At The Beasley Firm, we've seen first-hand just how devastating truck accidents can be. These massive vehicles are heavily regulated, but that has not prevented thousands of people from being catastrophically injured or killed by driver error, vehicle defects, and trucking company negligence. Since 1958, our truck accident lawyers in Philadelphia have fought to ensure that the victims of truck driver negligence receive full and fair compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial injuries they suffer.
We have successfully obtained settlements and jury verdicts for victims of:
Our team is reliable, dedicated, and compassionate. We prepare every case for trial and we do what it takes to win. The Beasley Firm has the experience you need to win. We have recovered numerous mulitmillion dollar recoveries for those and their families injured or killed by a truck.
A serious truck accident can put you or your loved one in the hospital for several weeks. During that time, the trucking company and their attorneys are doing everything they can to minimize their responsibility for your injuries. You can help give your case every advantage by following these steps:
The Philadelphia trial lawyers at The Beasley Firm have seen innumerable accidents caused by semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, delivery trucks, and common carriers in Pennsylvania. In addition to our extensive experience, we utilize medical and financial experts to determine the full impact an injury has on our client's life and how much compensation they deserve resulting in more than $2 billion won in verdicts and settlements over the past five decades.
Since no two truck accident lawsuits are the same, you need an experienced attorney to evaluate all aspects of your case in order to assign a monetary value to your claim. These factors include:
Determining liability in a truck accident requires speed, experience, and determination. At The Beasley Firm, we will work tirelessly to identify which parties can be held responsible for your injuries and how much you can pursue in damages. The following are the most common parties liable for semi-truck collisions:
The Beasley Firm will perform an extensive investigation to determine if one or more party is responsible for the negligence that caused your injuries. In many cases, we can file a personal injury lawsuit against more than one party in order to recover the full amount of compensation that our clients deserve.
Contact Us our Philadelphia trucking collision attorneys today for a free consultation.
In an attempt to prevent serious crashes involving large commercial trucks, tractor-trailers, big rigs, and semi-trucks, there are various regulations set forth by the United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. These are designed to keep the safety of the truck driver and all others on the road in mind. Two of the most important regulations involve the maximum weight of the truck and the way the trailer is loaded, as well as the Hours of Service regulations. When drivers violate these regulations, they leave themselves and others susceptible to serious crashes.
However, it’s important to know what these regulations mean, who can violate them, and how they can cause a collision:
Commercial trucks are large in and of themselves. When they are carrying extensive amounts of cargo, they can reach massive weights. It’s important to know, though, that these trucks and trailers should not exceed a combined 80,000 pounds. When they are overloaded, they can cause problems with other parts of the truck, as well as make it difficult to control or stop the truck. When too much weight is in the trailer, stopping becomes more difficult and it can result in brake failure or some other part on the truck breaking, including the hitch. Overloaded trucks are also responsible for numerous jackknifes.
It is also possible to improperly load a trailer by making one side heavier than the other. This becomes especially dangerous when the truck has to make certain turns in which the heavier side of the trailer is making the bend. The heavier cargo could cause the trailer to turn over, landing it on its side and putting anyone nearby at risk of injury, as well as the truck driver. It is the responsibility of the trucking company owner, the driver, and the cargo loader to make sure the trailer is properly loaded. In some cases, the cargo might be purposely overloaded in order to deliver more products. This is dangerous to do.
It's not uncommon for the truck driver who hit you, or the company that employs them, to deny that they are at fault for your injuries. Why? Because truck accidents are costly to insurance companies. A truck accident often results in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damages, including bodily injury and property damage. When the truck driver or trucking company acted negligently, their own insurer is on the line to pay these high settlements.
When insurance companies try to deny liability for truck accidents, our powerful team of litigators is prepared to defend your claim, by:
Depending on the type of truck being driven, the driver is only allowed to operate the vehicle for a certain number of hours before they must take a break. For instance, if they are transporting cargo, they may only drive a maximum of 11 hours after they have been off duty for 10 consecutive hours. By implementing these Hours of Service regulations, it prevents the truck driver from driving while fatigued, which increases the risk of a crash. However, often due to tight deadlines and trucking companies wanting to deliver beyond expectations, drivers may be encouraged to violate these regulations while also altering their driver’s logs in order to reflect the time.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, please contact our team through our online form, or call us at (215) 866-2424. We offer free consultations.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.