Tips for Choosing the Best Trucking Accident Lawyer

Each year, big rig crashes result in 5,000 fatalities and 130,000 injuries, even though they only account for

3% of all traffic accidents. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro reported 4,000 truck

related deaths in 2010, from 3,380 in 2009, an increase of more than 18%.

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In addition to the fatalities, she also cited 74,000 truck related injuries for 2009 when she testified before

the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee concerning truck driver hours of service

(HOS). At present, the 11-hour rule is in effect, meaning that truck drivers can legally be on the road for

84 hours a week, and some have argued for the return to the 10-hour rule. Driver fatigue has been a major

factor in numerous truck accidents, and as the number of registered trucks has increased by two million

over the past decade, the possibilities of being involved in a truck accident have significantly increased. If

you or someone you know has been involved in a large truck accident, seeking the assistance of

competent truck lawyers is imperative, since this type of accident can be vastly more complicated than

the average car accident and can also involve multiple parties as will be discussed below.

The reason truck drivers are always in such a hurry is simply due to the fact that they tend to face tight

deadlines for making deliveries. If you are facing a deadline in an office, you have to work faster, and by

the same token, truck drivers facing deadlines just have to drive faster, increasing the odds of accidents

occurring. Big rigs or semi-trailers tend to carry huge amounts of cargo, sometimes even dangerous cargo,

and when under extreme stress and fatigue, some truck drivers can become careless or even fall asleep

at the wheel. Statistics have revealed that big trucks have been involved in 1 out of 9 traffic accidents and

that in 94% of these cases, injuries or fatalities occurred, due to the sheer size and weight of the big rigs.

Savvy truck lawyers can furthermore help in navigating complex issues, as exemplified by this possible

scenario:

The victim is from California, the truck driver hails from Illinois, the large truck is owned by an Ohio

company, but the trailer is owned by a Florida company, and the truck driver was delivering cargo to

California that was loaded in New York. Immediately after the accident, the victim will in all likelihood not

be in a mental state to discern all of these possibilities, and only expert truck lawyers will be able to sort

through the details.

Dos for choosing the best trucking accident lawyer:

Seek personal recommendations and/or professional referrals, such as state bar records, history

of verdicts and settlements.

Interview several trucking lawyers to determine who you feel most comfortable with and who

seems to have the highest level of competency.

Search online for potential leads.

Focus on law specialty, in this case truck accidents.

Negotiate for the lowest fee possible: most viable cases are taken on a contingency basis, but if

your case happens to be exceptionally strong, some truck attorneys may settle for a lower

percentage.

Don'ts for choosing the best truck accident lawyer:

TV ads are usually not good sources, ambulance chasers may not convey a good impression to the

judge.

Phone book ads are too numerous and the odds of picking the correct truck attorney are too slim,

even though practically all lawyers advertise in this medium.

In any case, free initial consultations are the norm and contingency simply means you do not have initial

out of pocket costs, therefore there is no reason why Truck Accident attorney should not be immediately

contacted in the event of a truck accident.