Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyer

Indiana Truck and Tractor Trailer Accident Lawyers

Truck Accidents In Indiana

Following an accident, trucking companies will do everything in their power to minimize your chances in court. There have even been cases of trucking companies hiding evidence, tampering with evidence, or repairing faulty trucks after accidents.

Now more than ever, Americans need truck drivers who are dedicated to safe driving. With looming COVID concerns, supply chain issues, and a shifting workforce, we should appreciate long-haul drivers who help get our goods where they need to go. However, many of them cut corners for various reasons. The corners they cut usually impact the safety and security of others they share the road with. Sometimes it’s not just the truck driver that is cutting corners but their employers or cargo loading companies. 

With big rigs weighing more than 26,000 pounds and sometimes up to 80,000 pounds, traumatic, debilitating, and life-threatening accidents are bound to happen – epecially when drivers or other parties are negligent. When someone or some entity is negligent, costing innocent victims their well-being, lives, or family members, Blackburn Romey isn’t afraid to fight for them.

We invite you to get in touch with our office to learn why it is so critical to have a truck accident lawyer on your side after a truck accident. We can help you if you have been injured in a truck accident in Indianapolis. Contact us today for a free case consultation.

In Indiana, Truck Accidents Are on the Rise

Each day, thousands of commercial trucks travel across Indiana. Nationally, there has been a large increase in the number of commercial tractor-trailers registered.

In recent years, Indiana has seen an increase in collisions involving large trucks. 2019 saw 5,005 fatal accidents involving large trucks across the country.

Occupants of small vehicles can be seriously injured or killed in collisions with large trucks because of their weight and size.

Who is Liable for Your Truck Accident?

In 2017, Indiana alone had 16,910 commercial vehicle collisions. Of those, over 14,706 involved property damage, 2,074 resulted in injuries, and 130 caused deaths. While this was only a 0.1 percent increase over the previous year, it was an increase of over three percent in five years. Who is liable for these collisions? The answer isn’t always as easy or straightforward as you might think. 

The following parties could be entirely or partially liable for your truck accident:

• The truck driver—perhaps they were driving while distracted, under the influence, without enough rest as mandated by federal regulations, or not following the rules of the road by speeding or some other action or inactions. Truck drivers have demanding jobs, but they must remain alert and sober behind the wheel to protect everyone’s safety.
• The trucking company, since many don’t enforce federal regulations for hours of rest or vehicle inspection or maintenance, thereby putting innocent lives at risk. They may pressure drivers to speed or drive too fast for conditions to be sure their loads are on time and so they can make more money.
• The truck or parts manufacturer—as there could be defects in the truck or any of its parts, such as its brakes or tires.
• The maintenance provider can sometimes be liable due to failure to identify and fix braking problems, poor workmanship, or the use of substandard parts. In these cases, the company that provides maintenance for the truck is the party liable for the collision.
• The goods distributor—in other cases, it’s the company that hired the trucking company to transport their goods that should be held accountable for the accident. Improperly balanced or secured loads can cause trailers to tip over when traveling in a curve, or flammable materials may be lacking the proper safety precautions.
• Other drivers on the road—sometimes other drivers on the road can share or even have complete responsibility for an accident.
• Local municipalities—truck accidents can also be caused by poor road maintenance or light or sign malfunctions. In these cases, it’s typically the entity responsible for the road who is held liable. 

When you hire our seasoned Indianapolis truck accident attorneys to represent your claim, you are hiring a team who will get to the bottom of how your accident occurred. Our priority is identifying who is liable and why. Your compensation depends on the success of this task, and we take it very seriously.

Our Experienced Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help You

Large trucks frequently cause serious injuries in Indianapolis car accidents because of their larger size and weight than smaller vehicles. Collisions with commercial vehicles can be devastating for automobiles, motorcycles, and other vehicles on the road. Truck accidents increase yearly as more semi-trucks and commercial trucks crowd the country’s roads.

Our truck accident attorneys have extensive experience representing injured victims of large truck crashes. Blackburn Romey understands the importance of conducting a thorough investigation of your case. We have earned a reputation for being tenacious advocates for personal injury victims throughout Indiana. If you have been injured, we will do everything we can to help you receive full and fair compensation.

Clients receive a focused, customized approach from our attorneys. As your case unfolds, we promise to keep you informed so that you’ll know what to expect and feel fully informed when important decisions need to be made.

What Our Experienced Lawyers Can Do for You After a Truck Accident

• Offer Commitment: In the event of a truck accident, our attorneys will investigate its cause. Unlike fender benders involving passenger cars, accidents involving large trucks are more difficult to understand. An experienced law firm with the resources and commitment to determine what happened in a big rig accident will be most helpful to you.
• Investigate: Several factors may contribute to trucking accidents, including excessive speed, fatigue, texting while driving, and mechanical problems. Independent investigations by traffic reconstruction experts may be necessary to determine the exact cause of your truck accident.
• Construct a winning case: With the help of recognized accident reconstruction experts, Blackburn Romey’s truck accident attorneys can construct a winning case for full compensation from the insurance company.
• Obtain proof: Obtaining the truck driver’s cell phone records will help us determine whether they were distracted at the time of the collision. We will review the driver’s logs and toll receipts to determine if the driver was fatigued.  
• Determine liability: Reviewing the truck’s maintenance records allows us to determine if the brakes and other safety components were serviced as scheduled. The trucking company is required to keep maintenance records and driver logs only for a certain period of time, and if you wait a long time to hire an attorney, potentially important evidence may disappear. 

Contact an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible if you have been injured in a collision with a large commercial truck, box truck, bus, or delivery truck such as an Amazon truck. You are more likely to lose your case if you wait too long to hire a truck accident lawyer.

Blackburn Romey’s semi-truck accident attorneys will preserve key evidence and protect your legal rights when you work with us.

You Don’t Have to Deal With the Insurance Companies Alone 

Due to their higher potential to cause serious harm, large trucks must carry substantially more liability insurance than passenger vehicles.

A trucking company’s insurer will contact you after a serious accident occurs. Truck drivers, trucking companies, and cargo shippers may have different insurance companies representing them.

Insurance adjusters may appear friendly, but their job is to protect their company’s profits and minimize the amount they pay out in claims. When insurance companies attempt to settle a claim, they often convince the victim that an attorney is unnecessary and will only complicate matters.

To avoid being taken advantage of by insurance adjusters or making a statement that may undermine your claim, you need your own attorney to represent you. 

Our experienced Indianapolis truck accident attorneys will protect your rights if you or your family are involved in a serious accident with a semi-truck. Additionally, we provide legal assistance to Indianapolis accident victims involved in construction zones.

You must contact an experienced attorney immediately after an accident because the trucking company will be working on their defense immediately following the accident.

Our Truck Accident Lawyers Will Investigate the Cause

Several factors can lead to a commercial truck collision. These serious accidents are too often caused by truck driver errors and vehicle failures, often with devastating results for the victims.

According to the NHTSA, large truck drivers have the highest percentage of previous accidents compared to drivers of other vehicle types. A recent study found that nearly 17 percent of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes had at least one prior speeding conviction. You and your family may be at serious risk as truck drivers make up time on the road.

We can help you and your family after a truck accident:

• Our team will secure photographs, measurements, surveys, videotapes, and evidence.
• All eyewitnesses will be located and interviewed by our investigators.
• A court order will be secured to prevent the truck from being touched until our experts have completed a thorough examination of it.
• We will have a mechanical expert check the truck’s brakes and other mechanical components, and we will download the black box to find out how fast and how hard the truck braked before the crash.
• A court order will also be obtained to prevent the destruction of the truck driver’s log and other key evidence.

We are committed to uncovering the truth about your truck accident. Our goal is to protect your financial future by securely storing information and evidence.

What Factors Cause Large Truck Accidents?

It is common for truck drivers to make mistakes that lead to accidents. Drivers may speed, drive too fast for the road conditions, tailgate, drive drowsy, or be inattentive to the changing traffic situation.

Large truck collisions are often caused by defective brakes, speeding, drug use, driver fatigue, and tire problems, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Snow and ice often cause truck accidents during the winter months. When driving in bad weather, many drivers underestimate how much space they need to stop. Due to the immense weight of most commercial trucks, the failure to be cautious often leads to disaster for other drivers.

The thought of several tons of steel sliding along an icy road at a high rate of speed is simply unthinkable. It is imperative that truck drivers remain vigilant and careful during snowy or icy conditions on Indianapolis roads during winter.

Fatigue is often a factor in accidents caused by drivers. Commercial vehicle operators are well aware of the dangers of fatigue. The National Transportation Safety Board has published over 180 safety recommendations on reducing fatigue in long-haul truck drivers and pilots.

Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer Near You

Suppose you were seriously injured or lost a loved one in a large commercial truck crash. In that case, you need the experienced Indiana truck accident attorneys at Blackburn Romey. It’s likely that the trucking company or its insurance company will attempt to get you to accept a settlement offer that is much less than the fair value of your accident injury claim. After you sign their settlement agreement and accept their check, they can close the case and move on. They are left with extra money in their pocket, which should have been yours if your case had been settled fully and fairly.

Why Choose Us?

Many people in Indianapolis turn to us when they’ve been injured and need a lawyer.

• Our Indianapolis lawyers have decades of experience handling all types of injury cases in civil and insurance courts. Our extensive injury law experience backs every case we handle.
• Many of our clients were able to move forward financially after suffering a serious accident or injury with the help of our firm. We can provide you with more info about our past results during a free consultation.
• We offer free consultations to get your claim started. Call our office today to learn more about how we can help after a truck accident. 

Let our dedicated legal team at Blackburn Romey handle your truck accident case for you. We meticulously investigate truck collisions. These cases are frequently complex, so we often work with private investigators, mechanical experts, an industry expert qualified to download data from a commercial truck’s black box, and an accident reconstructionist. Even though most cases settle outside of court, we thoroughly and carefully prepare each truck crash case as if it is going to trial.