Truck Accident Lawyer in Ohio

If you or a loved one sustained severe injuries in an Ohio truck accident, you need someone on your side, fighting for you and your future.

A truck accident attorney can help ensure that you don’t have to face these challenges alone.

Semi-truck and 18-wheeler accidents have the potential to be catastrophic. In addition to potentially life-threatening injuries, you may face extensive time away from work.

With no way to pay your medical bills or living expenses, you could quickly find yourself overwhelmed.

Hiring a truck accident lawyer can help get you the resources you need. Your attorney will help you hold the at-fault parties accountable and fight to recover the compensation you deserve.

Contact us online or call (419) 455-1410 today for a free consultation.

Hiring a Truck Accident Lawyer in Ohio

If you sustained injuries due to someone else’s actions, an 18-wheeler accident attorney can help.

Hiring a semi-accident injury lawyer helps protect your legal rights. Your lawyer will fight to get justice for you by holding the at-fault party accountable for their actions. Whether your accident resulted from negligence, recklessness, or some other bad action, an experienced Ohio truck accident lawyer will work tirelessly to build a persuasive case on your behalf.

Some of the most common causes of Ohio semi-truck accidents include:

• Inadequate driver training. A trucking company may be held responsible for negligently training their employees. Trucking companies have a duty to others to hire qualified drivers and adequately train and supervise them to ensure they operate their trucks safely. 
• Driver fatigue. Truck drivers are required to take rest breaks between deliveries to avoid exhaustion. Driving while fatigued is often as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 
• Driver impairment. Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal for all drivers, including those operating commercial trucks. Drugs and alcohol impair a driver’s ability to react to changing conditions, alter a person’s reasoning skills, and dull their muscle coordination. 
• Equipment failure. Trucking companies have a duty to maintain their trucking fleet in safe conditions. Additionally, a driver must report any potential equipment issues to their employer to avoid a dangerous condition while operating the vehicle on the road. 
• Speeding. Speeding is particularly dangerous for commercial drivers due to their size, weight, and high center of gravity. 
• Unsafe lane changes. Commercial truck drivers changing lanes unexpectedly without ensuring safety create a risk of collisions. Due to the length and size of trucks, drivers must take extra precautions when changing lanes to avoid injury to others on the road. 
• Poor equipment maintenance. A trucking company must regularly monitor and evaluate the condition of its fleet. Regular maintenance checks of the tires, brakes, engine, and other truck parts ensure that equipment failures don’t occur while their drivers are on the road.

In some cases, semi drivers use excessive speed or fail to obey roadway signage or traffic laws. Whatever the cause of your accident and injuries may have been, your truck accident lawyer can put their resources to work, investigating and documenting your case.

The Differences Between Semi-Truck Accidents and Car Accidents

Many vehicle crash victims walk away with minor bumps, scrapes, and bruises. Commercial trucking accidents, on the other hand, place victims at risk for catastrophic injuries or even death.

Commercial semi-trucks are extremely heavy and large, making it difficult for drivers to stop or maneuver the vehicle. Cargo loads can cause even more complex problems, especially if the cargo is hazardous.

When you get into a car accident, you typically deal with only the other driver (and, typically, their insurance company). In a semi-truck collision, you must deal with the driver as well as the trucking company.

In most cases, both parties will have insurance companies and attorneys. It’s even possible that the cargo shipper or the tractor/trailer manufacturer could become involved. With so much at stake, these parties will do whatever it takes to reduce their liability—and your potential settlement.

Finally, truck accidents differ from passenger vehicle crashes in how the law governs each type of vehicle. Commercial vehicles must comply with federal regulations, and these regulations may also dictate how investigations are conducted and how liability is determined.

As you can see, having an experienced Ohio semi-truck accident attorney on your side can provide a host of invaluable benefits.

Common Injuries from Ohio 18-Wheeler Accidents

Semi-truck accidents can cause catastrophic injuries that leave you permanently disabled or disfigured. These crashes can also lead to fatalities in many cases.

Some of the most common injuries that result from trucking accidents include:

• Bone fractures and dislocations,
• Internal injuries and bleeding,
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis,
• Traumatic brain injuries and coma,
• Loss of limbs or digits, and
• Wrongful death.

Many truck accident victims never recover from their injuries, suffering permanent disability or disfigurement. These victims often require ongoing medical treatment and full-time care. If you or a loved one sustained serious injuries in a trucking accident you didn’t cause, you deserve the maximum possible compensation for your losses.

How Can an Ohio Truck Accident Lawyer Help?

Building a persuasive case for an 18-wheeler accident requires substantial knowledge and effort due to the highly complex nature of these claims. This is one of the most important reasons for hiring an experienced semi-accident injury lawyer.

Investigate the Accident 

Your truck accident lawyer in Ohio investigates your claim’s facts and details and determines whether the case is strong and valid. Establishing a successful compensation claim requires proof of the driver’s, the trucking company’s, or another potential party’s negligence in causing the accident and your injuries.

Multiple people may be responsible for your harm, and your truck accident lawyer works tirelessly to hold all parties responsible so you can collect the compensation you need. 

Gather Evidence

To document your claim, your attorney will investigate your accident and obtain evidence that might include:

• Trucking company safety records,
• Trucking company maintenance records,
• Truck driver’s driving record, 
• History of training and education for drivers,
• Driver logs,
• Blackbox data,
• Eyewitness statements, and
• Accident scene photos and videos.

Your attorney may also collect physical evidence from the scene, if possible.

Reviewing your medical reports, discussions with your treating physician, and conversations with family and friends help your lawyer better understand how the accident has impacted you. 

In some cases, trucking companies may attempt to hide or destroy evidence to minimize their liability. For this reason, it is important to contact an attorney as quickly as possible after a truck accident. The sooner your Ohio trucking accident lawyer can get started working on your case, the better.

Calculate Case Value

Your attorney will also calculate the value of your claim to ensure you recover the maximum possible damages.

Depending on the circumstances of your accident, you may be eligible to recover compensatory damages, including economic and noneconomic damages.

Examples of compensatory damages include:

• Medical expenses and treatment,
• Lost income and benefits,
• Loss of future earnings,
• Property damage,  
• Emotional distress, 
• Loss of consortium, 
• Loss of enjoyment of life, 
• Permanent disfigurement and disability, and
• Pain and suffering.

If you require future medical treatment or long-term care, your attorney will include the estimated value of those services in your claim. If you cannot return to work or resume your old job duties due to your injuries, you may be entitled to recover compensation for future income losses as well.

Ohio truck accident lawyers find proof of these losses through tangible evidence, including documentation such as invoices, receipts, pay stubs, and medical bills.

Your testimony and the testimony from friends, family, and experts will help support your claim for noneconomic damages and the impact your injuries have had on your life. 

Recovering the full value of your damages is vital to your recovery and regaining some semblance of your life before your accident. Truck accident injuries impact the victim and your relationship with your family and friends.

Many of these subjective losses are difficult to calculate; however, your attorney knows how best to quantify the value of these losses to get you and your family the compensation needed to move forward. 

Negotiate 

Your Ohio truck accident attorney negotiates a fair settlement on your behalf with insurance companies and opposing legal counsel. Insurance rarely chooses to pay out settlements. Negotiating a favorable settlement requires experience and skill, as well as supportive evidence gathered from your case. It’s up to your attorney to prove the value of your losses to get you the compensation you need and deserve. 

Litigate 

When settlement negotiations fail to produce favorable settlements, your Ohio truck accident lawyer prepares your case for trial. While most personal injury cases rarely go to trial, it’s vital to have an attorney ready to litigate your case before a judge and jury in case settlement discussions fall apart.

No victim should be forced to accept a settlement offer that doesn’t come close to compensating them for the losses they have suffered and continue to suffer.

Your attorney will be by your side throughout the legal process, handling every aspect of your case. This helps protect your legal rights and provides you with the time you need to focus on your health and recovery.

Contact an Ohio Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Today

Time is of the essence after any commercial trucking industry accident. You need an experienced lawyer who can move quickly to preserve evidence and build a persuasive case on your behalf.

Aaron Bensinger of Bensinger Legal Services in Northwest Ohio has the experience you need. Licensed in both Ohio and California, Mr. Bensinger knows how to take on large insurance and trucking companies.

His track record clearly demonstrates that he knows how to get the job done for you.  Mr. Bensinger never hesitates to take on insurance companies and will take your case to trial if needed.

With a focus on ensuring his clients receive the compensation they deserve, Mr. Bensinger is laser-focused on providing them with the best legal representation possible.

He also takes the time to listen and answer your questions, providing the compassionate support you need during this time.

Don’t try to fight this critical battle alone. Contact our firm online or call (419) 455-1410 today for a free consultation and case evaluation.