Truck accidents are often more severe than typical car accidents, and drivers might be catastrophically injured. In such a case, drivers should speak to attorneys about potentially filing a lawsuit for their immense damages.

Truck driver fatigue, distracted driving, and truck equipment failures are some of the usual suspects in truck accident cases. In your lawsuit, you can recover damages for monetary losses and painful experiences like pain and suffering. You can find a lot of valuable evidence at the accident scene. Photos help preserve the accident scene so we can show it to insurance companies and juries. Witnesses might also help back up your claims. Often, defendants want to settle lawsuits privately rather than duke it out in court. Whether you accept a settlement is up to you, and our attorneys are ready to help you in whatever way you need.

Our truck accident lawyers are here to help you start your lawsuit, navigate insurance claims, negotiate a settlement, and explore other legal options. For a free case review, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Saint Mary’s County, MD

One of the biggest safety concerns in the trucking industry today is truck driver fatigue. Truckers often make long-haul trips, sometimes crossing multiple states and logging dozens of hours on the road. When drivers are under tight deadlines, their employers might pressure them to skip breaks or rests. A tired trucker could doze off behind the wheel and cause a massive accident, injuring many other drivers.

Even when truck drivers are wide awake, they might be distracted or lose focus. Distracted truck drivers are incredibly dangerous because they are not paying attention to their surroundings while operating a multi-ton vehicle at high speeds. Simple glancing at a cell phone or GPS device might be enough to cause a severe collision. Our truck accident lawyers can help you prove that the truck driver was distracted at the time of the crash.

Trucks and trailers are usually full of various pieces of safety equipment. If certain pieces of equipment fail or malfunction, an accident could occur. For example, the underride bar on a truck is meant to prevent other vehicles from getting dangerously wedged under the truck. If the bar fails, another driver might be caught under the truck, and the driver could be badly injured or killed.

Recoverable Damages in Truck Accidents in Saint Mary’s County, MD

Truck accidents tend to involve severe injuries, and plaintiffs’ damages are often quite high. If you file a lawsuit, you can claim damages for your economic and non-economic losses. Calculating these damages can be tricky, and our truck accident attorneys can help you.

Non-economic damages are challenging to tally up because they are subjective and do not cost money. Evaluating these damages requires that we assess how they impact your life. Pain, suffering, humiliation, and other painful experiences might be included in your non-economic damages. Since truck accident injuries are often severe, damages for pain and suffering can be significant.

Economic damages include the losses and injuries that cost you money. Perhaps the biggest economic loss truck accident victims experience is medical care. Since injuries are likely severe, you might have very high medical bills. In many cases, accident victims require long-term care, and our truck accident lawyers can help assess future medical bills to add to your damages.

Where to Find Evidence for a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Saint Mary’s County, MD

You cannot prove your claims and get compensation without evidence. Much evidence can be found at the location of the accident. Unfortunately, this evidence is often lost when the police clear away the crash scene. To preserve this evidence, you can take photos and record videos of the area immediately after the crash. If you were too injured to take any photos, we might find video footage from nearby security cameras.

Even without photos or videos of the crash scene, we can rely on eyewitnesses to help us paint a picture of the crash for a jury. Truck accidents tend to be big events with numerous people on the road watching. If necessary, we can review the police report about the crash for details about witnesses the police might have talked to.

Trucks often have black box recording devices that record data about things like speed, brake times, and how long the trucker has been on the road. Truckers also tend to record their driving time on logs for their employers. Our truck accident attorneys can use this data to help prove that the trucker was negligent.

Should I Agree to a Settlement After a Truck Accident in Saint Mary’s County, MD?

When filing a lawsuit for a truck accident, you can often sue the trucker and their employer. Trucking companies often prefer to avoid litigation, and they might be eager to reach a private settlement agreement. Whether you accept a settlement agreement is entirely up to you, but you should speak to an attorney before making this decision.

Some plaintiffs accept settlements because they can get compensation for their injuries faster than if they went through a trial. On top of that, there is a risk of losing the trial and walking away with no compensation, so a settlement is sometimes a safer bet.

Settlements might be less risky, but they tend to be worth less money than the compensation you could get through a trial. Settlements result from compromise between the parties, and defendants usually settle when they can pay less than they would after a jury verdict.

Whether you want to accept a settlement or pursue a full trial, our truck accident lawyers can help you either way. A good settlement should cover most of your damages and not leave you with significant debts.

Call Our Saint Mary’s County, MD Truck Accident Attorneys for Help

Truck accidents are often catastrophic events where multiple people are badly injured. Our truck accident attorneys can help you sue the truck driver and the trucking company they work for. Contact our legal team at Rice, Murtha & Psoras for a free case review. Call us at (410) 694-7291.