Cincinnati Improper Maintenance Accident Attorneys
Americans rely on commercial vehicles to transport goods. Such vehicles play a vital role in the nation’s economy. The law requires that commercial vehicles be maintained and operated properly. Failure to properly maintain a commercial vehicle jeopardizes not only the vehicle operator but other drivers on the road as well.
Commercial vehicles vary greatly in size. The average passenger car weighs approximately 5,000 pounds, whereas an average tractor-trailer weighs about 80,000 pounds, according to the truckers’ report. The size discrepancy between passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles means that collisions that occur between the two can result in catastrophic injuries.
Have you or a loved one sustained injuries due to an accident with a commercial vehicle that was improperly maintained? You may be entitled to monetary compensation for your damages and injuries, including your pain and suffering, which you incurred as a result of the accident.
Contact the Cincinnati truck accident lawyers of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC at (513) 351-5997 to schedule a free consultation. You can review the facts of your case with one of our experienced attorneys and discuss what your best course of action should be.
Do I Need an Improper Maintenance Accident Lawyer?
If you were injured in a collision with a commercial vehicle, and if the reason for the crash was due to improper maintenance of that vehicle, you need a lawyer to help you get all of the money you’re owed for your injuries. This is true even if improper maintenance wasn’t entirely responsible for the accident. There may be other factors that played a role in causing the crash. An experienced truck accident lawyer can review the facts of your case, conduct a thorough, detailed investigation and determine why the crash occurred and who was responsible.
At this point, you are hurt, stressed, or grieving. Possibly all three. A lawyer can help ease the financial burden by working to make sure that you get all the compensation you deserve. You need to focus on healing your body. Let an experienced legal professional handle the complexities of the legal system and protect your rights.
If you have legal representation, your lawyer can speak on your behalf to the attorneys representing other parties to the accident and to insurance company representatives. It is extremely important that you do not speak to any insurance company representative until you have a chance to discuss your case with an attorney.
A skilled attorney knows what to say and what not to say. Insurance company representatives do not work for you. Their loyalty is to the insurance company and its clients. Often they will try to get accident victims like you to accept a settlement offer that is significantly lower than what you are due. You do not want to forfeit your rights or compromise your case.
You need money right now to pay your bills. And you will most likely need money in the future to cover additional expenses. A knowledgeable attorney knows what expenses you may encounter in the future, such as medical expenses and lost wages. Due to the injuries which you sustained in the accident, it may be possible that you will never be able to work at your job again.
A seasoned knows what types of expenses the law permits you to collect compensation for. Using their extensive resources to mount an investigation, a personal injury attorney can quantify the monetary compensation you deserve. Once you accept a settlement, you may not go back to the insurance company and seek more money in the future.
An investigation will yield evidence to support the amount of compensation sought.
Studies have shown that claimants like you can recover up to three times as much compensation when they have legal representation as compared to when they handle their case by themselves.
Why Choose Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC to Represent You?
The attorneys at Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC represent clients throughout the greater Cincinnati area, including Northern Kentucky. We have offices conveniently located in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, and West Chester, Ohio, to serve you.
Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC is proud to have incorporated modern technology into our legal practice. We offer a free initial consultation with an attorney to review the details of your case. This consultation may be an in-person meeting. Alternatively, this consultation may be conducted remotely via phone, email, chat, or video conferencing. Our attorneys utilize technology to maximize claims on the insurance company’s software system. We also use technology to transmit documents directly to the court. Our use of technology allows us to efficiently represent you while making the process as minimally intrusive as possible.
The attorneys of Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC have garnered many accolades from prior clients as well as from professional sources. The firm has received a 10.0 Superb rating for car accident lawyers by AVVO. In April 2017, Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC was declared the best personal injury law firm in Kentucky by Legal Elite! Many of our attorneys have been named a “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters.
Managing partner Justin Lawrence was nominated in January 2018 for the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys Top 10 under 40 Attorney Award. He also was named to the Top 10 under 40 Trial Lawyers list in January 2017.
Our firm was established over fifteen years ago. We believe that everyone is entitled to quality representation. The cost of legal representation should not deter you from having an attorney who can help you recover all of the financial compensation to which the law entitles you. Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC handles all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. Essentially, this means that we do not get paid anything unless you either accept a settlement from an insurance company or win a verdict in court. Our job is to ease the financial burden the accident has caused, not add to it.
Typers of Improper Maintenance Cases We Handle
Improper maintenance of commercial trucks can result in unsafe vehicles on the road, which poses a real danger to other motorists. Often the cost associated with various maintenance issues is negligible compared to the damage that may occur in an accident. A crash resulting from improper maintenance could have been easily and inexpensively avoided. If the truck that hit you was carrying hazardous materials, there may also be containment issues, which need to be addressed.
Basic truck components that must be properly maintained are similar to those of passenger cars. Vehicles need to have working lights and turn signals. Trucks should have correctly inflated tires. Proper maintenance of the brakes is crucial; ineffective or worn-out brakes can cause catastrophic crashes. Brake failure contributed to nearly one in three accidents involving trucks between 2001 and 2003, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
A detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding your accident will help us determine which parties are responsible for failing to properly maintain the truck that hit you. Unfortunately, many accidents could be avoided through proper maintenance. Often, there is a lack of communication between the driver and the trucking company as to who is responsible for maintenance.
Proper maintenance costs money for labor and repairs. Proper maintenance requires time: time that the truck is not on the road earning money. The maintenance may even have been the responsibility of a third party. If the trucking company hired a third party to repair and maintain its vehicles and couldn’t get the trucks in for maintenance timely, depending on the contracts between the parties, it’s possible the third-party vendor may be liable.
Injuries That May Result from Improper Maintenance Crashes
Common injuries which you or your loved one may have sustained due to the accident include:
- Fractures (broken bones)
- Lacerations (cuts)
- Coma
- Dental Injuries
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
- Neck injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Injuries from burns
- Death
Some of these injuries may heal, but others may be with you permanently. It is vital that you receive fair and just financial compensation for the injuries you received through no fault of your own. This compensation should include money for any and all medical treatments that you need now and may need in the future.
Both Kentucky and Ohio follow the legal doctrine of comparative negligence. Even if you are partially at fault for the accident, the law still permits you to recover compensation. Any award you receive will be reduced by the amount you are at fault.
In Kentucky, you may receive compensation even if you were 99% responsible for the accident. If you are found to have $100,000 in damages and are found to be 95% responsible for the accident, the most you could get for your injuries is $5,000. That is your $100,000 in damages less the 95% you were at fault for your own injuries.
However, in Ohio, you may only recover damages if you were less than 51% at fault. Say again that it was found you were owed $100,000 in damages, and you were found to be 30% at fault for the accident and your injuries. You could recover $70,000 in damages.
Contact an Ohio Improper Maintenance Lawyer Today
Were you injured in an accident with a commercial truck? Was this truck improperly maintained? One of our experienced attorneys can help you navigate the legal system. We will work hard to ensure that you get all of the compensation you are entitled to under the law.
Don’t hesitate. Contact Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC today at (513) 351-5997 for a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable attorneys and lay claim to the compensation you deserve.
