Truck Accident

Hiring a Truck Accident Lawyer

If you have been involved in a serious Indiana truck accident, the most important thing you can do is consult with an experienced accident lawyer at Stewart & Stewart Injury Lawyers.

Traffic accidents involving trucks that hit passenger vehicles or motorcycles can cause catastrophic injuries. Unfortunately, a case involving a truck is not simply a big automobile accident. They are highly complex cases that involve a web of state, federal and, sometimes, international regulations that require a lawyer with extensive experience in this area. An Indiana truck lawyer from Stewart & Stewart Injury Lawyers can help you achieve the justice you deserve.

Investigation of the truck accident:
Our lawyers are careful to investigate cases to ensure compliance by truck drivers and their companies with issues such as:

• Hours of service regulations
• Drug and alcohol testing
• Driver qualification files
• Hazardous materials transportation and safety
• Proper documentation
• Proper vehicle heights to prevent underride
• Proper placards and markings

In investigating and reviewing your case, we also routinely retain accident construction engineers and trucking safety experts to assist us in evaluating and analyzing facts and data obtained.

Time is of the essence:
As time passes after your accident, evidence important to your case can begin to disappear. Hiring an experienced Indiana truck accident lawyer from Stewart & Stewart Injury Lawyers as soon as possible can ensure that:

• Key evidence is recovered. Driver logs must be kept for 6 months, but scale tickets, inspection records, etc. do not have to be kept; a lawyer’s immediate presence could be vital to uncovering different types of evidence.
• Immediate accident investigations are made. The truck’s insurance investigators will be at the accident scene within hours; your truck accident lawyer’s prompt investigation of the scene could improve your case.
• Evidence is collected and interviews are conducted immediately. As time passes, witnesses can be harder to locate, and their accounts could fade from memory.
• A detailed analysis of the applicable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rulesregs/fmcsrhome.htm) is conducted. This federal law governs the safe operation of these commercial vehicles, the violation of which is a factor in too many truck accidents.

The bottom line:
While most commercial carriers operate their heavy trucks in a responsible manner, we find that far too many accidents involving trucks regard compliance issues with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. As such, we believe it imperative that clients retain a lawyer who has in-depth knowledge of the laws and regulations that govern their safe operation. At Stewart & Stewart Injury Lawyers we have the experience and expertise to handle these catastrophic accidents and their resulting injuries.

Without legal help from a law firm like Stewart & Stewart Injury Lawyers, you may have no idea of the real value of your claim. Moreover, the Insurance Research Council found that on average injured people who use a lawyer receive three and a half times more money than those who do not! (Source: Insurance Research Council 2004 study).

Additionally, in most cases, the insurance adjuster from the truck’s insurance company is not on your side. His goal is to save the insurance company money by giving you as little as possible after your collision. Because of this, whether you choose our law firmto represent you or not, you need an experienced Indiana truck accident lawyer on your side.