Canton, Massachusetts Truck Accident Lawyers

The Canton, Massachusetts truck accident lawyers at the Neumann Law Group work closely with individuals who have been injured in truck crashes. Truck accidents can leave you suffering from serious and catastrophic injuries. Victims and their families may have the right to seek damages to cover medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. Every year, thousands of people are killed in truck accidents and many more people are injured. If the same number of people were killed in airplane crashes, there would likely be a public outcry. Yet, because we’ve grown accustomed to expecting automobile accidents to occur, we seldom think about the serious safety risk that trucks can pose when truck companies don’t take proper safety measures and when they fail to follow the law.

Truck companies are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. These laws govern various aspects of a truck company’s operations, including how long a driver can operate a truck before he or she needs to rest, truck maintenance requirements, loading regulations, and more. Most truck drivers are hard-working individuals who do everything they can to get goods and products delivered on time. Unfortunately, sometimes truck companies put unreasonable pressure on truck drivers to deliver goods at schedules that are impossible to maintain without breaking the law. Other times, truck companies might cut corners which can make the truck or driver unsafe. If you’ve been hurt in a truck crash, a truck accident lawyer in Canton, Massachusetts at the Neumann Law Group can investigate your truck accident, look into the truck company’s record and safety history, and determine whether trucking laws were broken before or during your truck accident. Truck accident claims can be more complicated than passenger vehicle personal injury claims. Truck companies are subject to greater regulations and are also required to hold higher limit insurance policies to protect drivers and victims should an accident occur. Navigating these complex laws and insurance policies can be challenging on your own. The Canton, Massachusetts semi-truck accident lawyer at the Neumann Law Group is here to help.

Trucking Laws & How They Affect Your Truck Accident Claim

Trucking laws can have a major impact on your truck accident claim. Individuals can seek compensation for a truck accident injury when the truck company is at fault, or when the truck company is mostly at fault for your accident. Under Massachusetts’s comparative negligence laws, a victim can only seek damages following an accident if the victim was less than 51% at fault for the crash. One way to determine whether the truck company was at fault is to look at whether the truck company violated any laws. Here are some important laws that could have an impact on your truck accident claim:

• Hours of Service Laws. Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration laws, a truck driver can only drive for a total of 11 hours, and only after they have been off duty for at least 10 hours. If a commercial vehicle is carrying passengers, the driver can only drive for 10 hours after 8 hours off-duty. Hours of service have further limitations to prevent drivers from being fatigued behind the wheel. For example, after 8 hours on-duty a driver is required to take a 30-minute break. Fatigued driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving. Your semi-truck accident lawyer in Canton, MA at the Neumann Law Group can look at driving logs, shipping records, and even road cameras to determine whether a truck driver broke these laws.
• Trucks must be maintained on a regular basis and there are also laws and restrictions on how a truck must be maintained. For example, when tires of a truck are changed, they must be changed with new and not used tires. When a truck’s tires fail, this can result in a driver losing control of the vehicle. Other aspects of truck maintenance are no less crucial. The brakes of a truck must be properly maintained, or a truck could fail to stop when the driver needs to stop. If you believe your truck accident was the result of mechanical failure, the truck accident lawyers in Canton, MA at the Neumann Law Group can look at the truck company’s maintenance records and also look at the methods the maintenance company might have used when maintaining the truck. In some cases, a semi-truck accident lawyer might find that maintenance personnel or companies were also negligent in the accident.
• Federal laws govern how heavy a truck can be loaded and how a truck must be loaded. A heavily loaded truck or improperly loaded truck can be a hazard. These trucks might be at greater risk of tipping over, not being able to stop, or the driver may be at greater risk of losing control of these vehicles. The Canton, Massachusetts, truck accident lawyers at the Neumann Law Firm can investigate how a truck might have been loaded and hold shipping companies or truck companies accountable if the truck was improperly loaded.
• Driver Safety. Drivers must pass regular medical tests and must maintain up-to-date licensure. Truck companies also may have a responsibility to properly vet and assess the drivers they hire. There have been cases where a truck accident lawyer looked into a truck driver’s driving record only to learn that he or she had accidents in several states or a medical condition that disqualified him or her from driving. The Canton, MA semi-truck accident lawyers at the Neumann Law Group can investigate a truck driver’s driving history and record to see if the driver has a safe driving history.
• Drinking and Driving. Truck drivers are held to a far higher standard when it comes to the BAC limit for commercial drivers. In most states the BAC is 0.08, but for truck drivers it is 0.04, a much lower limit. Commercial drivers are held to this higher standard because they operate heavy vehicles that can cause much greater damage in the event of an accident. Some commercial drivers also carry passengers and others might transport hazardous materials.
• Distracted Driving. Truck drivers are held to a far higher standard than regular passenger vehicle drivers when it comes to cell phone use. Truck drivers are not permitted to hold, dial, or reach for any hand-held cell phone while driving.

These are just some of the ways that trucking laws can impact a truck accident claim. Violation of any of these laws could increase the percentage of negligence of the truck company and potentially increase the value of your truck accident claim. When it comes to seeking damages if you’ve been hurt in a truck accident, the truck accident attorneys in Canton, MA at the Neumann Law Group can take the time to investigate your case, help you understand your rights and options under the law, and fight to help you get the settlement you may deserve.

Contact a Canton, MA Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Today

You may only have a limited time to seek damages for your truck accident injuries. The process of settling a truck accident claim can sometimes be more complicated than the process for settling a regular passenger vehicle claim. More stakeholders might be involved in a truck accident claim. Following a passenger vehicle accident there is usually only one person at fault—the passenger vehicle driver. But following a truck accident, the driver might not be the only person at fault. The truck company, maintenance personnel, and shipping companies may also have a role to play in the accident. If you’ve been seriously injured in a truck accident, you need a skilled truck accident lawyer who can carefully investigate the circumstances of your case and fight diligently for your rights. The Canton, MA semi-truck accident lawyers at the Neumann Law Group offer compassionate and caring counsel to truck accident victims and their families. We are here to help you.