Indiana Cargo Truck Accident Attorneys

Our economy relies on cargo trucks to transport goods. However, drivers of these vehicles must operate them safely. In 2019 there were over 5,000 crashes involving large trucks in the state of Indiana, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These crashes occur for a variety of reasons.

Regardless of why a crash occurs, these collisions often result in significant property damage as well as serious bodily injury and possibly even death. Statistics show that in an accident between a cargo truck and a passenger car, the occupants of the passenger car are much more likely to suffer fatal injuries than the truck driver. This is because the enormous size of cargo trucks affords the truck driver more protection than the occupants of the average car.

If you or a loved one sustained injuries in an accident with a cargo truck, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain, suffering, and damages. Call Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers at (219) 286-7361 for a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable Indiana truck accident attorneys.

Do I Need A Cargo Truck Accident Lawyer?

After an accident with a cargo truck, an attorney can help you get the compensation you are entitled to under the law. You need to focus on healing from your injuries, not on filing claims or lawsuits.

Don’t talk to anyone about your accident until you talk to a lawyer. Representatives of the insurance companies for the trucking company, truck driver, and any other parties involved in the accident do not represent you. To try to get you to accept a lower compensation amount than what you are entitled to, the insurance company representatives may act as if they care about you and your pain and suffering. Remember, their job is to minimize the compensation that the insurance company ultimately pays you.

When you hire us for your legal representation, we can speak on your behalf. We can deal with the insurance companies, so you don’t have to. We can communicate with all the other parties to the accident. The duties of a skilled accident lawyer who represents you are to protect your rights and help you obtain all the compensation to which you are entitled under the law. You owe it to yourself to have someone represent you and act in your best interests. To preserve your rights and maximize your compensation, talk to an experienced attorney immediately after the accident.

The resources we have at our disposal include accident reconstruction specialists and investigators. They help us to thoroughly investigate the facts surrounding your accident. Our experts also enable us to quantify the future expenses you may face because of your injuries. The results of our investigation will tell us how and why the accident occurred. The investigation will also identify all the parties that bear responsibility for the accident.

A legal professional who has the knowledge and experience to help you to navigate the complicated legal system can help you obtain the fair compensation to which you are entitled. The injuries from the accident may be severe and life-altering. As such, you may be faced with substantial medical expenses now and in the future. You may be entitled to recover compensation for these costs.

You may have to take time off work because of the accident. It’s possible that you may have to miss work because of doctor visits or physical therapy. You may even have to miss work on an ongoing basis.  Depending on the type and severity of your injuries, it’s possible that your injuries will prevent you from ever returning to your job. You may be entitled to compensation for your time off work and for any wages you lost because of a disability resulting from the accident.

You need the skills and resources that a seasoned attorney can provide. Our attorneys know how to collect evidence that will show how much your actual medical costs and expenses are, how much your future medical expenses are likely to be, and exactly how much money you have lost in wages because you were unable to work. They can also undertake the difficult task of quantifying non-economic losses such as pain and suffering and loss of quality of life. Our attorneys can balance all these factors and arrive at a compensation amount that will cover all your expenses and enable you to move forward in your life after your accident.

When you have legal representation, you may end up recovering more than three times as much as you would if you attempted to handle the case on your own.

Why Choose Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers to Represent You?

The attorneys at Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers have over fifteen combined years of legal experience, and we’ve won millions of dollars for our clients. Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers does not represent big corporations and insurance companies; we only represent individuals like you. Everyone at our firm understands the horrible ordeal you have experienced. We appreciate the devastating physical, medical, financial, mental, and emotional effects that a cargo truck accident victim may experience. You need to focus on your recovery and getting your life back.

By retaining a well-qualified, success-driven firm such as Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers, you have us to handle the legal details for you. We will work hard to get you all the compensation the law allows. We will negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company and any other parties involved in the case for a settlement that compensates you for everything you have lost. We have represented thousands of clients successfully, and are ready to do the same for you.

If the negotiations with the insurance company and other parties fail to produce an acceptable settlement, then Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers will seek justice for you in court. We will do everything possible to see that you the money required to put your life back together.

We handle all our personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid if we win compensation for you. We offer a free initial consultation with one of our skilled attorneys. Don’t let your inability to afford legal representation prevent you from obtaining the compensation you need and deserve.

We know the law, and we know what we are doing. We have earned recognition in the National Trial Lawyer Top 100 the National Trial Lawyer’s Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyers of Indiana, and our founder, Brian Custy, was named to the 2020 Irish Legal 100. We want to work hard for you.

We have offices conveniently located in Valparaiso and Merrillville, but we handle cases throughout Indiana.

Causes of Cargo Truck Accidents

Many cargo truck accidents occur because someone was negligent. Negligence can result from the action or inaction of any one of a variety of parties. We handle all the different types of cargo truck accidents that occur.

Some behaviors that could provoke a cargo truck wreck are:

• Distracted driving – such as looking at a cell phone
• Inadequate or improper training by the trucking company
• Driver’s failure to check blind spots
• Driver’s failure to properly signal
• Driving while intoxicated
• Driving under the influence of a controlled or illegal substance
• Driver fatigue that causes the driver to fall asleep
• Driver’s health – some conditions may interfere with the driver’s ability to safely drive a truck
• Driver’s lack of familiarity with the roadway
• Reckless driving

Other possible causes or contributing factors include:

• Mechanical issues with the vehicle
• Poor roadway conditions
• Poor or lack of signage on the roadway
• Other drivers on the roadway

A detailed and thorough investigation of the accident will determine who was at fault. The investigation may show that parties other than the truck driver were partly or wholly liable for the accident. Once we know who was liable, we can begin the process of seeking compensation for your injuries and losses.

Common Injuries in Cargo Truck Accidents

Injuries can range from relatively minor to catastrophic and may include the following:

• Fractures
• Lacerations
• Contusions
• Coma
• Muscle strains
• Dental injuries
• Paralysis
• Neck injuries
• Internal organ injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Other head injuries
• Burn injuries
• Death

Indiana Law and Your Accident

Even if you think that you were partially responsible for the accident, the law may still entitle you to compensation. Indiana state law uses the legal theory of comparative negligence, also known as the “51 percent fault” system.  The law entitles you to compensation for your injuries, provided you were less than 51 percent responsible for the accident.

The amount of your compensation is reduced in proportion to your amount of responsibility for the accident. For instance, if the court determines that you were 20 percent responsible, then you would only get 80 percent of the amount that the court awards to you. In other words, if you were entitled to $50,000 and were 20% responsible, the most money you could get would be $40,000.

Indiana law provides that you have a right to file a claim for two years from the date of the accident. There are several exceptions to this, and a cargo truck accident lawyer can provide further details.

Contact An Indiana Cargo Truck Accident Lawyer Today

Did you or a loved one sustain injuries in a crash involving a cargo truck? If so, one of our compassionate attorneys can help you get all the compensation you are entitled to under the law.  Call Custy Law Firm | Accident & Injury Lawyers today at (219) 286-7361 for a free consultation. We’re here to help.