’s little that can compare to the overwhelming catastrophe caused by 18-wheelers. The weight of most commercial trucks usually is around 80,000 pounds or more, so there is a tremendous amount of damage created when they’re part of any accident. Keep in mind, too, that truck drivers have an hourly salary, which means they work extended shifts without any breaks, and this leads to consistent lapses in concentration, accidents, injuries, damage to property and sometimes death.

Throughout the last 20 years, the Arlington 18-wheeler lawyers at Grossman Law Offices have been engaged in personal injury cases involving 18-wheelers. We realize victims are often swamped with a multitude of medical and legal questions they’re seeking answers for after being hurt or losing a family member in a big rig accident. What’s even more critical, though, is making sure you get the right medical attention after such a traumatic event like this. Along with getting care for your injuries, it’s important that they’re recorded too. If you’re a client that can’t afford medical insurance, or don’t have the right amount of coverage, we have ways to help connect you with a doctor that can account for your situation and arrange a pay plan that would work for your budget.

Once your injuries have been looked at, you need to then consider legal action and the steps to getting compensation for your injuries. The law doesn’t require negligent individuals to pay for your injuries, and it’s up to the victim (known in the legal world as the plaintiff) to prove they deserve compensation. The best way to make sure you get compensated is to hire an Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyer. Our lawyers make a point of educating you on your legal options and providing the best options for you and your loved ones. Before we delve into that, however, we need to discuss the different parts of 18-wheeler accident law:

• Reasons for filing a suit.
• People/groups that are often ruled negligent for Arlington 18-wheeler accidents.
• The importance of a prompt and thorough investigation.
• Obstacles that can damage claims when citizens choose self-representation.
• Ways that an Arlington 18-wheeler attorney can benefit you.

This article is meant to be an information resource, and shouldn’t be used as a substitute for legal wisdom you’d get with a qualified, talented lawyer. If you would like more help with the specifics of your incident, call us quickly at 1-855-326-0000 (toll free) to go over the questions you have.

The Reasons to File an 18-Wheeler Accident Injury Lawsuit

Our attorneys realize there’s an overpowering amount of emotional and physical harm tied into 18-wheeler accidents. Over our many years of working these cases, we’ve seen that plenty of 18-wheeler accident victims choose not to take legal action due to the stress of figuring out a cost of their injuries and having to eventually re-live the pain. Despite how tough it may be, acting quick is crucial if you want to have a winning claim. Once your accident occurs, it’s vital to act quickly.

When you get legal assistance for your 18-wheeler accident, you achieve two things: making sure the person who was injured can rebound financially and emotionally from the harm sustained by the accident, then ensuring that justice is sought for those who caused the accident. While no financial reward can completely fix the damages involved with your accident, or take away the memory of it, you still have to face the financial obligations hanging over your life. If you want to get back on track to having a normal life again, it’s important to make sure you get compensated by those who are liable for your accident. It can get daunting and overwhelming when you consider the amount of work days you’ve missed, covering medical expenses and car repairs.

Do you have a legal question?
Enter your phone number below and let's talk.
--

The other objective for an Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawsuit is to lessen the chance for more accidents occurring by holding those accountable who caused your injury or loss. Once individuals have lost exorbitant amounts of money in big rig accidents, it’s likely they won’t do the same thing twice. If you want to accomplish your objective - attack someone in their wallet.

Common Negligent Causes of 18-Wheeler Accidents

In order to figure out who a lawsuit should be filed against, you first need to determine how the accident happened and who was at fault. Many people and corporations can be linked to 18-wheelers transporting goods, so in several of those accidents, multiple parties can be ruled negligent in causing part of an 18-wheeler accident. A savvy 18-wheeler accident attorney in Arlington can lean on their background that’s developed from working prior accident cases to accurately determine why your accident took place and learn who caused the traumatic event. A wide variety of people could have contributed to an 18-wheeler wreck: the trucker, the business that employs him/her, the truck/trailer manufacturers, the company that planned the trucker’s route, the business loading the truck and other groups. Let’s examine further:

Truckers
Truckers endure extremely long hours up and down highways and interstates, and most of the time in big rig accidents, they are the sole cause for someone being hurt. A trucker can cause an accident just be choosing to be negligent through using drugs/alcohol, speeding, overlooking stop signs or major swerving. Many times, those accidents you spot in Arlington are just from the trucker being exhausted. Federal law demands that drivers take a set amount of rest breaks, but many of them ignore those rules in order to match the established time parameters that have been put up by their companies. Reports show that there’s a greater chance of an accident happening when a driver’s been at the wheel for eight straight hours, and 20 percent of truckers admit to have fallen asleep more than one occasion while driving prior to being surveyed. Whether it was intentional or a legitimate accident, if a trucker’s negligence resulted in an accident that caused injuries, then you can file a lawsuit against that individual.

Trucking Companies
Texas follows what is known as respondeat superior, a legal term that states employers are liable for the behavior or inaction of their workers. If a trucker’s negligence caused a wreck or fatality, the trucking company that employs them also is liable. So if a trucker had prior DUI convictions, and was responsible for another wreck while drunk, then that company carries additional liability for injuries resulting from the accident.

Since we’ve pointed that out, it should also be mentioned that the trucking company doesn’t have to be negligent to be ruled liable for the negligent actions of its employees. If a trucker acts with negligence, then a lawsuit can be pursued in attempt to get damages from the business employing him or her. In many cases, the trucking company is in the role of the defendant since they have more resources than the trucker.

Manufacturers
Look at any 18-wheeler, or trailer, in detail and you’ll discover thousands of bolts, wires, and other parts - all of them working together to ensure the vehicle’s safety. If any of these pieces don’t function according to their design and purpose when the big rig is running, then an accident could unfold. If this happened because of a manufacturing problem, then whoever is injured has the opportunity get compensated by the manufacturer.

The Company that Planned the Route
Many roads and neighborhoods aren’t able to deal with 18-wheelers, and many bridges have weight restrictions posted for traveling on - and passing under - them. To improve safety standards, trucking companies will seek help from other businesses to establish safe driving routes. If this business plans a route that is proved to be harmful, then a lawsuit can be filed against that company.

The Company that Loaded the Cargo
There will be occasions when companies that own the cargo take care of loading it into an 18-wheeler, and then they contract that work out. If the business that loaded the cargo did so and didn’t follow proper guidelines, then an accident can happen along with numerous injuries - all of which would fall on the shoulders of that company. The weight limit for cargo in 18-wheelers is 80,000 pounds, but tons of companies try to transport additional goods for lower costs by neglecting this rule. There’s an objective for this rule, because trucks with excessive weight have higher odds to overturn and cause more harm when they’re involved in accidents.

When businesses that put cargo on don’t secure it properly, the cargo can loosen up while going cross country, the load may move, and the trailer can turn over and create an accident. If flatbed trucks are involved, then cargo that was poorly loaded can fly onto the road and create tremendous chaos for drivers traveling behind the 18-wheeler.

Other Drivers
An 18-wheeler may be involved in a horrible accident, but don’t assume the trucker is automatically responsible. There are plenty of times when other drivers aren’t safe, and their negligence then leads to a wreck with an 18-wheeler, which then create damages and injuries for other nearby drivers. In those scenarios, the victims can pursue damages from third parties like these.

Drivers, or combinations of other individuals and groups, could have combined to be totally or somewhat responsible for the 18-wheeler accident and the injury it caused you. You need help from a qualified Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyer who can uncover the cause and every defendant who is responsible so you can get the compensation you need from those whose actions led to your injury.

Prompt Investigation is Essential

After an accident happens, a rapid and thorough investigation must happen to obtain the right evidence, see who was at fault, and then prove their liability. Since a lot of individuals could have been a factor in your accident and the ensuing injuries, the purpose of the investigation is to see who is responsible and what amount of negligence is involved for each person. It’s critical to begin compiling actual, credible proof to help sway the jury, and it’s huge to secure evidence before it disappears quickly. The quicker you secure an Arlington lawyer, the quicker any viable evidence is obtained. With each day that elapses where you don’t get an Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyer, you are causing enormous amounts of damage to your case because the proof is diminishing. Witnesses can relocate, their memories become sketchy, videos are deleted and there can be physical changes take place with an accident scene.

Our Arlington team of 18-wheeler accident lawyers at Grossman Law Offices has developed the ability to investigate accident cases over 20 years. Once you decide to get our help, we rush to the accident on our dime so we can scour the premises for any facts that can aid our client’s case. We take all necessary steps in getting to the truth - securing and examining each of the key vehicles, getting tons of photos taken, obtaining video footage, looking through police reports, getting measurements of the length between skid marks and where impact happened between vehicles, conducting forensic tests, looking for witnesses to interview and developing evidence that can later be used in trial.

You need to go ahead and expect, too, that you’re probably lagging behind the defense team that’s already begun developing their case. In most cases, a trucking company or insurance carrier gets their investigators immediately to an accident scene once a trucker has called it in. These investigators that are employed by defense attorneys don’t care about how the accident happened; they are just trying to get the right amount of proof to show your injuries were a result of your own poor choices. If you haven’t secured the help of an Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorney, they can’t be at the scene conducting their own investigation, and you also can’t discover if the defense altered the evidence or completed an ethical investigation. If they’re able to gather evidence to show you were negligent, then your claim will likely be denied if they can prove you were totally responsible. Damages can also be decreased if they can properly explain that your actions played a key role.

There’s always one case we like to remind people of when it comes to doing a quick, thorough investigation. A man came and hired our firm after driving in a regular car and being involved in an accident late one night with an 18-wheeler. The trucking company alleged that our client was driving without any car headlights when the accident took place. When we came on board, we discovered our client’s car was not at the accident scene and had been moved to a nearby salvage yard. When our lawyers found the car at the junkyard, they did notice that the car had its headlights missing. Our immediate concern was that our client wouldn’t receive adequate compensation, but our investigators spotted a surveillance camera in the salvage yard, so they managed to get some footage. This particular software was programmed to record over the tape’s data every 48 hours, and we obtained it just before it was erased. What did we find? We discovered that an individual from the trucking company was illegally removing the headlights from our client’s car, then leaving the premises. After that, the trucking company’s defense team tried to claim in court that our client’s vehicle was missing headlights, but we had tangible proof with the video that put their behavior on display and helped our client get the money they deserved. If our client had procrastinated any longer, the video would have been erased, our chances at compensation would have been ruined and the trucking company could have tampered with evidence and got away with it.

Our Arlington attorneys are familiar with these tactics used in 18-wheeler accident cases, so it’s important to get a lawyer who can begin conducting an immediate investigation. In some cases, our investigators can secure evidence long after an accident takes place, but the sooner we can start our investigation, there’s a better chance at making sure we get the facts needed to help you get the compensation you want. Don’t wait another second before calling an Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyer.

Common Obstacles that Plaintiffs Must Overcome

Don’t assume that just because you’ve filed an insurance claim for a normal fender bender that you can take on the burden of your own Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawsuit. The insurance policies for 18-wheelers can come out to 50 times the value of a normal automotive insurance policy. When you consider the gigantic size of big rig insurance policies, trials for 18-wheeler accidents are far more complicated than normal passenger car cases. Plaintiffs who get the notion that they can save some bucks on lawyer’s fees through self representation eventually wind up spending more than what they hoped to save due to diminished or denied compensation. Those with no legal pedigree, or rookie, novice attorneys who just graduated law school face challenges when they and pursue lawsuits after 18-wheeler accidents due to countless issues: managing the burden of proof, the overall insurance policy, trucking businesses that self-insure and truckers who lie.

Burden of Proof
There is nothing legally that states that the defendant or defendants are ordered to pay you a dime in an 18-wheeler accident in Arlington unless you (the plaintiff) are able to prove that’s what should happen. If you want to get fairly compensated for the injuries you’ve sustained, you will have to use factual evidence to prove you have a credible case. While there are other ways to negotiate and deal with a claim, evidence needs to be obtained for the defense or insurance companies so negotiations can take place with honesty and transparency. Four things must be established in an Arlington 18-wheeler accident case:

Duty
The first step in this process is to prove the defendant owed a duty to your safety by choosing behave in a reasonable way. The law accurately shows how each person deserves a specific kind of duty of care, and each case has a lot to do with the relationships involved. When you’re dealing with 18-wheeler cases, this requirement is reached easily, because every driver has to maintain the safety of other drivers, nearby citizens and other passengers as well.

Breach
The next part in proving your case is to accurately show how the defendant or defendants violated that obligation of care. This usually is demonstrated when the defendant threatens others through choices that regular people wouldn’t make, or by simply not being proactive in instances when people do take action. You’ll need to compiled evidence which illustrates how the defendant disregarded his or her legal duty through their actions or inactions to show their duty was breached. Besides all of those specifics, it’s essential to obtain the services of an Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorney who is trained in taking evidence and using it to persuade a jury that the defendant or defendants acted with negligence.

Causation
After establishing that the defendant or defendants breached their legal duty you were owed, you then have to show their injuries were due to this breach occurring. Since numerous people could have been involved in this 18-wheeler accident, it’s necessary that specific evidence be presented to a jury that shows the correlation between the defendant who breached the responsibility you deserved and the injuries that resulted because of their choice. If this doesn’t happen, then the defendant has the opportunity to attack your case and move the blame elsewhere for your injuries. In many cases, the defendant or defendant has the best odds to duck blame by simply turning the spotlight on the victim and claiming their injuries were a result of their own choices.

Damages
Once you’ve established these three other parts, you then have to succeed in showing that you are owed damages by the defendant. Understand in the legal world, damages aren’t referring to your injuries or damaged property. This term is for the compensation you want the defendant to pay you for the harm you’ve sustained. The plaintiff has the option to get damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, inability to earn wages, damaged property and other kinds of losses that come with major accidents.

A lot of times many wrongly enter the court, request damages and assume the rewards will soon follow. However, you have to provide proper evidence that backs up your losses, and also clearly show how you came to your numbers for your damages. Usually, you’ll discover that defendants will contest the figures the plaintiff wants and will come back with their own amounts, which usually shrink the financial burden the plaintiff has taken on. If you want to expose the defendant for attempt to low-ball you on damages, it’s crucial to admit evidence that can’t be contested so you can show you’re totals are solid.

What is the true value of my case? When you realize that damages like pain and suffering and inability to earn wages are very subjective, compiling damages can be very stressful for anyone who hasn’t had years of experience in this area. It’s really tough to put an amount on pain and suffering, or determine lost earning capacity by discovering the total value of hypothetical raises and inflation. When a trial is unfolding, you have one chance to compile the total compensation you think you are owed. For over 20 years, our Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyers have been totaling damages, and we have done this enough times and have so much experience because of cases like yours that we know how to accurately determine the compensation you deserve.

If you can’t properly prove any of these elements, then you won’t eventually get the compensation you’re seeking for your injuries you’ve sustained. You need help from an Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorney - definitely if your case is headed to trial. Thanks to our extensive experience with 18-wheeler accident cases, our lawyers know how to establish a proper legal game plan to meet the burden of proof and persuade the jury to rule for you.

Enormous Insurance Policies

Federal law demands that trucking companies get enormous insurance policies to assist them whenever there are cases that include accidents, injuries, or deaths from accidents involving 18-wheelers. This is why many plaintiffs have the false belief that they will get quickly rewarded and not face any roadblocks. Much of the time that’s just false. Insurance policies for 18-wheelers range around 50 times those of normal cars, so providers tend to invest 50 times their energy and manpower to work those particular policies.

When you think about everything at stake, insurance companies will turn to their sharpest and most qualified insurance adjusters to handle these settlements. You probably have never been involved in handling 18-wheeler accident claims, but these adjusters are the elite in their industry and have worked these types of cases for many years. They know how to toy with a victim’s emotions while they’re still traumatized and will use their trust of insurance agents to their advantage, then eventually take all that, turn the tables and deny their claim. They establish a false sense of security and get the victim to think they’re objective is to help. First, though, they’ll say they have to ask some everyday questions. Realize upfront: They’re not there to help; they’re just trying to guard the company’s money by tossing your claim. They bombard you with lots of questions that seem like the same ones over and over, but what’s happening is they’re re-wording them and trying to get you to mess up and end up saying you were responsible for your own accident. If they can accomplish this, your claim is then null. You’ll benefit yourself if you can avoid any discussions with insurance adjusters, which is another reason why you need to acquire a talented Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyer and let these professionals take on those tricky questions. Generally it’s smart not to talk to any insurance company employee without an attorney being present and acting as the middle-man. If you choose to team up with us, our attorneys will handle all the conversations with insurance companies and make sure you don’t have any chance to accidentally confess and say you were responsible.

What happens a lot of times is that adjusters will try to persuade a victim to waive their right to sue, and give them a horrendous, low-ball settlement. It makes sense to end all the hassle, stress and dodge any chance at the unknown that comes in a jury trial, but you also don’t want to be hit with an offer that doesn’t cover the compensation you should get. The only solution is to hire an attorney with extensive experience and who has the knack to get insurance companies to deliver on fair settlements, since they worry about potentially losing boatloads if their cases goes to trial.

Another tactic for insurance companies in dodging liability is to turn to an experienced defense team that can discover legal tricks and details that could cause less-knowledgeable plaintiffs to hurt their ability to get compensated. Again, this is a case where an Arlington 18-wheeler accident lawyer can anticipate those tricks and have a way to respond. Our attorneys have been awarded millions from every well-known insurance provider throughout the country and we’ve discovered every possible move they can make with you.

Self-Insured Companies can be More Treacherous

Instead of purchasing a normal insurance policy, some trucking companies take a portion of their assets and budget it aside for insurance involving accidents. The government oversees the insurance world, and demands that each business be registered, adjusters have licenses and that certain rules be followed. However, self-insured businesses don’t have to follow these same guidelines. As a result, self-insured companies have developed an unethical reputation and have become known for being difficult in negotiations. In many cases, if you’re seeking to negotiate a fair settlement with a self-insured company, you’ll have to deal with a worker from that company. Many times these employees are paid from a kind of profit sharing, so they have plenty of reasons to deny your claim. That worker would essentially be forking over part of their income if they allowed you to get properly compensated. With paychecks at stake, self-insured companies put their own well-being ahead of the victims’ and will look at any sort of defense, which can include bullying witnesses, evidence tampering and threatening victims.

If a self-insured company has attempted to bully you and pressure you, then you can get that to end with the aid of an Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorney. The minute we’re hired, our team can threaten legal action so businesses will have to act properly.

Truck Drivers Can’t be Trusted

We always want to believe the best in people and that they live with integrity, but the truck driver who harmed you with his ignorant choices has too much at stake and will probably try to lie. If the trucker has been found to have been liable for your injuries due to their negligence behind the wheel, they’ll likely get fired if that hasn’t already happened. Any truck driver like that who’s been ruled negligent will discover it’s real tough to get a similar job with that kind of flaw on their resume. When you consider the economy and amount of companies hiring, many truckers who are usually honest and upstanding will decide to lie to ensure their job safety and take care of their families. If you’re hoping to get the compensation you’re seeking, you have to be able to demonstrate that the trucker wasn’t truthful.

Our Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorneys can dig, investigate and get the details that will expose the trucker and catch him in the lie. We will destroy the truck driver’s credibility with all the facts that will shatter his or her lies.

Much in the same manner that insurance adjusters attack victims with loaded questions trying to get them to admit they were negligence, our team has their own questions that will get the trucker to admit they were lying. The Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorneys at Grossman Law Offices have talked with countless witnesses over the past two decades, and we know how to frame questions in a way that will shine light on a trucker’s lies.

How We Can Help

If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a big rig accident in the Arlington area, you need to invest in an Arlington 18-wheeler accident attorney who will safeguard your rights and seek to get you the compensation you need. Our attorneys will be involved in the entire process of your case, and communicate with you about any changes that may happen. When you hire us, here’s what you will receive:

• An investigation that’s conducted to see how the accident happened.
• Discovering who is liable and developing thorough, in-depth claims and lawsuits against those individuals.
• Spotting facts that will assist you with meeting the burden of proof.
• Applying pressure on our defendants, which includes using our stellar reputation.
• Shielding our clients from adjusters and their manipulative questions and harassment.
  
• Exposing any truckers who attempt to lie through our own well-worded questions.
• Developing a solid game-plan that will sway the jury to rule for our clients.
• Demanding that self-insured companies behave honestly and with integrity.
• Ensuring that our clients receive solid medical assistance.

Do you have a legal question?
Enter your phone number below and let's talk.
--

Go ahead and expect that the defendant has already done an investigation and wrapped up a case against you. If you wait a day longer, you’ll do even more serious damage to your case and may not get the compensation you’re owed. Contact us today at 1-855-326-0000 (toll free) for a free consultation and discover how we can aid you like thousands of other Texans.

---

---