Protect Your Rights After A Semi Truck Accident In Lexington

Last updated on October 1, 2024

On average, a typical big rig truck can weigh 80,000 pounds. A car and its passengers are no match. Due to the sheer size of a truck, the injuries sustained in an accident can be catastrophic. If you were injured in a serious truck wreck, you may be entitled to compensation. From our office in Lexington, Hicks & Funfsinn, PLLC, has helped injured clients throughout Kentucky. Especially on busy roads like I-65 traveling from Lexington to Shelbyville semi truck wrecks can be catastrophic and result in major injuries. When your future is on the line, you can trust us to represent you.

Common Causes Of Truck Wrecks In Kentucky

There are numerous reasons that a truck accident occurs, including:

• Driver negligence
  • Speeding
  • Careless driving
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Driving while drowsy (falling asleep at the wheel)
• Overloaded, unbalanced or unsecured cargo
• Failure to properly maintain the truck
• Improper hiring or training of driver
• Defective truck parts or equipment

Once a truck jackknifes, overturns or collides with another vehicle, the damage is often severe due to the size and weight of the semi truck. This also means that injuries can be catastrophic, including spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputations, burns, fractures and more. These accidents can also, unfortunately, result in wrongful death.

Trust Attorneys Who Will Advocate For Your Future

These cases require an experienced lawyer. Truck companies have large insurance policies, and they may have violated federal or state regulations. Both of our attorneys are former insurance defense attorneys, so we understand how the system works.

We will help you identify as many possible defendants to ensure the correct people are held accountable. This includes the driver, the trucking company and its insurance company. All may be held liable for your injuries.

In order to prove your case, we must show that the defendant failed to take proper precautions while driving, and it was their carelessness that caused the vehicle accident and resulted in your injuries. We can help you gather evidence in order to demonstrate what happened. You may have suffered lifelong injuries that will change your future. Together, we will work through your case and fight for adequate compensation.

Answers To Common Questions About Truck Accidents

Any serious auto accident can turn your world upside down and leave you with far more questions than answers. This is especially true with trucking accidents, which are often catastrophic and involve numerous liable parties.

Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions our attorneys are asked by prospective clients. After reading, you can contact us with any additional questions you may have, which we would be happy to answer during a free initial consultation.

What are the common causes of trucking accidents?

There are certainly times when drivers of smaller vehicles are at fault for causing a wreck, but the blame often rests with truck drivers or trucking companies. Common causes of Lexington truck accidents include:

• Drowsy or fatigued driving (which could be linked to spending too many hours behind the wheel and not prioritizing adequate rest)
• Distracted or inattentive driving (either due to a truck driver’s bad choices or a trucking company’s requirement that drivers always be immediately reachable by radio or phone)
• Drunk or drugged driving
• Vehicle problems like worn-out brakes (which occur when truck drivers and their employers fail to conduct regular maintenance and repairs)
• Cargo loads that are too heavy, unbalanced or both
• Improperly secured cargo
• Truck drivers who lack adequate training and experience and are therefore unsafe behind the wheel

When our firm gets hired in a trucking accident case, we conduct a thorough and independent investigation, starting with the most common causes of crashes.

Who can be held liable after a trucking accident?

Assuming that either the truck driver or trucking company was at fault for the crash, there are likely to be numerous defendants in the lawsuit. They could include:

• The truck driver (for causing the crash)
• The trucking driver’s employer (for negligence in hiring and training the driver)
• The trucking company’s commercial insurer
• The business that hired the trucking company to haul its cargo
• Any mechanics who may have done faulty maintenance or repair work on the trucks

In truck accident litigation, it is common practice for truck accident attorneys to “cast a wide net” for potential defendants because there are so many factors that could have caused or contributed to the crash. Even if some defendants are later dismissed from the lawsuit, this approach is the most efficient way to hold all liable parties responsible.

What should I do after a truck accident?

Your first priority needs to be seeking medical attention for yourself and/or family members who were injured. Once everyone is stable, it is important to seek the help of an attorney as soon as reasonably possible. Trucking companies are backed by expensive commercial insurance policies, which means that both the company and its insurer will be acting quickly to take control of evidence and shape the narrative in a way that takes blame off of the truck driver and trucking company.

When you hire our firm, we immediately get to work investigating the accident, fighting to preserve evidence and building a case against the at-fault parties.

Why should I work with an attorney? And what if I can’t afford to hire one?

Any auto accident case would be hard to navigate by yourself, and that is especially true for trucking accident claims. Without an attorney, you are at the mercy of insurance companies whose primary goal is to deny your claim or settle for as little money as possible. Having your own attorney gives you much more power to negotiate and to seek justice in the courtroom.

Now to the question of affording an attorney. After a serious accident, most clients would be unable to afford an attorney because of all the costs associated with the accident. Thankfully, most personal injury attorneys in Kentucky, our firm included, take cases on a contingency basis. We don’t collect any money up front, and you are not responsible for any legal bills until and unless we help you recover money (at trial or in a settlement). Our fees are paid out of a predetermined percentage of however much money we help you obtain.

In short, you can definitely afford to hire an attorney!

Call Us Today To Discuss Your Case

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, it is in your best interest to talk to an experienced attorney as soon as possible. Our attorneys are here to answer any questions you may have and help you find a way to move forward.

Contact our office in Lexington today at 859-286-7840 or fill out our contact form. Hablamos español.