Gary Truck Accident Lawyers
Trucks are notorious for the level of destruction they cause in a collision with smaller vehicles like passenger cars and motorcycles. Beyond causing extensive property damage, an out-of-control semi truck often inflicts life-altering injuries on car occupants, motorcyclists, and other road users. These types of injuries tend to have a ripple effect on the plaintiff’s finances, emotional well-being, and ability to enjoy life, as well as their physical health. If you’ve been injured in a Gary truck accident, Lerner and Rowe, your Gary truck accident lawyers, are here to help.
Reach out to us by phone at 219-999-0122 or complete a free online case review today to schedule a free consultation. Our Gary personal injury lawyers will take this opportunity to review the services we offer, assess the potential value of your claim, and review what the personal injury claims process entails.
Why You Should Choose Lerner and Rowe to Represent Your Truck Accident Lawsuit
If you have been injured in a Gary, Indiana truck accident, you are likely being inundated with medical bills, scrambling to balance your budget with lost wages, and trying to cope with the physical and emotional ramifications of your injuries. Filing a truck accident lawsuit to recover compensation for these damages may seem like just an additional burden, but with the help of the personal injury attorneys of Lerner and Rowe, it can be the key to rebuilding your life.
Gary motorists can be severely injured in a rollover truck accident on I-90, a lost-load collision near the French County Market on Broadway, a side-swipe collision on Grant, or any situation where a semi-truck weighing upwards of 70,000 pounds collides with a smaller vehicle. With the magnitude of costs that come with truck accident injuries, you need a trustworthy legal team to investigate the liable party, connect your damages to your injuries, and fight for a fair settlement.
Our highly qualified team of Indiana personal injury attorneys at Lerner and Rowe has recovered billions of dollars in compensation during our two decades of service. Based on our exceptional record, demonstrated skill set, and depth of legal knowledge, we are best equipped to take on the task of negotiating your Gary, Indiana truck accident lawsuit for the compensation you deserve.
Understanding Gary, Indiana Truck Crashes
The city of Gary, Indiana, is home to about 67,742 people. Located along Lake Michigan and a mere 25 miles from downtown Chicago, Gary is surrounded by four different interstates, as well as multiple highways. This allows both local and out-of-state truckers easy access to reach Chicago, travel south to Indianapolis, or head east towards Detroit and Cleveland.
Gary has an industrial background, which includes an established railroad system. Trucks are often used to transport large containers to and from railways, increasing the volume of local truck traffic. Large truck accidents are actually more common on urban roads, so Gary residents should exercise caution when truckers take local streets to reach delivery locations, refill their gas, or take shortcuts through town. In recent years, large trucks accounted for about 6% of all vehicles involved in collisions in Indiana.
A report from the Indiana Department of Transportation specifically notes that speeding truckers were 5 times more likely to be injured on Indiana roads than those who weren’t speeding. When you consider the involvement of speeding in fatal accidents combined with the fact that other motorists usually sustain worse injuries than truck occupants in a truck accident, the potential threat to Gary, Indiana motorists is worth noting.
Common Causes of Gary, Indiana Truck Accidents
Truck drivers owe fellow motorists a duty of care to operate their vehicles cautiously to avoid collisions. There are several factors working against truck drivers in this regard. First, the physical structure of the truck makes it difficult to execute quick maneuvers and fully assess nearby cars or road users. Additionally, truck drivers may be more prone to fatigue or distraction while working solo shifts spanning most of the day. Although more challenging, it is even more critical for truck drivers to practice safe driving habits to reduce the risk of a crash.
In some cases, the operator was failed by the people who are supposed to ensure they have the appropriate training. These situations describe third-party liability, where an individual or group other than the truck driver would be considered negligent. Truck accidents can also be caused by a combination of operator error and a defective part, unsecured cargo, lack of training, or other issues. Common causes of commercial truck accidents include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Texting and driving
- Rubbernecking
- Unsafe lane changes
- Excessively wide turns
- Reckless maneuvering
- Unsafe lane changes
- Excessively wide turns
- Aggressive driving
- Drunk driving
- Ignoring traffic laws
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Drowsy driving
- Mechanical failures
- Road rage
- Poor road maintenance
Injuries Our Gary Truck Accident Lawyers Represent
The momentum of a semi-truck is often enough to harshly jolt passenger vehicle occupants, crush their vehicle, or even eject them. The result can be life-threatening injuries that can lead to limited quality of life and permanent disability. After being struck by a semi-truck, immediate medical intervention is usually necessary, but you should get evaluated by a medical professional even if your injuries seem to be minor at the scene.
First, this reduces the risk to your health and potentially improves your long-term prognosis. Second, it demonstrates to the insurance company that your injuries were serious enough to warrant timely medical care, which makes your damages look more legitimate. It also invalidates the argument that you intentionally neglected your Gary truck accident injuries to fraudulently obtain higher compensation.
Truck accident injuries are usually accompanied by significant pain and impairment. Even after treatment, you may never regain full function, appearance, or feeling. For many truck accident survivors, the consequences of their physical injuries and the intensity of treatment can cause further injuries to their mental health, such as depression. In an Indiana truck accident, other motorists and road users are at risk of sustaining injuries like:
- Spinal cord injury
- Nerve damage
- Whiplash injury
- Disfigurement
- Soft tissue injury
- Fractured or broken bones
- Crush injury
- Amputations
- Deep lacerations
- Traumatic brain injury
- Contusions
- Severe burns
- Dental injuries
- Facial injuries
Compensation Our Gary Truck Accident Lawyers Can Win For You
No one expects to be involved in a catastrophic truck accident while going about their daily life. This leaves most Gary families unprepared to take on the unexpected expenses related to treatment, missing time from work, managing a home, and navigating the logistics of attending appointments, grocery shopping, and fulfilling other responsibilities.
To restore a plaintiff’s financial losses resulting from their truck accident injuries, they can claim them as economic damages in an Indiana personal injury lawsuit. Plaintiffs can offer bills, pay stubs, and receipts as evidence of the monetary value of their economic damages. Beyond financial losses, there are often other unforeseen costs associated with catastrophic truck accident injuries.
The intangible or emotional losses that a plaintiff incurs because of their truck accident injuries are known as non-economic damages. Although they may not have an established monetary value, they should not be dismissed. For example, the cost of sacrificing your favorite hobby due to a permanent disability or the emotional cost of going out in public with disfiguring scars are significant losses, even though they don’t come with a formal receipt. Common damages in a Gary, Indiana truck accident claim include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Car repairs or replacement
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of quality of life
- Wrongful death
Why You Need a Gary Truck Accident Attorney
After being severely injured in a Gary, Indiana truck accident, taking care of your health and family should be the only things on your mind. Unfortunately, the reality for many truck accident survivors is that it is necessary for them to file a Gary personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party’s insurance carrier in order to obtain financial compensation for both immediate and ongoing expenses.
With the help of a seasoned Indiana truck accident attorney, you have a much better chance of securing a fair settlement that reimburses you for the cost of damages like medical expenses, reduced earning potential, and emotional distress. Truck accident claims are more likely to involve shared liability or third-party liability, which can hamper your ability to recover the full value of your damages in a timely manner. A truck accident attorney will be equipped to handle an insurance company trying to deflect liability or give you the runaround.
Another benefit to hiring an Indiana personal injury lawyer to represent you is that you have a reliable source of expert legal knowledge to help you make sound judgments throughout the claims process. As your advocate, they will communicate with bill collectors, the insurance company, their legal team, and other involved parties to ensure that your interests are well-represented. Rather than worrying about translating legal jargon, filing your own paperwork, and constantly dealing with the insurance company, you can focus on your recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions Our Gary Truck Accident Lawyers Receive
Personal injury lawyers, which include truck accident attorneys, recover a contingency fee for their services. This is not recuperated until after your personal injury claim has been settled. If the claim is not settled, you have no financial obligation to your truck accident lawyer. The contingency fee itself is about a third of the settlement or court awards, so your truck accident lawyer is motivated to maximize your compensation because they also reap the reward.
Considering that one Indiana truck accident claim can vary widely from the next, even in cases where the injuries are fairly similar, there is no guaranteed timeline. Plaintiffs should expect that their truck accident claim could take at least 6 to 18 months to settle, but this is just a general guideline. Truck accident claims are prone to complicated liability disputes and usually demand high settlements, which are conditions that tend to delay settlements in personal injury claims.
Under Indiana law, plaintiffs have two years to file a personal injury claim against the party liable for their damages after they are injured in a truck accident. The same time constraints apply to wrongful death lawsuits based on fatal truck accidents. If you do not file your personal injury claim by the deadline, you are likely forfeiting your right to seek compensation for your damages forever.
Contact Top Gary Truck Accident Lawyers Near Me
The Gary truck accident attorneys of Lerner and Rowe are a well-respected nationwide personal injury law firm with nearly two decades of experience. Our team of truck accident lawyers has deliberately honed our skill set and adapted to our clients’ needs over the years, making us highly effective negotiators with a reputation for taking on tough claims.
Our clients trust in our skills, approach, and knowledge, and we make it a habit to exceed their expectations. We carefully manage our case capacity so we can ensure that you receive the individualized attention you deserve. A Gary, Indiana truck accident may have upended your life, but you do not have to take up the fight for fair compensation on your own.
At Lerner and Rowe, we will dedicate ourselves and our resources to pursuing maximum compensation for your damages, like medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress, in your Gary truck accident lawsuit. Give us a call at 219-999-0122 or complete a free online case review today to schedule a free consultation with one of our accomplished Indiana truck accident lawyers.