Any motor vehicle collision can be traumatizing, but a truck accident multiplies those troubles. When a commercial tractor-trailer or semi hits a passenger vehicle, the smaller the automobile faces much more risk and damages.
If you or a loved one is facing this situation and need to know how to get compensation, learn how our truck accident lawyers at Cellino Law can help you.
How Can Our Truck Accident Lawyers Help With Your Case?
You may be at a loss for what to do next after a truck accident, especially as you try to repair your vehicle and care for your health. Our truck accident lawyers guide you through the whole process.
Provide You With a Free Case Evaluation
Once you’ve gotten the necessary medical attention and reported the incident, you should call us for a free consultation with no obligation. You can be fully transparent about what happened and your concerns about the case. Don’t worry about forgetting anything. Someone from our team will ask you what we need to know to determine your next steps.
Feel free to ask about our experience and track record. We have decades of legal work under our belt and have recovered over $2 billion in settlements. We’re confident that you’ll want to work with us.
Help You Investigate Your Accident
Once we agree that it’s a good idea to work together, we’ll begin investigating your case in depth. You may already have gotten photos, videos, recordings and contact information from witnesses that we can use to establish your claim.
If you did not, don’t despair. We’ll take a closer look and get whatever details we can from the accident scene, footage and bystanders.
This step is important for determining all parties who played a role in your accident and owe you damages. For example, different companies or individuals may have contributed to the unsafe conditions, including:
- Other drivers on the road
- The company that loaded the truck
- Manufacturers of defective parts
- The company that maintains and inspects the truck
We consider all the details to hold the right people responsible for your injuries and losses.
Also, remember that New York is a pure comparative negligence state. Even if the court finds that you have some of the liability, you can still file an injury claim.
Gather and Organize Additional Evidence
The specifics about your injury and property damage will also be crucial in helping you establish the fault of the truck driver. The insurance company expects you to show that your injuries and property damage were not from some preexisting condition or situation.
We’ll also fight for evidence the driver’s employer has, such as travel and rest logs. If the company keeps any kind of event data recorder in its vehicles that can show what happened at the time of the accident, we’ll push to get that information, too. If necessary, we’ll also find experts who understand why and how accidents and injuries happen to verify your claims.
Communicate and Negotiate With Insurance Companies
Insurance companies know every trick to try to get you to say or do something that would allow them to reduce your claim. After a harrowing truck accident, you don’t need the stress of worrying about always saying the right thing to an adjuster.
Fortunately, we remove that burden and talk to the insurers for you. When the truck driver’s representatives or insurance team contact you, you can give them our number so that we can deal with the negotiations and push for the highest possible settlement.
Represent You at Trial When Necessary
We are able to settle most claims out of court. On occasion, an insurance company may refuse to give a reasonable offer. In that case, we’re fully ready to present your suit in court by filing a complaint, handling discovery and representing you in the trial.
How Common Are Truck Accidents in Manhattan?
Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs are some of the busiest locations in the state, not to mention the entire country. Because of the heavy amount of commerce that goes on in the area, the number of these large vehicles is higher than usual in the United States.
On average, at least a few truck accidents happen every day in Manhattan. For example, the area’s stats for December 2023 showed 97 collisions involving large commercial vehicles.
Even more concerning is the fact that accidents involving large trucks are more likely to cause a fatality. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, New York is one of the top 10 states for large truck fatalities. With the prevalence of such dangerous collisions, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us at Cellino Law if you need help.
What Determines How Much a Truck Accident Case Is Worth?
The value of your case will depend on the injuries you sustained and the percentage of fault the insurance company or court will assign to the trucker. With those elements, you can claim three types of damages.
1. Special Damages (Financial Losses)
It is your right to claim any and every financial loss that the truck accident imposed upon you beyond what your own insurance covers under New York’s no-fault laws. The at-fault party needs to take care of whatever costs to repair your vehicle or other property back to its previous condition or provide the funds to replace these items. They will likely argue about what the true values were, so count on our help to prove an accurate estimation.
When your injuries are extensive and more than what your personal injury protection coverage will handle, the liable parties must cover that as well. We’ll work with you to gather all the diagnoses you received and what the total costs of your treatments will be. This includes any equipment you’ll require and home modifications as well. Furthermore, related costs, such as traveling back and forth to treatment, are expenses you can claim.
Any time you take from work to recuperate is also recoverable, but PIP only covers up to $2,000 a month for three years. If your case is worth more, you should fight for the additional compensation.
Again, determining the full amount of lost future earnings can be debatable, so you want a competent legal team such as ours to back you up and help you get all you’re due. Keep in mind that this also applies to losses that a family experiences if a loved one dies in a truck accident.
2. General Damages (Noneconomic Losses)
The trauma of your injuries and the incident itself could be life-altering. Some people even develop a fear of driving. Others have dealt with psychological and emotional turmoil from physical disfigurement or disabilities that impair the enjoyment of their previous lifestyle. Sadly, the most unfortunate consequence of truck accidents is someone dying.
You can request compensation for any of this pain and suffering by claiming these general damages. Since these don’t have any intrinsic monetary value, they can be difficult to calculate. We’ll work out the appropriate formula for your case.
3. Punitive Damages (Punishment on the Defendant)
If the truck driver or their employer was grossly negligent, punitive damages might be possible. This type of compensation is infrequent but possible.
Get the Support You Need From Our Truck Accident Lawyers in Manhattan
A truck accident is a frightening ordeal. After such an incident in Manhattan, you have every right to recover damages for the driver’s negligence or wrongful act.
Call Cellino Law for assistance in holding the appropriate parties responsible. We’re ready to use our extensive experience and resources to represent you.