Pittsburgh, PA Tractor Trailer Accident Lawyers
Pittsburgh, PA Tractor Trailer Accident Lawyers Provide Strong, Effective Legal Advocacy for Accident Victims
Anyone who drives in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania knows that we are all sharing the roads with tractor trailers and big rig trucks. Drivers of these massive vehicles often spend hours on end behind the wheel. When exhaustion or distraction hits and they cause an accident, victims devastated by the crash have the right to compensation from the parties who profit from the truck’s long hours on the road.
Unfortunately, that often means that accident victims have to face off against large trucking corporations and commercial insurance companies to get compensation. Our accident lawyers Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC have decades of practical experience handling complex injury claims against these very organizations. We know how to investigate your tractor-trailer accident and use the evidence gained to build a strong claim for compensation.
Injured In A Tractor Trailer Accident And Have Questions? We Can Help, Tell Us What Happened.
We know that every case and client is unique. We don’t just rely on the police report—we go out and review every piece of evidence we can find to get you the fair compensation you deserve.
We know many tractor-trailer accident victims are worried about paying their bills while they recover. At Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC, our accident lawyers work on a contingency basis, so you don’t have to worry about paying us upfront. To learn more about how we can help win fair compensation for your tractor-trailer accident injuries, contact us today for a free case review.
Tractor Trailer Accident Injuries
Tractor trailers are substantially larger than your average car—and much heavier. Those factors alone typically cause accident victims to sustain injuries that are much more serious and dramatic than in a typical car-on-car accident. When facing a difficult and painful recovery, you deserve compensation to protect your financial future.
Tractor trailer accident victims often suffer:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Back and neck injuries
- Head injuries
- Severe burns
- Broken bones
- Internal organ damage
- Amputations and loss of limbs
Get Advice From An Experienced Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer. All You Have To Do Is Call 412-471-4300 To Receive Your Free Case Evaluation.
Our Lawyers Conduct a Full Investigation to Determine the Cause of Your Tractor Trailer Accident
Trucking companies and their insurance companies are notified immediately after a tractor trailer accident. While you may even be fighting for your life, they are investigating to see what happened and discussing ways to minimize their financial liability. Because of this, it is always important that you have an experienced tractor trailer accident lawyer who can go to work immediately to level the playing field.
At Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC, we know how important it is to locate all evidence as soon as possible. Our accident lawyers will work to locate and examine:
- Camera footage, including videos taken by witnesses or parties to the crash
- Any data collecting device embedded in the tractor trailer itself, often called a “black box” recording device
- Police and accident reports
- The driver’s cell phone records
- The trucking company’s inspection and maintenance records
- Information about the truck’s cargo and the party responsible for loading and securing the cargo
- Records of the trucking company’s hiring and safety practices
- Reports compiled by accident reconstruction specialists
- The tractor trailer driver’s log of hours on the road
- Records indicating whether the company that employed the driver had policies in place to ensure compliance with federal regulations prohibiting excessive hours on the road
Getting all of the evidence as quickly as possible is especially important in tractor trailer accident cases. Often, multiple parties may share responsibility in these types of accidents—so that each party may try to blame the others. Parties that may be held financially accountable after a tractor trailer accident include:
- The tractor trailer driver
- The company that owns the tractor trailer, or the trailer itself
- The company that loaded the cargo onto the tractor trailer
- The maintenance company
- A company that manufactured a defective component in the tractor trailer
- A broker used to connect the trucking company with the cargo company, and can be responsible for tracking movement of the cargo
Fighting to Get Fair Compensation for Seriously Injured Tractor Trailer Accident Victims Across Western Pennsylvania
Trucking companies and others involved in the financial aspects of the transportation system reap substantial profits—often by pressuring tractor-trailer drivers to work long hours and ignore federal safety regulations. Common causes of tractor-trailer accidents are:
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Drug and alcohol use by the tractor-trailer driver
- Speeding and aggressive driving
- Mechanical defects
- Failure to properly maintain the tractor-trailer
- Overloading the tractor-trailer
Most tractor trailer drivers are pressured to deliver their cargo as quickly as possible. This comes at the expense of other drivers who share the roads. If you were hurt in a tractor trailer accident, you deserve to be compensated. Our lawyers at Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC will work tirelessly to get you fair compensation for:
- Medical bills
- Future medical care
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and lost future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Diminished quality of life
- And more
We fight to get justice for you and your family. Call us today to learn more about our proven track record of success and how we can apply our substantial skills to your case.
Contact Our Top-Rated Tractor Trailer Accident Lawyers to Schedule a Free Case Review Today
After a tractor-trailer accident in Pittsburgh, the most important thing you can do is to focus on your physical recovery. Our accident lawyers at Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC can take on the burden of securing your financial future. We don’t get paid unless you win and your first consultation is 100% free, so contact us today to see how our lawyers will fight to get the compensation you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pittsburgh Tractor Trailer Accidents
Employers are responsible for the negligence of their employees on the job. This extends to tractor trailer drivers who are employed by a trucking company. While this is the basic law, the companies involved with the tractor trailer often use tactics to deny responsibility. For example, they may claim that the driver was an independent contractor, not an employee. Our lawyers can help with any challenges you might face in establishing liability for your accident.
Federal law provides detailed rules about how much time truck drivers can drive before taking a break. Here are a few examples of how the rules work:
– The tractor trailer driver can only drive 11 hours in any 14-hour period
– At the end of the 14-hour period, the driver must take a consecutive 10 hours off duty
– The 14-hour limit applies even if the driver stops for short breaks, such as for lunch or a quick nap
– After every 8 hours of driving during the 11-hour driving period, the driver must take a 30-minute break
Tractor trailer drivers are required to keep detailed records of their hours on the road. In some cases, an electronic monitoring system may even be put into place. Our lawyers carefully examine these records in every case to determine whether safety violations and driver fatigue contributed to your accident.