Detroit Lakes Truck Accident Attorney

Truck Accident Claims Filed in Minnesota

Across the highways of Minnesota, countless commercial trucks are hauling everything from retail products and heavy equipment to crude oil for use in a refinery. Due to the consistent demand for truck-based transportation in the state, the odds of encountering an exhausted and overworked trucker are high – and the chances of a truck accident are also inherently increased. If you get hit by a commercial truck, big rig, semi-truck, tractor-trailer, or any other kind of large commercial vehicle, then you should come to Maring Williams Law Office right away for legal help.

We are a local law firm in Detroit Lakes that genuinely cares about the people in our communities. Our goal is not to increase our reputation by making your claim about us. No, we are here to support you through such a difficult time by keeping you and your best interests in center focus at all times. Even if you decide you want to let another law firm take the lead on your truck accident claim, we would still be happy to hear from you and provide some of our insight during a free initial consultation. At our law firm, caring about our clients always comes first.

Call (218) 228-6332 to see how our Detroit Lakes truck accident lawyers can help with your claim.

Common Reasons Truck Accidents Happen

Do you know what caused your truck accident? Perhaps it is more important to ask if you can prove what caused it. Our truck accident attorneys have decades of collective experience working on highly complex injury claims brought against stubborn insurance companies and defendants. When it comes to finding the cause of your truck accident and using that information to pinpoint liability, you can trust in our team to handle things.

What are some of the more common causes of truck accidents?

• Exhaustion: Truck drivers often spend 11 hours behind the wheel each day, with some spending even longer than that due to loopholes in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. It is not uncommon for a trucker to feel fatigued while completing a route, which will inherently increase their chances of causing a crash.
• Speeding: When faced with excessively long shifts, some truck drivers may be tempted to exceed posted speed limits for commercial vehicles. Speeding is always dangerous, but it is substantially more dangerous for larger, heavier vehicles that build more momentum at higher speeds, requiring greater distances to come to a stop safely.
• Unbalanced cargo: The freight that is hauled by a tractor-trailer can actually contribute to a truck accident if it is loaded incorrectly. For example, when a trailer is top-heavy due to incorrectly stacked cargo inside of it, the entire vehicle can tip onto its side when making a sharp turn or as a gust of wind hits it.
• Vehicle defects: The average commercial truck can drive hundreds of thousands of miles in a year of service. All of that time spent on the road significantly wears down the parts and components of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a dangerous defect. Truckers and trucking companies have a responsibility to routinely repair and tune-up their trucks.

How Insurance Works for Truck Accidents

When you are hit by a negligent driver in a car accident, you will rarely deal with that driver in particular as your case progresses. Instead, you will interact with and demand compensation from the auto insurance company that sold a policy to that driver. The same is true with trucking accidents.

In most cases, the truck driver answers for only so much liability and damages in a truck accident. Typically, a major insurance company that sells policies to commercial trucking companies answers your claim to compensation.

There are pros and cons to dealing with a truck insurance company:

• Pros: An insurance policy purchased by a trucking company is likely to have higher policy caps than a policy purchased by an individual trucker. To this end, you are more likely to receive a maximized and fair amount of compensation for your damages if your case is successful.
• Cons: Your case will face a greater legal challenge when dealing with a defense team that represents the insurance company. It is common practice for truck insurance companies to keep defense attorneys on staff, who spend every day of their careers challenging claims in and out of court. To take them on, you will want legal representation of equal measure.

Truck Accident FAQ

Three quick questions you might have after being in a truck accident are:

• Is there evidence I should give my lawyer to help my claim? 
  Anything you recorded at the scene of your truck accident can be useful to your attorney. Photographs, testimonies, and copies of first responder reports, in particular, can paint a better picture of what happened. Your medical records from initial and follow-up medical appointments are also helpful in understanding the extent of your injuries and damages.
• What damages can I recover? 
  In a trucking accident claim filed in Minnesota, you can demand a variety of damages, as long as they are all related to your accident and the injuries it caused. Most claims will list medical bills, lost wages, and physical and emotional pain and trauma as the main types of damages.
• How long will my claim take to conclude? 
  There is no set timeline for truck accident claims that will tell you with absolute certainty how long your claim will take to reach a finishing point. When it is clear that a truck driver caused your accident, the trucking company may offer a settlement to avoid litigation. In a best-case scenario, the offer could be finalized in several months to a year. If your claim is hotly contested, then it might end up in litigation, where the court procedures slow things down. When this happens, you can expect your case to take at least a year or a bit longer.

Do you have more pressing questions about truck accident claims? Our Detroit Lakes truck accident attorneys have more answers. Please call us at (218) 228-6332 if you need our assistance with a claim of your own.