A head-on collision with a semi-truck is one of the most terrifying things that can happen on the road. A typical passenger vehicle weighs between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds, but large commercial vehicles like semi-trucks can weigh over 80,000 pounds. Being struck head-on by a vehicle that weighs 20 times as much as your own is rarely anything less than devastating, and the injuries that result from such an accident are often catastrophic.
You shouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of the truck driver’s negligent driving or the company’s negligent policies alone. The Dothan truck accident attorneys at Parker Trial Law can help you hold them accountable for their actions and pursue compensation for your injuries.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a head-on truck accident attorney. You pay nothing unless we recover money for your case.
How Can an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Help?
If you were hurt in a Dothan wide-turn truck accident, a jackknife accident, or an inappropriate passing crash, an experienced truck accident lawyer can help in several ways, including:
- Investigating the accident and gathering the evidence needed to establish liability
- Interviewing witnesses, reviewing medical records, and reviewing police reports
- Identifying all parties with liability for the crash
- Filing personal injury or wrongful death claims
- Negotiating a settlement with the insurance company while pushing for maximum compensation
- Taking the case to court if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement
- Representing you in court
- Never charging you anything upfront to get started on your case
Some personal injury law firms are solely interested in negotiating settlements with deep-pocketed insurance companies, preferring to avoid a trial if at all possible. When insurance companies realize they are dealing with that type of lawyer, they will often make a quick lowball offer to settle the case for much less than they would otherwise have to pay.
Not Parker Trial Law, though. We focus on taking cases to trial because we know that preparing thoroughly for trial puts us in the strongest possible position for negotiations. That’s why our experienced head-on truck accident attorneys have a reputation for obtaining maximum compensation for our clients.
What Financial Compensation Can I Recover in a Head-On Truck Case?
If you are a survivor of a commercial truck accident, you are probably dealing with significant injuries and a growing pile of expensive medical bills. You’ll have to go through extensive physical rehabilitation, and you may have other expenses, such as the need to make modifications to your home to accommodate your injuries. You’ll miss a lot of time at work, and you may experience a permanent decrease in your earning capacity. If someone you love has died in a head-on truck collision, you have their medical and funeral expenses to deal with, as well as the loss of their contribution to the household.
According to the Alabama Department of Insurance, you can claim financial compensation for:
- Medical expenses
- Physical, occupational, and psychiatric therapy and rehabilitation
- Loss of wages and other income
- Survivor’s benefit for the spouse or dependents of a person who died in an accident
- Funeral expenses for fatal accidents
You can also seek compensation for non-economic losses such as pain and suffering, loss of consortium, or loss of intimacy with a spouse. A head-on truck accident lawyer from Parker Trial Law can assess your case to determine what damages you can pursue.
Alabama requires all drivers to carry mandatory liability insurance of $25,000 for death or bodily injury to one person or $50,000 for all injuries or deaths in any one accident. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires interstate trucking companies to carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage for personal injury, property damage, and environmental restoration, with up to $5 million in coverage required for some types of freight.
Why Do Head-On Truck Crashes Occur?
Typical reasons for a semi-truck head-on collision include:
- Distracted driving caused by paying too much attention to the GPS or using a smartphone
- Exhausted or sleep-deprived drivers falling asleep at the wheel
- Driver error due to using amphetamines to stay awake
- Overcorrecting to avoid an obstacle
- Inappropriately passing another vehicle
- Jackknifing due to faulty brakes, speeding, or braking abruptly
- Ignoring traffic lights
- Ignoring signs
Who Is Responsible for Head-On Truck Collisions?
The truck driver is often responsible for a head-on truck collision. For example, a driver who fell asleep at the wheel or who was intoxicated on amphetamines would be liable for any resulting truck accident. Liability is based on negligence, so the driver is liable for any negligent driving decisions they may have made.
However, there are sometimes multiple liable parties in a head-on truck crash. For example, if the trucking company was breaking the law, flouting regulations for its profit by expecting the driver to go without sleep, or setting a schedule that encouraged the driver to speed, then the company would also be liable. Other liable parties could include the company that packed or maintained the truck or the manufacturer of a faulty part if their negligence contributed to the accident.
An experienced truck accident attorney will be familiar with the parties that may be liable in a head-on truck collision. They know how to investigate the case to establish liability and identify all the parties that should be held accountable.
Contact the Experienced Truck Accident Attorneys at Parker Trial Law
If your life has been affected by a head-on crash with a semi-truck in Dothan, Alabama, you need the help of a truck accident attorney focused on personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Parker Trial Law serves clients in Dothan, Alabama, and the surrounding communities. Since the firm’s founding in 2016, we have been dedicated to zealously representing our clients in jury trials across Alabama, Georgia, and nationally. We are primarily focused on representing the victims of serious injuries, and we have vast experience handling high-stakes injury and civil law cases in both state and federal courts.
We treat our clients like family and do our best to maintain a relationship well after resolving their case. If you’ve suffered an injury or lost a loved one due to a head-on truck collision, contact the experienced truck accident lawyers at Parker Trial Law for your free consultation today.
