Truck Accident Lawyers in Columbia, Glen Burnie, Annapolis & Anne Arundel County

Accidents involving large commercial trucks — tractor-trailers, semis, tankers, dump trucks, etc. — are typically more destructive and cause more serious injuries than crashes between two passenger cars. Claims for compensation after catastrophic truck accidents are also more complex, as the companies involved may point fingers to protect their profits.

The experienced and skilled Maryland truck accident lawyers of Jimeno & Gray, P.A., have helped countless crash victims secure the full and fair compensation they need to move forward with their lives. We stand by our clients throughout the claims process and fight aggressively for the payments they deserve. You can count on our dedicated legal team to:

• Thoroughly investigate your truck accident and work quickly to preserve evidence
• Identify every company that may be held responsible for your accident and liable for your losses
• Document all of your accident-related losses and establish the full amount of compensation you deserve to receive
• Deal with the trucking company, insurance companies, and other parties on your behalf, including filing all claims
• Negotiate aggressively with every responsible party in pursuit of a full settlement
• Take your case all the way to a courtroom verdict if the at-fault party refuses to offer a proper settlement

Don’t fight the trucking corporations, or their insurance companies, on your own. If you have suffered a serious injury in a crash that was not your fault, you need to talk to our Maryland truck accident lawyers now about your rights.

Contact our law offices in Glen Burnie, Annapolis, or Columbia (Howard County) for a free consultation, and learn how our legal team can help you pursue a truck accident injury claim.

Why Truck Accident Claims Are More Complex Than Car Accident Claims

Commercial truck accidents usually are more destructive than car accidents and have more parties connected to what happened. When large trucks collide with passenger cars, they often cause serious injuries in addition to the destruction of an expensive truck, leading to high-value claims. The money at stake prompts large trucking companies to move quickly after a serious crash to protect their financial interests.

One tactic trucking companies (or “motor carriers”) pursue is to offer a quick settlement for far less than what crash victims deserve. Another is to shift blame for the accident to one of several parties involved in putting a large, cargo-loaded commercial truck on Maryland highways.

Our knowledgeable truck accident attorneys will launch an investigation into your crash to determine who should be held responsible. This could include one or more of the following:

• Truck Driver: In most truck accidents, the truck driver, or “trucker,” is found to be responsible for some kind of negligence or recklessness, such as:
  • Fatigued driving, which is very common among long-distance truckers
  • Distracted driving, particularly use of hand-held cellphones, which is illegal for all commercial drivers
  • Speeding, including driving too fast for conditions, such as inclement weather or heavy traffic
  • Impaired driving, which is more often drugged driving among truckers than drunk driving due to strict testing
  • Recklessness, including a variety of illegal or unsafe maneuvers in traffic
• Trucking Company: Motor carriers are responsible for the trucks they own and put on the road, as well as the drivers they put behind the wheel. Our investigation of a trucking firm’s records may show violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, such as skipping proper truck maintenance, employing unlicensed or untrained drivers, or pushing fatigued drivers to stay on the road in violation driving-time Hours of Service (HOS) rules.
• Cargo Handlers: If cargo transported by large trucks is not correctly loaded and secured, a sudden cargo shift can change the vehicle’s center of gravity and cause a crash. A cargo spill from a truck creates hazards for oncoming motorists. FMCSA rules define how cargo is to be loaded and secured, and regulations require the motor carrier and trucker to inspect a truck’s cargo. In some cases, third-party service vendors or cargo owners load trucks and should be held responsible if their negligence caused a cargo shift or spill that led to an accident.
• Manufacturers: Sometimes the truck or one of its parts or systems has failed and caused an accident, and the failure is not related to problems in the motor carrier’s maintenance program. This may lead to a product liability claim if the manufacturers and/or distributors of the failed component knew or should have known the failed system was faulty when they sold it. Most often, parts that fail on large commercial trucks are brakes, tires, couplings, steering systems, or lighting.
• Local Government and/or Contractors: If a roadway has not been maintained, or design or construction mistakes contribute to a truck accident, a government entity and/or contractors it hires may be liable. Local governments and/or contractors may also be held responsible for faulty highway work zones. Proper work zone design safely separates traffic from workers, machinery, equipment, etc., and adequately warns and allows space for traffic to slow down, including the extra distance large trucks require.

Any party responsible for negligence or recklessness that contributed to truck accident injuries, including violation of FMCSA regulations or other federal or state laws, can be held accountable. Our Maryland truck accident attorneys will thoroughly review your case to determine who is at fault.

Compensation in a Maryland Truck Accident Claim

From the minute you retain Jimeno & Gray to represent you, we will handle every aspect of your accident case. We take over communications with the insurance companies and begin documenting the extent of your costs and losses from the crash.

Under Maryland law, a personal injury claim may seek economic damages, or compensation for quantifiable costs and losses, that include:

• Medical expenses (past and future)
• Lost wages (past and future, including any kind of pension loss)
• Property damage, such as to your car

A truck accident lawsuit may also seek noneconomic damages for:

• Pain
• Suffering
• Inconvenience
• Physical impairment
• Disfigurement
• Loss of consortium
• Other non-pecuniary (non-financial) injuries

Contact Our Maryland Truck Accident Attorneys Today

If you or a loved one has suffered serious injury in a commercial truck accident, contact our Maryland personal injury attorneys for fast action today. We move quickly to preserve evidence and obtain a variety of records that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires trucking companies and drivers to maintain.

Our Maryland truck accident attorneys will fight fiercely for the maximum compensation you need to recover after a serious injury. We also help families who have lost a loved one and need to pursue compensation through a wrongful death claim.

Schedule a free consultation with our law firm now to discuss your accident and injuries. Contact us online or call us at (410) 590-9401.