Nashville Truck Accident Attorney

One of the most tragic types of road accidents that can occur are collisions between an automobile and a semi-truck. Due to the difference in the size of the vehicles, a semi-truck generally ends up causing a considerable amount of damage, often causing fatalities.

If you or a loved one has experienced a truck collision in the greater Nashville area, one of the most important things you can do is contact a reliable and experienced truck injury lawyer to assist you. Understanding your rights and your options following a serious accident is paramount.

Our Nashville truck accident lawyer has years of experience successfully providing assistance to clients who have been through truck accidents. We have what it takes to help you get through this process as smoothly as possible. For more information about the first steps you should take following a major accident in Tennessee, do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation today. When you contact our Nashville firm about your case, we begin with an investigation of your accident. We gather all of the necessary information, determine why the accident happened. We can then proceed to negotiate with the truck’s insurance for adequate compensation (i.e., medical bills, property damage, truck wreck, etc.).

Whatever your needs are at this stage of the process, we are at your disposal and ready to provide a detailed explanation regarding the approach that we can take in these situations. Our Tennessee truck accident lawyers treat all of our cases with professionalism and a commitment to fight for our clients.

Choose Stillman & Friedland’s Nashville Truck Accident Attorney

Conducting a truck accident investigation in Nashville

If you have been injured by a truck in Tennessee, one of our firm’s priorities will be assessing all of the evidence in your case. This includes analyzing the truck driver’s history, examining maintenance records, and investigating whether there is any other indication that the driver might have been negligent. Throughout this process, we might find that one (or more) of the following was responsible for the accident that occurred:

• The driver of the truck
• The employer of the driver
• The company in charge of maintaining the truck
• The manufacturer of the truck
• Etc.

For instance, the driver might have engaged in negligent or risky behavior by driving the truck at high speed. On the other hand, if their employer instructed the driver to load too much cargo, then they are at fault. In other instances, improper maintenance might cause the truck to malfunction at no fault of their own. Determining who was responsible for the accident will play a major role in assigning liability.

Assessing liability

Most of the time, assessing liability in auto accidents is straight forward. If you were not driving in a reckless or negligent way, then the other driver was at fault, and their insurance is expected to pay for any damages that have been incurred. However, assessing who is liable is a bit trickier when the other vehicle is a truck. Different types of liability exist depending on the employment status of the driver, which makes this entire process slightly more difficult. Namely, whether the driver is self-employed, contracted, or fully employed makes a major difference in assessing liability. For instance, if the truck driver is self-employed and responsible for the truck’s maintenance and insurance, liability will then fall on the truck driver. On the other hand, if the driver is formally employed, and was on the job when the accident took place, the employer might be held liable instead. Our Nashville truck accident attorney is able to help you assign liability so that you are able to receive the compensation that you deserve quickly and easily.

Negotiating a settlement with a corporate insurance company

Corporate insurance companies are hired with the aim of protecting trucking companies from large claims. So if you end up in a situation where the insurance company is offering a low ball offer, make sure to get advice from a trucking accident lawyer first. Insurance often tries contacting the victim immediately after the accident has taken place with an extremely low offer. They try to get you to accept the offer while you are still in shock and before you have had the chance to speak to your legal counsel. If this occurs, do not accept any offers before speaking to an experienced professional. These companies also sometimes try to shift blame and make it seem as if you caused the accident — if this occurs, do not provide any details about the accident or what led up to it, even if you feel you are not revealing anything incriminating. Corporate insurance companies will try to make it out to seem as if you were in some way responsible or that you at least share responsibility with the truck driver. The best option, in this case, is to refrain from speaking to them entirely and to direct them to your legal representatives. Our qualified Tennessee attorney will be happy to step in and proceed to negotiate a settlement with the corporate insurance company on your behalf.

What are some of the most common truck accident injuries in Tennessee?

Truck accidents are extremely dangerous and often result in serious, if not fatal, injuries. According to a recent study, nearly ¾ of all trucking accidents result in injuries to the driver/passenger(s) of the car, rather than the truck. Take a look at some of the most common trucking injuries that we have come across in Tennessee:

• Spinal cord injuries, often resulting in paralysis or disability
• Crushed vertebrae and slipped discs
• Concussions or traumatic brain injuries
• Broken or fractured bones
• Internal organ damage
• Blunt trauma injuries
• Lacerations and abrasions

If you or a loved one has just experienced a trucking accident in Nashville, it’s important to seek emergency medical attention immediately. Sometimes, an injury is not visible or noticeable until some time has passed. After the accident, an adrenaline rush might prevent you from fully realizing all of your symptoms and being able to identify your injuries. For instance, a brain injury might not be noticeable until after you have done an MRI or you might not notice you have suffered a bone fracture until the pain kicks in hours after the collision. In order to minimize the risk of complications, seeing a doctor immediately is extremely important. The sooner you start recovering from your injuries, pain, and suffering, the better. As you are recovering, our Nashville truck accident attorney will gladly step in to assist you with the technical and logistical aspects of the accident.

What are some of the reasons that truck accidents occur in Tennessee?

Trucks are some of the heaviest vehicles on the road. The combined weight of the truck’s cargo and its sheer size means that a collision with this type of vehicle is unlike any other. Even a small collision between a car and a truck can potentially have fatal consequences.  For this reason, there are very strict regulations in place governing the behavior of truck drivers on the road. An accident is, therefore, most often the result of negligence on the part of the driver or the trucking company employing the driver. Here are some of the major reasons that truck accidents in Tennessee occur:

• Distracted driving
• Drowsy driving
• Speeding
• Driving more than the allowed number of hours
• Cargo overloading
• Frequent lane changes
• Risky or negligent driving behavior
• Failure to adapt driving to weather conditions
• Drunk or intoxicated driving

If a negligent tractor-trailer driver is not brought to justice, they run the risk of injuring or even killing someone else on the road. Our law firm is happy to provide you with a free attorney consultation in Nashville and to recommend the next legal steps regarding your case.

Assessing the worth of your Tennessee truck accident case

Each truck collision is different, and the amount you are able to claim depends on a variety of factors. For this reason, we will be unable to tell you exactly how much your case is worth until we have conducted a thorough investigation of your collision. However, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding trucking accidents:

• Because we are dealing with large and heavy vehicles, they tend to cause significantly more damage. This tends to result in larger average settlement amounts.
• If you are holding the trucking company rather than the truck driver accountable, you have a greater chance of succeeding in court. Plaintiffs tend to fare much better against commercial respondents.
• Drivers of smaller vehicles tend to sustain comparatively much larger injuries than truck drivers. This gives you a higher chance of being awarded a higher settlement.

Regardless of the amount of your settlement, you might be able to receive compensation for any number of damages that you or your loved ones have sustained during the collision. Take a look at what your compensation will usually cover in a trucking accident:

• Medical expenses (including any emergency care, hospital stays, etc.)
• Prescription medication for the treatment of your injuries
• Unpaid time off from work or lost wages following the accident
• Compensation for job loss
• Physical rehabilitation
• Emotional trauma and suffering
• Repair of vehicle damages
• Disability
• Wrongful death and related expenses

Why Choose Our Nashville Truck Accident Attorney?

Our law firm is proud to have some of the best truck collision experts in the greater Nashville area. We have years of experience in the field, and we have successfully recovered millions of dollars in settlements for our clients over the years. In addition, we have been based in the Nashville area for generations — we know the city inside and out, and we are familiar with all of the regulations that apply to truckers in the area. If you are looking for a knowledgeable Tennessee attorney that you can trust, do not hesitate to contact our team. Our Nashville law firm is happy to provide you with a free attorney consultation and a preliminary review of the steps we would take to protect you and reach the settlement that you deserve.