Conshohocken Truck Accident Lawyers

Every driver in Conshohocken has experienced a flash of anxiety while passing a semi-trailer truck on the highway. Even “small” commercial trucks outweigh passenger vehicles by thousands of pounds – and many are driven by truckers who are either inexperienced, intoxicated, or severely fatigued. All it takes for a serious accident is a split-second lapse in the trucker’s attention. Sadly, statistics show that despite being preventable, this occurs thousands of times per year on Pennsylvania’s roads.

If you or one of your family members was injured in a semi-trailer accident, or if you lost a loved one in a fatal crash, talk to the Conshohocken trucking accident attorneys of Jacobs & Fishman, P.C. about your family’s legal options. You may have a right to financial compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. Perhaps even more importantly, filing a lawsuit gives you the opportunity to hold the trucker accountable, obtain justice for your losses, and gain a sense of closure. With over 80 years of combined experience, our attorneys are here to help. For a free consultation, contact us online, or call Jacobs & Fishman at (610) 941-4250.

Pennsylvania Commercial Trucking Accident Statistics

Every year, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) publishes a report on statewide crash statistics, including crashes in Montgomery County. These statistics reveal when, where, and how often truck accidents happen in Pennsylvania.

According to the 2017 report, heavy trucks were involved in a total of 6,807 accidents that year, including 2,860 crashes that resulted in injury, and 145 crashes that resulted in death. Among the 155 total fatalities that resulted from truck crashes, 27 were truck drivers (about 17%), while the remaining 128 (about 83%) were the occupants of other vehicles.

Most crashes involving heavy trucks occurred on turnpikes, followed by state highways and local roads. Heavy trucks were the striking vehicle in a total of 1,060 collisions with cars, 300 collisions with other heavy trucks, 604 collisions with vans or light trucks (such as pickup trucks), 10 collisions with motorcycles, eight collisions with bicycles, six collisions with commercial buses, and five collisions with school buses.

Common Injuries in Truck Accidents

Tractor-trailer trucks can weigh anywhere from 30,000 to 80,000 pounds, depending on their class and what sort of cargo they are transporting. By comparison, the average car weighs only about 4,000 pounds. Because of this vast difference in size and weight, the occupants of passenger vehicles tend to sustain extremely serious injuries in collisions with semi-trailers. Sadly, it is common for car-truck collisions to cause fatalities in the passenger vehicle.

The attorneys of Jacobs & Fishman, P.C. handle both personal injury claims and wrongful death claims related to commercial trucking accidents in the Conshohocken area. We work on cases involving all types of injuries, including:

• Arm injuries
• Back injuries
• Broken bones (bone fractures)
• Burn injuries
• Chest and abdominal injuries
• Concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Facial injuries
• Foot and ankle injuries
• Hand and wrist injuries
• Head injuries
• Hip injuries
• Knee injuries
• Leg injuries
• Permanent scarring
• Road rash injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Spinal cord injury (SCI) and paralysis
• Whiplash and other neck injuries
• Wrongful death

Can You Sue a Trucking Company if a Tractor Trailer or 18-Wheeler Crashes?

Various parties may be liable for a truck accident in Conshohocken, depending on the circumstances surrounding the crash. For example, it may be possible to sue the individual truck driver, and/or the trucking company for which the driver was working at the time of the accident. In cases where accidents are caused by defective parts, such as defective braking systems, it may be possible to sue the manufacturer. This type of case is known as “product liability.”

While crashes are occasionally caused by defective truck parts, most are due to driver error. Our 18-wheeler accident lawyers will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the crash to determine who may be liable, then aggressively explore all avenues for pursuing compensation.

Rules for Truck Drivers

Truck drivers must follow federal safety regulations, called the Hours of Service (HOS), that limit how long they may drive. The purpose of these regulations, which are enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is to reduce the number of crashes caused by fatigued driving.

Unfortunately, noncompliance is widespread, particularly as trucking companies pressure truckers to complete longer, faster journeys. If your accident was caused by a fatigued trucker, or a trucker who fell asleep at the wheel, we can investigate whether the driver violated the HOS, and what role his or her employer had in that decision.

Truck Accident Compensation

There are two main strategies for pursuing compensation in a truck accident case: attempting to negotiate a settlement outside of court, or litigating the case in court (going to trial). Our attorneys will tailor our strategy to give you the highest likelihood of success, and will keep you informed throughout all stages of the process.

Several types of compensation, or “damages,” may be recoverable after a tractor-trailer accident. The amount of compensation that a plaintiff or claimant can receive will depend on factors like the severity of the injury, whether the injury is permanently disabling, the victim’s financial losses, and other variables. Damages available in a truck accident case in Pennsylvania may include:

• Funeral and burial expenses, in wrongful death cases
• Future medical treatment costs
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Lost earnings
• Medical bills
• Pain and suffering
• Reduced future earning capacity

Conshohocken Truck Accident Attorneys Representing Injury Victims

The Conshohocken 18-wheeler accident attorneys of Jacobs & Fishman, P.C. bring decades of experience to every claim we handle. If you lost a loved one in a fatal trucking accident, or were injured in a collision with a semi-trailer, we can help you fight to hold the responsible parties accountable. To talk about your truck accident claim in a free legal consultation, contact our law offices online, or call (610) 941-4250 today.