Youngstown Truck Accident Lawyer

You Have Rights After a Truck Crash

We focus on truck accident injury claims and know the stress and grief truck accidents can cause. According to the Ohio Revised Code, you have the right to pursue financial relief for all the ways a truck accident negatively affected your life. Let us use our legal experience to help you recover — financially and physically.

Truck accident cases can become complicated by several things. There could be multiple parties responsible for a truck collision. The evidence needed to prove fault could be challenging to obtain. Large insurance companies will also likely try to reduce your payout. To ensure your rights are protected and your Youngstown truck accident case gets the necessary attention, turn to the dedicated truck accident lawyers at Ohio Truck Accident Help.

Why Get a Youngstown Truck Lawyer

When a semi-truck, 18-wheeler, or other commercial truck crash, they can cause significantly more damage than crashes with passenger vehicles. Trucks are larger, have more momentum, and may carry potentially hazardous cargo.

After a collision, a trucking company, the driver, or their insurers will do what they can to reduce their liability. They are driven by profit, so they might work to discredit your injuries or blame you for the crash. These large companies typically have more resources than truck accident victims, so recovering compensation can quickly become challenging. But you don’t have to handle it alone.

Ohio Truck Accident Help has considerable experience and a reputation for dealing with Youngstown-area truck accidents. We have the resources to investigate properly and even the odds. We’re here to hold negligent truck drivers, their employers, and insurance companies accountable and fight for your fair compensation.

Youngstown Truck Accidents & Personal Injury Laws

Ohio allows truck accident victims to pursue legal action to make them “financially whole.” As a result, the victim can file a lawsuit through the Mahoning County courts or use an insurance claim to gain compensation from the at-fault party.

Most Mahoning County Truck Crashes Are Due to Negligence

Knowing what negligence is and how to prove it is key to pursuing compensation after a truck accident. For example, you or your loved one may believe the accident was caused by a distracted truck driver or defective vehicle. Both are examples of negligence, but you’ll need evidence to prove what happened and the harm you or a loved one endured as a result.

Suppose you were driving south on I-680, and a semi-truck veered ahead as they merged from US 62. If they did not maintain a clear distance or properly signal, they would be negligent if they made you crash. They should be held accountable for any damage or injuries they cause.

Our Youngstown truck accident lawyers will work with local law enforcement, insurance companies, and anyone else who can provide evidence of negligence. We will work to establish that you were owed a duty of care, someone’s behavior or actions violated that duty, you were caused harm as a result, and you suffered damages.

Fault & Liability

Determining fault in a truck accident case can be complex. The fault could lie with several people, whether the driver, their employer, the truck’s manufacturer, or someone who loaded the truck before the accident. Our trucking accident lawyers can use their local knowledge to find and assign fault to all appropriate parties.

Mahoning County Truck Crashes

As the Ohio Department of Transportation starts the Interchange Improvement Project in Mahoning County, you can expect to be in traffic with other large vehicles around these work zones. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, large trucks are involved in a third of all fatal crashes in work zones.

Typical truck crashes in the Youngstown area include:

• Utility Vehicle accidents
• Underride and Override accidents
• Tanker Truck accidents
• Rear-end truck accidents
• Jackknife accidents
• Dump Truck accidents
• Delivery Vehicle accidents

Youngstown Truck Accident Injuries

It’s common for truck accidents to result in:

• Spinal and Paralysis injuries
• Head and brain injuries
• Death
• Burn Injuries
• Broken Bones

Types of Truck Accident Damages

There are primarily two types of damages an at-fault party or an insurance company will be responsible for paying after a truck accident:

• Economic damages are the concrete financial losses tied to your injuries, such as lost wages, property damage, or current and future medical expenses.
• Non-economic damages are more subjective. They include pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, or even disfigurement or disability.

In some instances, you may be able to collect punitive damages if the at-fault party was malicious or intentionally negligent. Punitive damages, however, are rare and meant to deter repeat offenses.

By working with an experienced truck accident lawyer, you can properly document your losses, estimate future financial implications, and pursue full and fair compensation for everything you’re legally entitled to.

Collect Medical Records

If you’re injured in a Youngstown-area truck accident, you’ll likely receive treatment at the Mercy Health — St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Ask your medical care providers for any documentation they can provide to support your claim. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), they can give you copies of your reports, prescriptions, or other relevant treatment documents.

Notify the Defendants

Your lawyer will notify the at-fault party of your intent to file a claim against them and assist with gathering the documents you’ll need. The insurance company representing an at-fault driver or trucking company will likely handle your case.

Because insurance companies aim to generate revenue, they are unlikely to off full claim value immediately: expect a lowball offer.

Investigate the Collision

Your attorney will investigate your large truck accident. They will gather witness statements, use crash scene photos, police reports, and testimony as needed, and use expert opinions or statements from the appropriate sources, like a crash reconstructionist. This evidence will build a solid case against the at-fault party after a truck accident.

Truck accidents are also unique because companies must maintain extensive records surrounding its trucks, like a truck’s trip, cargo, or inspection records. These belong to the company, but an experienced truck accident lawyer will know how to file motions to access those records before they’re destroyed or deleted.

File a Truck Accident Lawsuit

Most truck accident cases are resolved by negotiating with the insurance company. However, there are times when the insurance company is unwilling to settle, or you gain the advantage by filing an official lawsuit. Typically, this happens in the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas. If the insurance company continues to reject your claim, your lawyer will take the case to trial, and a jury or judge may determine the outcome.

The amount of damages and the timeline of each truck accident claim are unique to each case. Some cases can take weeks to settle, but they can also last months or years. Remember that Ohio’s Statute of Limitations for personal injury cases is two years from the accident, so calling a local truck accident lawyer is of the essence.

Consult an Experienced Toledo Truck Lawyer

Ohio Truck Accident Help assists truck accident victims across Youngstown and Ohio. We will guide you at each step of the process, work with the appropriate witnesses, experts, and specialists to prove fault, and make your truck accident claim as strong as possible.

Let us handle the legal complexities and the insurance companies. We will do everything in our power to secure what you need. With our focus on trucking accidents, our team can help you get what’s right.