Buffalo Truck Accident Lawyer

You have the right to hold trucking companies liable for the bills you have to pay after an accident with one of their drivers. If you find yourself struggling to pay the medical bills and repair fees associated with your recent crash, call the truck accident lawyers in Buffalo, NY. The legal team with Morelli Law Firm is ready to fight for you.

Our experienced personal injury lawyers in Buffalo are prepared to hold the right parties accountable for your recent losses. We demystify the legal process by bringing over 40 years of legal experience to bear on your behalf.

You can trust our truck accident attorneys to prioritize your right to maximum compensation, no matter how complicated the case.

Holding the Right Parties Accountable for Truck Accident Losses

New York’s civil statutes give you the right to hold commercial drivers, trucking agencies, and their affiliated parties liable for a truck crash. However, you cannot name a liable party without evidence. You must have evidence of another party’s distracted driving, drunk driving, or roadway misconduct if you want a claim to move forward in civil court.

Unfortunately, injury victims like yourself may struggle to find the time to break down the legal process after a crash. Commercial truck accidents can permanently transform the way you take care of yourself. Collisions may force you into physical therapy or require you to participate in unique surgeries.

How a Truck Accident Lawyer in Buffalo Can Help

Our extensive experience can help you take advantage of the rights afforded to you by the civil system without compromising your health. You can trust a personal injury attorney to gather the evidence most relevant to your tractor-trailer accident case, including the following:

• Video footage of the accident
• Bystander statements
• Expert witness testimony
• Physical debris
• Police reports
• Electronic data

Our investigative partners can return to the crash scene before truck companies and insurance claims adjusters can place key evidence out of reach. Once we have data points from a truck’s black box and a driver’s electronic history, we can more effectively fight for the support you deserve.

Company Liability

Evidence plays one role in your effort to get compensation for damages after a commercial truck accident. Our experienced team also has to consider what influence a truck driver’s contract might have on your right to recover.

For example, you may get into an accident with a driver who works as an employee under a corporate umbrella. That trucking company may provide their driver with insurance and legal protections. In this case, you may have the right to sue that company for accident damages.

Independent Contractors

However, most trucking companies make a point to hire independent contractors. Companies do not have to provide insurance or legal protections to independent contractors, as contractors view corporations as clients.

What does this mean for your legal prospects? You won’t have the right to hold a company responsible for your losses, but you can sue the driver for reasonable compensation.

Unfortunately, some employers may try to misrepresent an employee’s work agreement with them in the wake of an accident. If you suspect a company may have engaged in bad-faith tactics to deny you accident compensation, let an experienced semi-truck accident lawyer in Buffalo know right away.

Addressing Third Parties After a Truck Accident

There’s a chance that a third party, like an inexperienced driver or packing team, may have had a hand in your recent collision. If you suspect a third party may bear the responsibility for your losses, you can work with our attorneys to find the evidence needed to demand your reasonable settlement.

Our team can also help you divide fault between multiple parties should evidence reveal that the negligence that led to your accident stemmed from more than one source.

Recovering Financial Compensation After a Buffalo Trucking Accident

The trucking industry is one of the most dangerous industries in America. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there were over 4,000 deaths on American highways due to truck accidents. When a serious injury or death occurs, victims may be eligible to collect a settlement for the long-term suffering that accompanies being hit by a commercial truck.

In an effort to reduce truck fatalities, New York’s state laws require commercial vehicle drivers to wear seat belts or other restraints while operating a commercial vehicle on public roads.

Unfortunately, not all drivers follow these laws, and as a result, many people are hurt or, even worse, killed due to negligent truck drivers. Negligence places fault that leads to fair compensation.

Damages You May Qualify for

Recovering compensatory damages from a trucking company or its insurance providers following an accident can be a chaotic process for those who are unfamiliar with how insurance companies determine fault or what to say to the insurance company to help your accident claim. Fortunately, our trucking accident lawyers in Buffalo, NY, can help you recover:

• Medical treatments
• Pain and suffering
• Treatment for emotional trauma
• Replacement or repair costs for damaged property
• Wrongful death expenses
• Diminished wages and opportunities to secure future earnings
• Loss of insurance coverage

Truck accident victims like you can recoup other costs in a personal injury lawsuit with the help of an experienced truck accident lawyer in Buffalo when you are ready to make a claim. If you are overwhelmed with the process or just need clarity on how to maximize your settlement offer, we offer guidance in a free initial consultation.

Filing a Wrongful Death Claim As the Result of a Truck Accident in Buffalo, New York

Property damage and certain injuries can be repaired over time, but nothing repairs the void of losing a loved one. We are sorry that your family has to experience this and would like to help you obtain a fair settlement to cover the following costs:

• Treatment costs for severe injuries prior to death
• Funeral costs and burial expenses
• Income, pensions, and annuities lost
• Loss of consortium or companionship

A Buffalo wrongful death lawyer can help you decide the total amount of compensation you may need and represent you and your family in your search for justice.

While you can receive punitive damages after a semi-truck accident, you may not request punitive damages in your original claim. Judges in New York only award these damages after accidents, including motor vehicle accidents, involving gross negligence.

How to Maximize Your Buffalo Truck Accident Settlement

It is no secret that insurance agencies have protocols to follow in order to protect their client and their company’s financial assets. Following a truck accident, it’s important to communicate with your insurance company and offer information that will support your claim while making it impossible for them to deny it.

Here is a list of things that our Buffalo truck accident lawyers suggest all trucking accident victims do to improve the odds of having their personal injury claim approved:

• Seek medical attention right away
• Take pictures of your accident details, such as the vehicle(s) involved, the scene, and injuries, if possible
• Give the authorities a thorough account of what happened without speculating
• Contact your insurance company within 24 hours of the accident to open a claim
• Consult with a lawyer who has a successful track record of cases similar to yours
• Avoid speaking with the trucking company’s insurer on a recorded call or posting to social media regarding your accident

Keep in mind that if you speak with the truck driver’s insurance provider before speaking with an attorney, you risk disclosing too much information that may work against you. Also, if you accept their initial offer, you risk being lowballed and not being able to file a lawsuit to collect the money that you rightfully deserve. An attorney will guard your interests and help you avoid mistakes.

Fight for Your Semi-Truck Accident Compensation

Many truck accident survivors refuse to pursue legal action against a commercial trucking company or driver because they’re concerned they may have to go to trial. Filing a personal injury claim doesn’t lock you into a jury trial, though. Most of the time, both insurance companies and truck companies prefer to settle personal injury cases in private settlement negotiations.

A Truck Accident Attorney Can Negotiate for Your Settlement

You can work with a team of attorneys to prepare for a settlement negotiation. Our team can reiterate the value of the monetary damages you deserve. We can then direct an at-fault party’s attention to the damages you’ve asked for as a conversation progresses.

Private settlement negotiations require all parties involved in an accident to recognize that a liable party’s poor judgment resulted in your financial strain. Unfortunately, liable parties who refuse to recognize the fallout from their negligent actions may not willingly meet with you after an accident.

If you find yourself having a difficult time getting a negligent party to sit down and discuss your losses, you may have to go to trial. Fortunately, our legal team is prepared to go to bat for you. Whether you’re negotiating for a settlement or going to trial, we will always fight for your right to comprehensive compensation.

How Long After a Trucking Accident Can You File a Claim?

Following a truck accident in Buffalo, NY, victims and their families are allotted a specific time frame to file a compensatory claim as stated in New York’s statute of limitations. Filing a claim entails that you, the victim or estate of the decedent, must build a case built on solid evidence that the truck driver was to blame for the majority or all of the truck wreck.

You have up to three years to file a truck accident or up to two years for a wrongful death lawsuit. If you miss your deadline window for filing either claim, you risk having the lawsuit dismissed and will lose all rights to collecting compensation for any and all damages.

After a truck accident occurs, it is critical to contact a personal injury law firm in Buffalo, NY, to help you take legal action against the responsible party.

Find Free Legal Help in Buffalo, NY, With Morelli Law Firm

You deserve a law firm that understands how devastating this accident has been for you and your family. We know that you are seeking financial relief, but assisting with your legal claim is more than solely justice for you. It is also prevention and protection for the other motorists, pedestrians, and passengers that negligent truck drivers are a threat to.

The experienced truck accident attorneys in Buffalo provide a complimentary session to accident survivors like you following a truck accident. Scheduling a free case consultation does not obligate you to continue filing a claim with Morelli Law Firm. We use these sessions to learn about the details of your accident while assessing the worth of your truck accident claim.

Contact us today if you are ready to receive full legal support while recovering. We guarantee to treat you with care, compassion, and professionalism the entire way.