Lawrence Truck Accident Attorney
Injuries from a commercial truck accident are often catastrophic. The average commercial truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. This is about four times the weight of the average passenger vehicle. In a crash between a commercial truck and a passenger car, the former will always win. If you have serious injuries or a loved one died in a truck accident in Lawrence, contact Merrimack Valley Injury Lawyers to request a free consultation. The law may entitle you to compensation.
What Are the Truck Accident Laws in Massachusetts?
Truck accidents are unique in terms of auto accident claims. Unlike a typical car accident case, a truck accident will involve commercial carrier laws. Several state and federal organizations regulate commercial trucking and truck accidents. These include the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Massachusetts also has its own department to regulate trucking. As the injured victim of a truck accident, you or your lawyer will need to navigate these laws to pursue financial compensation.
Before you can recover compensation for your truck accident, you will need to identify the defendant. This will most likely be the trucking company. Trucking companies will be vicariously liable for accidents involving their trucks and drivers, even when their drivers are independent contractors. You may also have grounds to file a claim against the trucking company for its acts of negligence, such as poor driver training or lack of proper fleet maintenance. Our attorneys at Merrimack Valley Injury Lawyers can investigate your case to determine fault for you.
Once we know who to name as the defendant in your truck accident case, we can file the legal paperwork on your behalf. Our Lawrence truck accident lawyers will demand damages for all of your past and future crash-related losses, including if you’ve lost a loved one to a wrongful death. Act quickly to contact our attorneys – you will have no later than three years from the date of your truck accident to bring a claim. This is the general personal injury statute of limitations in Massachusetts. Our Lawrence personal injury lawyers can take care of filing for you to ensure an efficient and effective claims process.
Common Truck Accident Injuries
Massachusetts is a no-fault car insurance state. After a car accident that causes property damage or personal injuries, the victim will seek compensation from his or her own auto insurance providers. This will be the case even if the victim did not cause the accident. In the event of a truck accident, however, a victim’s injuries will most likely be serious enough to qualify him or her for a third-party injury lawsuit. This is a claim against the at-fault party’s insurance rather than the victim’s. Truck accidents can cause many serious injuries that meet Massachusetts’ serious injury threshold.
- Broken bones
- Traumatic head and brain injuries
- Permanent spinal cord injuries
- Nerve damage
- Internal injuries
- Eye or ear injuries
- Extensive burns
- Crush injuries or loss of limb
- Permanent disabilities or debilitation
- Loss of a bodily function
- Severe scarring or disfigurement
The serious injury threshold in Massachusetts is either $2,000 or more in medical bills or an injury that will impact the victim for the foreseeable future. Most truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and car accidents cause injuries that meet or exceed Massachusetts’ threshold, giving victims the right to file fault-based lawsuits. If you believe you have grounds for a claim outside of Massachusetts’ no-fault insurance system, contact us for assistance with a lawsuit.
Contact a Lawrence Truck Accident Attorney Today
At Merrimack Valley Injury Lawyers, we advocate on behalf of injured crash victims in Lawrence and throughout Massachusetts. If you or someone close to you has a serious injury from a recent truck accident, do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation in Lawrence, MA. Our truck accident lawyers may be able to help you recover fair and full compensation for your losses.