Truck Accident Attorney in Boston

As discussed below, truck accidents mostly occur due to natural causes or negligence.

Fatigue

Truck drivers spend long hours on the road transporting goods and raw materials. Some barely get enough rest before their next shift. As a result, driving while fatigued significantly increases the risk of accidents.

Driving While Intoxicated

Although it is illegal to drive while intoxicated, some truck drivers do it anyway. Driving while intoxicated risks the truck driver's life and other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians on the road.

Bad Weather

Bad weather conditions can cause serious accidents. And when trucks are involved, the risks of accidents significantly increase. This is because trucks are heavier and larger than standard vehicles, making them much more difficult to control under bad weather conditions.

Bear in mind that Boston averages 48 inches of snow every year. Such a huge amount of snow, coupled with a heavy truck on the road, is usually a recipe for disaster.

Poor Cargo Management

Trucks carry heavy loads, sometimes even dangerous ones. For this reason, you'd expect that however loads these products or materials onto the truck will exercise the highest standards of care. This is because any form of negligence could be enough to cause life-changing injuries or even claim innocent lives.

For example, a poorly fastened load could easily fall off the truck, injuring or even killing other drivers, passengers, or pedestrians.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving has been a major cause of accidents in Boston and across the state. And when it comes to truck driving, the risks are even higher given the sheer size of these road monsters and the amount of weight they haul.

Poor Vehicle Maintenance

Most trucks travel long distances, making them more vulnerable to breakdowns. For this reason, trucking companies are required to ensure that their trucks are properly maintained. Unfortunately, some companies don't provide the kind of service these trucks need to keep everyone safe on the road. Because it's not cheap to maintain a truck, some trucking companies underestimate the importance of routine maintenance, causing serious injuries or even death on our roads.

Reckless Driving

Let's face it—some truck drivers bully their way through traffic in Boston and all over the state. Because trucks are generally larger than standard vehicles, some truck drivers feel untouchable. As a result, many people die or suffer serious injuries due to this kind of recklessness.

Bad Road Conditions

If you're a taxpayer in Boston, you expect the city council or any other relevant government organization to ensure that roads and other public amenities are in good condition. Bad roads not only damage vehicles but also increase the risk of accidents.

A recent study revealed that Massachusetts had the fifth-worst roads in the country in 2021. Precisely, Boston, Lowell, Worcester, Norwood, and Walpole had some of the worst roads in the state.

Speeding

Truck accidents caused by speeding cause serious injuries and death. Since trucks are heavier than standard vehicles, they usually take longer to stop. This explains why some trucks plow through traffic, causing damages, serious injuries, and even death while attempting to stop.

In 2019, a truck ran over a group of bikers in the Greater Boston area, killing seven of them. One of the survivors claimed that the truck plowed through the motorcycles “like a bowling ball.” Not surprisingly, the truck driver had allegedly taken drugs that day, according to prosecutors.

That's just one of the many horrific truck accidents that have occurred in the Greater Boston area over the past few years.

Understandably, you may not be sure what to do after such an accident. Here are some quick tips to guide you if you or your loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Boston.

Call 911 Immediately

It's important to call 911 and request medical assistance if you've suffered significant injuries from the accident. If you're unable to call 911, ask anyone at the accident scene to do it for you.

When paramedics arrive at the scene, they'll provide first aid and also take you to the nearest emergency room if the need arises. In addition, police officers responding to the scene will be crucial to your case down the line.

Officers who respond to an accident scene are usually required to write an accident report. The report includes details such as:

• Date, time, and location of the accident
• Name of parties involved and their contact information
• Kind of injuries sustained
• Party at fault for the accident (or who's likely to be at fault)
• Details of vehicles involved
• Details of property damage
• Any other relevant information

For this reason, make sure you request a copy of the police report. It could come in handy if you decide to take legal action against the at-fault party.

Seek Medical Attention

As discussed earlier, truck accidents usually cause serious injuries. It is, therefore, necessary to seek immediate medical attention. But that's not the only reason for this decision.

If you've been injured in a truck accident, seeking medical attention immediately allows the doctors to treat your injuries early enough. And if they can't provide the treatment you need, they'll refer you to a medical practitioner who can.

The decision to seek immediate medical attention could save your life. In fact, medical professionals recommend visiting a doctor even if you don't show any signs of injuries or discomfort at that particular moment.

Here's why:

Certain injuries, such as internal body injuries, take time to show. By the time some of these symptoms begin to show, it's usually too late to treat the underlying problem. For example, let's say you've suffered internal bleeding due to the accident. In that case, you may not know anything about it unless you get checked by a medical professional.

The saddest thing about internal bleeding is that it shuts down the body - gradually. This happens due to the accumulation of blood clots in the veins, preventing oxygen flow to the brain.

If left untreated for a long time, internal bleeding eventually leads to a coma or death.

Collect Evidence

Collect as much evidence as possible after the accident - this evidence will come in handy later. When collecting evidence, you may need to ask yourself the following questions:

• Did anyone else witness the accident?
• If so, do I have their name and contact information?
• Did anyone take photos or videos of the accident?
• Are there any visible road signs that could be helpful to my case?
• Do I have a copy of the police report?
• How do I feel after the accident?
• Have I experienced any significant lifestyle change since the accident?
• How has the accident affected my job, relationship with my family, friends, or kids (if any)?

The primary goal of documenting the accident scene and whatever happens next is to have physical copies of everything that happened. This is because memories fade with time. For example, if you suffered a concussion, you may struggle to remember everything that happened during the accident.

For this reason, document everything as much as you can.

After a truck accident caused by the truck driver's negligence, you can file a claim or lawsuit against them and recover certain damages. However, hiring an experienced truck accident lawyer comes with many benefits.

Here's how a truck accident attorney in Boston may be able to help if you or your loved one was injured by a negligent truck driver.

Determine Whether You Have a Valid Case

The truth about truck accidents is that not all of them occur due to the truck driver's negligence. Before deciding to pursue a claim or lawsuit, an experienced attorney can help determine whether you have a valid case against the other party. More specifically, they'll listen to your side of the story, examine the evidence available at the time, and then let you know whether your case is valid.

Investigate the Case to Gather Facts

You'll need facts to win a claim or lawsuit against the other party. A seasoned truck accident attorney can help you build a strong case and prove that the other party was responsible for the injuries you or your loved one sustained.

Determine Liability

One thing most accident victims don't realize is that there are times when more than one party might be responsible for the accident. If you file a claim without an attorney, you'll likely target only the other driver's insurance company. However, depending on the specifics of your case, you may have a civil lawsuit against the city if the accident happened due to terrible road conditions, a product liability case if your airbags failed to deploy, etc.

Assess Injuries

The nature of your injuries will also determine the kind of damages you may be able to recover after a successful claim or lawsuit. Before filing the claim or lawsuit, your attorney will assess your injuries.

This helps them estimate the kind of compensation you may be entitled to. Depending on the type of injuries you've suffered, you may need to wait a little longer before filing a claim or lawsuit.

For example, let's say you suffered several broken bones and you're still undergoing treatment. Filing a claim prematurely could mean getting compensation while undergoing treatment, meaning you won't be able to recover your future medical expenses.

Provide Legal Advice

An experienced truck accident lawyer can offer the kind of legal advice you need to successfully pursue a claim. Although you may be able to file a claim or lawsuit without an attorney, having an attorney will help you discover rights you never knew you had. You'll also learn about the dos and don'ts of filing these kinds of lawsuits.

For example, after the accident, you may be tempted to discuss it on social media. But did you know that the other party's legal representatives could access your social media profile, looking for anything that could jeopardize your claim?

Also, did you know that whatever you discuss with the insurance company or their claims adjuster could be used against you? These are just some of the things you'll learn when you hire an experienced truck accident attorney to work on your case.

At Morgan and Morgan, our law firm boasts a powerful team of truck accident lawyers with many years of experience. You can count on us when you need an aggressive and experienced attorney to fight for you or your loved one after such an accident.

The best part of it all is that you won't need to pay us anything unless we win the case for you. In short, you have nothing to lose by so much to gain when you hire a truck accident attorney from Morgan and Morgan, the largest personal injury law firm in the country.

Ready for a free, no-obligation case evaluation by an expert truck accident attorney? Fill out this form to get started.