truck accidents

The lawyers at Cuthbert Law Offices handle truck accident personal injury cases. Thousands of people are injured or killed each year in the United States in truck accidents involving tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, semis and other large commercial vehicles. In fact, one of every eight traffic fatalities is caused by a collision with a large truck. Most deaths that occur in these accidents are the passengers of the automobiles. Drivers of trucks typically remain uninjured.

Because of our geographical location here in Virginia, our more significant litigation involving truck accidents has involved catastrophes on Interstate 64, Interstate 85, Interstate 95, Interstate 295, U.S. Route 1, VA Route 360, and VA Route 460.  There are many reasons why a truck accident might occur. Some of the more common reasons include:

• The driver is rushing to meet a tight delivery deadline
• The driver is tired due to driving for long periods
• The driver is stressed and tired, not paying enough attention to other drivers and the road
• It is difficult to see blind spots from a large truck
• The driver does not leave enough space for his giant vehicle between other vehicles
• Mechanical failure and defective components
• Overloading of the truck

The Commonwealth of Virginia has specific laws designed largely to help victims of truck accidents, and the attorneys of Cuthbert Law Offices are fully familiar with the intricate details of trucking litigation in Virginia, which involves claims against negligent truck drivers and the companies who hire them. Under the law, a driver of a large truck is considered to have an even greater standard of care than other drivers, because of the injuries that their large trucks can cause. Collisions caused by a trucker's negligence can lead to the most catastrophic injuries on the road.

Examples of truck negligence generally fall into two categories: driver error and vehicle maintenance failure. The most common cause of driver error is fatigue, which can cloud judgment and lead to drowsiness or falling asleep at the wheel. Driver error can also be due to inexperience, improper driver training and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (whether prescription or illegal). Deregulation of the trucking industry has resulted in an increase in speed-limit violations among tractor-trailer drivers as well.

Lawsuits involving semi-trucks are very complex. Often multiple defendants are involved, such as the trucking company, the truck driver, the owner of the truck, and the company who hired the truck. In addition, truck accident lawsuits may involve complicated federal regulations or a defect in the truck or trailer itself. To protect themselves, truck companies often have accident investigators on call who rush to the scene of a crash.

If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a truck accident, Cuthbert Law Offices wants to help you get the compensation you deserve so you can focus on healing. Our attorneys have seen the devastation that truck accidents can cause, and we are proud of our successful record of helping truck accident victims win substantial settlements and awards.

Our firm is on call for emergencies 24 hours a day. Contact us online today. To reach an attorney on an emergency basis after hours, please telephone us at (804) 733-3100 (Petersburg) or (804) 643-3100 (Richmond) and tell the answering service that you must talk to a lawyer on an emergency basis about a serious truck accident.