Indiana Truck Accident Lawyers

A truck accident is unlike any other vehicle accident on the road. Trucks are probably the largest vehicles on the road, and an ordinary car could easily be crushed by a toppling truck. Accidents with trucks, sometimes called semi-trailer trucks or eighteen-wheelers, can injure multiple other drivers and leave them with extreme or even fatal injuries.

Recovering from a truck accident can take a very long time and can be an extremely painful process. While you recover, you may rack up numerous costly medical bills. Injured drivers are often unable to return to work and have no means of funding their recovery. You can sue whoever is responsible for the truck accident and get financial compensation for your injuries. An attorney can help you determine whom you can sue and on what grounds.

If you were harmed in a truck accident, the party at fault for the accident should pay for your injuries and other damages. Our Indiana truck accident attorneys can help you hold the right person liable for your losses. The attorneys of Wruck Paupore are prepared to discuss your case in a free legal consultation. Call us today at (219) 322-1166.

The Difference Between Truck and Car Accidents in Indiana

Semi trucks and eighteen-wheelers do not draw much attention on the highway. Large trucks are very common sights to see on our roads and highways, and drivers tend to treat them with the same caution as any other vehicle. What people do not often think about is how disastrous an accident with a truck could be. Being hit by a truck is much more serious than being hit by a car. Trucks are much larger and heavier, and while your vehicle could be totaled, the truck is more likely to have only minor damage.

Truck accidents also have somewhat different causes compared to ordinary car accidents. Trucks are built differently, and a different level of caution may be required by the truck driver and any other drivers on the road. For example, because the trailer behind a truck is so wide and long, a truck has very large blind spots. The mirrors on either side of the truck are crucial to safety. If you are behind a truck and cannot see the mirrors, you are in a blind spot, and the truck driver cannot see you. Trying to pass a truck driver while they turn or change lanes can be extremely dangerous as you might not be visible to the truck driver.

A truck's weight and cargo also play a role in an accident. Trucks are extremely heavy and cannot just stop on a dime. If you cut off a truck on the highway, causing the truck driver to stop short, the truck might end up swerving into other cars or even toppling over because it is too heavy to stop so quickly. Our Indiana truck accident lawyers can help you figure out how your accident happened and who is to blame.

Who is Liable for a Truck Accident in Indiana?

A few different people could be responsible for a truck accident. Perhaps the first person we should look at for liability is the truck driver. Truck drivers are the primary person in charge of truck safety. While other drivers on the highway could potentially cause an accident, trucks must be hyper-vigilant for any dangers, including other negligent drivers. A common cause of truck accidents is driver error. If a truck driver fails to check their blind spots, signal a turn, or drive at a safe speed for the road conditions, disaster could strike.

While truckers are often the first person we want to blame, there could be others. The truck driver's employer may also be held responsible for the accident. Under the legal doctrine of respondeat superior, an employer may be held liable for an employee's negligent behavior if that behavior occurred within the scope of the employee's job. This means a trucking company could be liable for an accident caused by one of its truckers. Alternatively, you could sue under a theory of negligent hiring. This theory would apply if the trucker were so inexperienced or incompetent at their job that the trucking company should have known better than to hire them in the first place.

Other drivers besides the truck driver are just as capable of causing a serious truck accident. As mentioned previously, trucks are way too heavy to make quick stops if a vehicle cuts them off. If this happens, the truck might swerve into traffic or fall over. The reckless or careless driving of other smaller vehicles could easily cause a truck driver to lose control of their vehicle.

Proving Liability for an Indiana Truck Accident

The steps we must take to prove liability will vary based on who we want to hold liable. The evidence we need also depends on our overall theory of the case. Many car and truck accidents are based on theories of negligence. Proving negligence requires proving the defendant owed a duty of care and that the violation of that duty is what caused your accident and damages.

In cases where you also wish to hold the trucking company liable, you must prove additional factors. For example, you must prove the trucking company indeed employed the trucker and that the trucker acted within their employment scope during the crash. Our Indiana truck accident attorneys can help you prove all the elements of your case.

In most cases, certain types of evidence are required regardless of what our theory is. For example, any physical evidence from the crash scene, witness testimony, medical records about your injuries, and photos and videos from the accident scene are paramount to your success.

Call Our Indiana Truck Accident Attorneys

If you were hurt in a truck accident, the person who caused the accident should be made to pay for your recovery. Our Indiana truck accident lawyers can help you get the compensation you need to recover in peace. Call our team at Wruck Paupore at (219) 322-1166. We are available for free legal consultations.