Commercial tractor-trailers crowd highways across America day and night. They are so commonplace on Nebraska roads that we often don’t give them much thought. But when a semi-truck jackknifes in front of you or loses his brakes behind you, you suddenly become very aware of just how dangerous these 40-ton vehicles can be.
If you are lucky enough to survive a collision with an 18-wheeler, you will need an experienced truck accident attorney to represent you as you take on the driver, his employer, and their team of attorneys to get the fair compensation you deserve for your physical injuries, mental trauma and other losses. Omaha catastrophic injury and trucka accident attorney Matt Lathrop represents victims of truck accidents in Nebraska and Iowa. He and his legal team would be happy to offer you a free case evaluation to see if he can help you.
Truck Injury Cases Need Truck Accident Lawyers
A driver breaks a traffic law or takes his eyes off the road, and the innocent driver of a car nearby is injured. This could describe any kind of auto accident, but when it comes to a commercial truck crash, this is where the similarities end. Truck accident cases are far more complicated than most car crash claims, and you want a lawyer representing you who understands the difference and is prepared to protect you when you are a victim, regardless of whether or not you've sustaind a catastrophic or traumatic brain injury. A few of the ways semi-truck crashes are different from car accidents include the following:
Trucks Carry Larger Insurance Policies
While Nebraska requires drivers of passenger cars to carry a minimum of $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires semi-trucks to carry at least $750,000, and most trucks have policies of $1 million or more. Trucking companies, which can often be held liable as well as their drivers, have policies worth several million dollars. When you are dealing with these sums of money, it is vital that your accident attorney knows how to represent your interests to get you what you deserve.
Victims Suffer More Serious Injuries
The sheer size and weight difference between an 18-wheeler and an ordinary passenger car mean that injuries can be catastrophic. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and amputations resulting in life-long debilitating injuries are not uncommon in truck crashes. Your attorney must understand the long-term costs of these kinds of damage so he can get you the settlement you will need to recover as much as you can.
Federal Regulations are Involved
Commercial semi-trucks are regulated by federal law, and your attorney has to be aware of all of the regulations that may have been broken in order to hold the driver and his employer accountable for the damage they have caused. General personal injury attorneys will not have this important knowledge. Having an experienced truck accident lawyer is key to a successful claim whether you settle or go to trial.
Fatalities are Much More Likely
Just as trucks cause more serious injuries, they also cause more fatalities. Fatal accidents involving wrongful death claims are much more complicated than other types of accident claims. A wrongful death attorney experienced in truck accidents is much more likely to be successful when you have lost a loved one.
More Lawyers Will be Involved
With the amount of money involved, you can be sure the trucking company will bring a team of attorneys to fight your claim. You need a confident, proven truck accident trial attorney to stand up to the trucking company’s bullies in court.
Attorney Matt Lathrop has the truck accident experience and record of success you need when you are injured, or a loved one is killed, in a Nebraska truck crash.
Discover the Matt Lathrop Difference
There are other truck accident lawyers in Omaha, Nebraska, but not many of them are proven trial attorneys. Why does this matter? If your attorney has no intention of taking your case to trial, he or she loses a powerful bargaining chip. At the Law Office of Matthew A. Lathrop, we prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. This gives us a much stronger negotiating position and, if we have to go to court to get what you deserve, we are ready for it! How do we prepare for a commercial truck accident trial? By gathering evidence and running jury focus groups multiple times on the facts of your case. That way, we know what will work best in court. We don’t see a trial as a last resort. Instead, we understand that it is sometimes the best option for our client—and we always want what’s best for our clients.
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