Personal Injury Lawyer
Fort Wayne·Indianapolis, Indiana

William Shatner TV Spokesperson

Fort Wayne(260) 424-0954
Fort Wayne(260) 424-0954
Indianapolis(317) 636-5211
Indianapolis(317) 636-5211

Truck Accident Lawyers

We hold truck drivers & trucking companies accountable for their actions

Accidents caused by tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, delivery trucks and other commercial vehicles often result in serious injuries. These types of accidents also often turn out to be complicated legal cases. That’s because there may be several vehicles, drivers and businesses involved in a bad truck accident.

When this happens, it’s important for injury victims and their families to take immediate legal action to protect their rights. Otherwise, your commercial truck accident case might not get the attention it rightfully deserves. We know what’s at stake at Glaser & Ebbs. That’s why our truck accident attorneys in Fort Wayne want to help.

Our team of attorneys has more than 100 years of combined legal experience fighting for the rights of injury victims in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and throughout Indiana. We know what it takes to obtain sizable settlement claims and verdicts. As your lawyer, you can count on us to get right to work after your truck accident. We will aggressively investigate your case and will not rest until justice is served.

What should I do after my accident?

If a commercial truck driver has caused your accident, it’s important to take certain steps right away to protect your health and your rights. Otherwise, you might have a hard time getting the money you deserve for your injury claim.

While each accident often has its own unique details, there are often several steps you should take to build the strongest possible accident claim against the at-fault truck driver, including:

  • Seek immediate medical attention – Even if you feel fine after your accident, you could have a serious, life-threatening injury. Internal injuries (including organ damage) are common in truck accidents. Without proper medical care, your life could be at risk. In addition, insurance companies often require proof of an injury when determining the amount of an injury victim’s accident claim. Without a medical record of your injury, the at-fault driver’s insurance company may deny your claim, particularly since Indiana has a fault-based insurance system.
  • Call the police – If you or anyone else was injured in an accident caused by a truck driver, report your crash immediately to the police. Ask the local police or Indiana State Police to respond to your accident and investigate what happened. Their investigation can be an important piece of evidence for your injury claim.
  • Get a copy of your accident report – One of the most important pieces of evidence after a truck accident can be your official accident report. In Indiana, this report is officially known as the Indiana Officer's Standard Crash Report. Make sure your report is accurate. If not, your lawyer can help you set the record straight.
  • Gather information at the crash site – If you are still at the scene of the accident and you’re healthy enough to do so, gather information which can be used as evidence in support of your claim. Evidence can include pictures of the crash site and statements from witnesses. Make sure to get their full name and phone number so investigators can contact eyewitnesses later.
  • Get the truck driver’s personal details – If you are healthy enough to do so, get the truck driver’s name, address and insurance information. If they work for a trucking company, make sure you get the name, address and phone number for the trucking company, as well.
  • Share your information – Feel free to give the same information to the truck driver – your full name, address and insurance information.
  • Don’t discuss your accident – Do no talk about your truck accident with anyone, particularly the truck driver or the truck driver’s insurance company. The same goes for social media. Do not write or post anything about your crash. This information could later be used as evidence to reduce or deny your claim.
  • Contact your insurance company – Tell your insurance company you have been in an accident caused by a commercial truck driver. During your initial call with your insurance company, do not talk about your accident in detail. Anything you say could later be used by insurance companies to deny your accident claim.
  • Hire a lawyer to handle your claim – The sooner you have an attorney on your side investigating your truck accident, the better. Your lawyer can deal directly with insurance companies, trucking companies and anyone else who may be responsible for compensating you for your crash.

Make sure you take your truck accident seriously right from the start. Make sure you have a lawyer you can trust thoroughly investigating your crash.

What are common causes of truck accidents?

Truck accidents caused by commercial vehicles happen for many different reasons. Some of the most common causes of accidents include:

  • Speeding truck drivers, especially in the case of highway truck accidents (Some rural highways in Indiana have a 70 mph speed limit, which some truck drivers ignore.)
  • Distracted driving, particularly since truck drivers often try to do so many things at once behind the wheel (look up directions, talk to a dispatcher, eat while driving and text while driving, even though texting while driving is against the law nationwide for commercial truckers)
  • Truck drivers falling asleep at the wheel, especially in the case of crashes caused by long-haul truckers driving tractor-trailers across the country
  • Truck drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs
  • Poorly maintained trucks, including bald tires that blowout, defective brakes that don’t work or brake lights that don’t work. Truck drivers and trucking companies have a responsibility to properly maintain and regularly inspect their trucks. Unfortunately, some truck companies fail to take such safety precautions.
  • Inexperienced truck drivers who lose control of the truck, resulting in a rollover accident, jackknife accident or another type of serious collision
  • Improperly loaded trucks, especially in the case of tractor-trailer accidents if the contents of the truck are not properly secured in the trailer. When this happens, the contents of the truck can shift, causing the truck to roll over or veer out of control into other vehicles.

Whatever the cause of your truck accident, make sure you have an experienced attorney investigating your crash and gathering evidence in support of your injury claim.

Who investigates truck accidents?

When a commercial truck driver causes a serious accident, many people and state or federal agencies often become involved in the accident investigation. Often, these investigators are trying to determine if any state or federal laws were violated, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s regulations, federal trucking laws that are collectively known as Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Some of the different agencies or individuals investigating your truck accident may include:

  • The local police department where the accident took place
  • Indiana State Police, if the accident took place on a highway or state road
  • The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), particularly in the case of serious or fatal truck accidents
  • The at-fault truck driver’s insurance company
  • Your insurance company
  • Insurance companies for anyone accused of being responsible for the accident
  • Attorneys working on behalf of insurance companies

With so many different people often involved in a truck accident investigation, it’s important that you have a lawyer investigating your crash on your behalf. Many other people investigating your accident – especially the truck driver’s insurance company – will often do everything they can to deny your claim. Your attorney can make sure your best interests and your injury claim get the attention you deserve.

Who can I sue after my accident?

In many cases, the best way to get the money you deserve after your truck accident is to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party. This might sound simple, but there may be more than one person or business to blame for causing your truck accident. Depending on the circumstances of your crash, you may be able to take legal action against:

  • The truck driver
  • The truck driver’s trucking company
  • The owner of the truck’s cab or trailer, particularly in cases involving tractor-trailers
  • The company that loaded the truck, particularly if the truck was improperly loaded
  • The company that packaged the contents in the truck, especially if the contents came lose and shifted inside the truck, causing the truck to jackknife or rollover
  • The company that manufactured the truck or certain truck parts, particularly in cases involving tire blowouts and defective truck brakes

Don’t underestimate the complexity of your truck accident claim. Talk to a lawyer who knows how to investigate truck accidents and who can gather the facts you need to demand the compensation you deserve.

Take a stand after your accident. Contact our law firm.

The stakes can often be very high in cases involving commercial truck drivers. Trucking companies, insurance providers and their attorneys know this. That’s why they often take an aggressive approach and do everything they can to dismiss or deny your claim.

They don’t intimidate us. We know how to take on trucking companies, insurance companies or anyone else who stands in our way for justice. As your lawyer, we will thoroughly investigate your crash, including reviewing the truck’s so-called “black box” data recorder, also known as an event data recorder or electronic control module. These devices often contain important information such as the speed the truck was traveling at the time of the crash, when the truck driver last took a break and if the driver applied the brakes before the accident.

Get a Fort Wayne truck accident attorney who will give your claim the attention it rightfully deserves. Contact our law firm and schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers. We have offices in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and other locations in Indiana.

Locations
Fort Wayne

132 E Berry St
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 424-0954

Indianapolis

845 S Meridian St #1000
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 636-5211

Decatur

103 N 2nd St
Decatur, IN 46733
(260) 728-9997

Warsaw

107 E Market St
Warsaw, IN 46580
(574) 269-3634

Kendallville

812 N Lima Rd
Kendallville, IN 46755
(260) 242-5253

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