Albany Truck Accident Attorneys
Any motor vehicle accident can leave you with serious injuries and significant damages, but collisions with semi-trucks, big rigs, tractor-trailers, and other large commercial vehicles are more likely to be especially devastating. If you were injured or if your loved one was killed by a negligent truck driver or as a result of a trucking company’s careless or unlawful practice, reach out to Basch Keegan & Spada right away.
With more than 100 years of combined experience, our Albany truck accident attorneys are well-equipped to help you navigate the steps needed to file and manage an injury claim. We fight to maximize our clients’ recoveries, helping them seek the fair compensation they need to heal and move forward with their lives.
Do Truck Accidents Cause Serious Injuries?
The unfortunate truth is that truck accidents can and often do cause serious injuries suffered by anyone in a smaller vehicle involved in the crash. The massive weight and size of the average commercial truck or semi-truck exerts a tremendous amount of force during a collision.
We can work on truck accident claims involving catastrophic injuries and grave circumstances, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Burn injuries
- Broken bones
- Amputation
- Permanent disabilities
- Permanent disfigurement
- Wrongful death
If you were seriously injured in a truck accident anywhere in Albany or the surrounding region, please see how our legal professionals of Basch Keegan & Spada can help.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Albany
Just like any other motorist on the road, truck drivers can and do make mistakes. Often, truck driver negligence is the cause of these devastating and even deadly accidents—but not always. In fact, numerous factors, some obvious and some less so, can contribute to or cause a truck collision.
Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include:
- Driver distraction: Truck drivers who operate their vehicles while distracted put everyone else on the road at risk. Common truck driver distractions include using a cell phone or GPS device, eating or drinking while driving, and looking at billboards or accidents along the roadway.
- Traffic violations: Common truck driver traffic violations include speeding (including driving too fast for current traffic or road conditions), failing to yield, running red lights or stop signs, driving on roads where large vehicles are prohibited, passing or turning illegally, making sudden stops, and following too closely/tailgating.
- Hours-of-service violations: Truck drivers must follow state and federal guidelines regarding how many hours they can drive, as well as when and for how long they must take breaks. Failure to follow these hours-of-service regulations is not only illegal, but it can also lead to fatigued or drowsy driving, which can be just as dangerous as drunk driving.
- Drunk driving: Known in Wisconsin as “operating while intoxicated,” or OWI, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal for all motorists. Commercial driver’s license holders may not operate a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04% or higher, yet some make this dangerous choice, leading to serious accidents and fatalities.
- Improper truck maintenance: Commercial trucks and other vehicles must be regularly inspected and maintained or repaired. Often, truck drivers are responsible for conducting routine maintenance, but, sometimes, this responsibility may fall to a third party. In any case, improper or inadequate truck maintenance can have devastating consequences.
- Overloaded cargo: Trucks must abide by the weight limits set by federal regulations. Carrying excess cargo—or improperly loaded/unbalanced cargo—increases the likelihood of losing control of the big rig. Common cargo-related truck accidents include rollovers and jackknifing (the trailer swings around and up, usually passing the cab of the truck).
- Negligent trucking company practices: Examples of common negligent trucking company practices that may contribute to an eventual truck accident include failing to conduct background checks on drivers, failing to properly discipline drivers who violate company policies, and failing to provide adequate training and supervision, among others.
At Basch Keegan & Spada, we fully investigate every truck accident case to determine exactly what happened and who was at fault for the crash. Our Albany truck accident lawyers often work alongside a team of experts—including accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, and others—to evaluate these accidents and prepare powerful cases for our clients.
Who is Liable for a Truck Accident Albany County?
Many details separate a typical truck accident case from a typical motor vehicle accident case, not least of which is the issue of liability. In many car accident cases, the person or party that caused the crash is also the one legally responsible for the victim’s resulting damages. In truck accident cases, however, the liable party may include more than the truck driver.
For example, if a truck driver caused your accident because they were texting while driving, the truck driver may not be independently liable for your damages. Instead, if the truck driver was classified as an employee, the trucking company is likely liable through a legal rule called respondeat superior that makes employers liable for the conduct of their on-the-job employees.
In other cases, another third party could be partially or wholly liable for a truck accident. For example, if the crash resulted from a defective truck part, faulty roadway, another motorist, or the failure of a third-party company to conduct proper truck maintenance or repairs, neither the trucking company nor the truck driver might be found mostly liable.
Proving Liability for albany Truck Accidents
How can you prove that you didn’t cause the truck accident that left you with serious injuries and losses? The simplest step that you can take to make progress in this regard is calling (845) 251-4545 and asking for the legal counsel of our Albany truck accident attorneys. Thanks to our legal experience that spans more than a century combined, we know where to look for compelling evidence that can strengthen your truck accident claim and help keep liability off your shoulders.
Different types of evidence that we may use when working on a truck accident case include:
- Data from electronic onboard recording devices (installed in some but not all commercial trucks)
- Logs kept by the truck driver that show hours of service and break times
- Testimonies from eyewitnesses who saw the truck accident occur
- Reports from first responders like police officers, firefighters, and paramedics
- Analyses from accident reconstruction experts
- Medical records that show your injuries and what forces could have caused them
How Much Is My Truck Accident Case Worth?
At Basch Keegan & Spada, our Albany truck accident attorneys and support staff all believe in uplifting the people in our community through hard work and dedication to their injury claims. If you have lost so much in a truck accident, it would be our honor to fight for your right to a sense of justice and closure, as well as fair compensation for your losses.
Damages that could be available in your truck accident claim include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future lost income
- Past and future pain and suffering
- Unique damages related to the loss of a loved one
Request a Free Consultation Today
Large truck and commercial vehicle accidents can completely change your life, but with our firm by your side, you will have a team of dedicated Albany truck accident lawyers fighting tirelessly for the justice you and your family deserve. We are ready to help you in any way we can, from finding the right medical care to negotiating a fair settlement to representing your rights in the courtroom.
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