Serious Injuries Need Serious Lawyers
Whether driving down I-94 or navigating downtown Battle Creek, sharing the road with massive commercial trucks means dealing with blind spots, tight turns, and drivers racing the clock. When accidents happen, they often lead to devastating injuries, high medical bills, and long, difficult recoveries. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a truck accident, you need a law firm that knows how to take on the trucking industry and win.
At Conybeare Injury and Accident Lawyers, we know the toll a serious crash takes. If you’re facing pain, lost wages, and mounting expenses, you deserve a legal team that fights for the maximum compensation possible. Truck accident claims are complicated, involving multiple parties, aggressive insurance companies, and strict regulations. We handle all of it, so you can focus on getting your life back.
Why Hire Conybeare Injury and Accident Lawyers for Your Truck Accident Claim in Battle Creek?
Truck accidents aren’t like regular car crashes: they involve powerful insurance companies, federal trucking laws, and multiple liable parties. At Conybeare Injury and Accident Lawyers, we understand truck accident victims’ challenges and know how to overcome them at the negotiation table or in court. Here’s why Battle Creek residents trust us with their truck accident claims:
- We Know Trucking Laws: Truck accidents involve state and federal regulations that many personal injury lawyers don’t regularly deal with. We know the laws that govern commercial trucking and how to use them to make your claim stronger.
- We Investigate Thoroughly: Trucking companies and their insurers will do everything possible to minimize your payout. We dig deep into accident reports, black box data, driver logs, and maintenance records to uncover the truth.
- Proven Track Record Against Insurance Companies: Insurance companies don’t hand out fair settlements easily, especially in truck accident cases. We have extensive experience negotiating with insurers and won’t let them lowball you.
- We Identify All Liable Parties: Unlike other motor vehicle accidents, truck crashes often involve multiple responsible parties, such as commercial truck drivers, trucking companies, manufacturers, and even government agencies. We make sure the right parties are held responsible.
- No Upfront Fees: We work on a contingency basis at our personal injury law firm, meaning you don’t pay attorney fees unless we win your case. You can focus on healing while we fight for your financial recovery.
What to Do After a Battle Creek Truck Accident
When you’ve been injured in a trucking accident, you’re likely in pain and suffering from shock, making it difficult to determine what you should do next. But what you do in the minutes, hours, and days after the crash can impact your health and your ability to recover financial compensation. Follow these steps to protect yourself and your claim.
- Call 911 Immediately: No matter how minor or severe the accident seems, always call 911 and report it. Michigan law requires you to report auto accidents involving bodily injuries, fatalities, or significant vehicle damage. A police report serves as a key piece of evidence when filing an insurance claim or truck accident lawsuit. If you’re able, stay at the scene and provide details to the responding officers. But stick to the facts: don’t speculate about what happened or admit any fault.
- Get Medical Attention: Truck accidents can cause serious injuries, even if you don’t notice symptoms right away. The shock and adrenaline from the crash might mask pain, and some common injuries, like concussions, internal bleeding, or whiplash, can take hours or days to appear. Prompt medical care is critical, and your medical records can serve as important evidence.
- Gather Evidence at the Scene: If you’re physically able, document as much as you can before leaving the accident scene. The more evidence you collect, the stronger your insurance claim will be. Take pictures of vehicle damage, skid marks, traffic signals, road conditions, and any visible injuries. If possible, record a short video of the entire accident scene to capture details a photo might miss.
- Exchange Information With the Truck Driver: You’ll need key details from the truck driver, but be careful about what you say. Keep the conversation brief and don’t discuss fault. Focus on collecting their name and contact information as well as the trucking company name and insurance details.
- Notify Your Insurance Company: Most insurance policies require you to report accidents quickly. However, be careful when speaking with your insurer, and never talk to the trucking company’s insurance adjuster without legal advice.
- Contact a Battle Creek Truck Accident Lawyer as Soon as Possible: Truck accident claims are far more complicated than regular car accident cases. The trucking industry is heavily regulated, and multiple parties could be responsible. Having an experienced truck accident attorney on your side can mean the difference between a lowball settlement and the full compensation you deserve.
Who Can You Sue After a Truck Accident?
Depending on the circumstances, several parties may be responsible for your injuries, and identifying the right ones is key to getting fair compensation.
- The Truck Driver: Truck drivers have a responsibility to operate their vehicles safely, but human error is one of the leading causes of truck accidents. If a driver was negligent, they can be held accountable for the crash.
- The Trucking Company: Trucking companies are responsible for hiring, training, and supervising their drivers. If they cut corners to save time or money, they can be held accountable for an accident. They may also be liable as the truck driver as their employer.
- The Truck Manufacturer or Parts Manufacturer: Sometimes, an accident isn’t the driver’s fault: it’s due to a mechanical defect in the truck itself. If a manufacturer produced faulty parts or sold a defective truck, they may be responsible for injury and financial damages.
- The Cargo Loader or Freight Company: Trucks carry thousands of pounds of cargo, and if that cargo isn’t loaded properly, it can shift, spill, or cause the truck to tip over. Improperly loaded cargo is a major hazard that can cause serious accidents.
- A Government Agency: If poor road conditions played a role in your accident, a government entity may be liable. State and local road commissions are responsible for maintaining safe roads, signs, and traffic signals.
At Conybeare Injury and Accident Lawyers, our experienced attorneys know how to dig deep into the details of a truck accident case. We work with accident reconstruction experts, analyze black box data, review driver logs, and investigate trucking company policies to uncover every liable party.
Monetary Compensation in a Truck Accident Claim
If the crash wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s negligence. A personal injury claim can help you recover the financial losses and emotional toll caused by the accident. Here are the main types of compensation you may be entitled to after a truck accident:
- Medical Bills: Truck accidents often cause severe injuries, including broken bones, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, and internal bleeding. Depending on your No-Fault coverage, compensation for medical expenses may cover emergency room visits, doctor’s appointments, surgeries, hospital stays, prescription medications, and pain management like physical therapy.
- Lost Wages and Reduced Earning Capacity: If catastrophic injuries prevent you from working, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for lost income. This includes missed paychecks from time off work during recovery, reduced earnings if you can’t return to the same job or work the same number of hours, and permanent disability if you can no longer work at all.
- Pain and Suffering: Not all damages from a truck accident are financial. Many victims suffer from chronic pain, emotional trauma, and a lower quality of life long after the physical injuries heal. Pain and suffering compensation may include physical pain and discomfort, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Wrongful Death Damages: After a fatal injury, wrongful death claims are especially important for families who depend on their loved one’s income. An experienced lawyer can help you hold the responsible parties accountable and secure financial stability for your future.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Accident Claim?
Michigan law gives you three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, waiting too long can hurt your case. Evidence can disappear, and witnesses’ memories fade over time. It’s best to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights.
Common Types of Truck Accidents
Semi-truck accidents happen in many ways, each with different causes and consequences. Some of the most common include:
- Rear-End Collisions: A rear-end crash involving a truck can be catastrophic simply due to the size difference between vehicles. A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, making it incredibly difficult to stop quickly. When a truck slams into the back of a smaller car, the impact can cause whiplash, spinal injuries, or even fatalities.
- Jackknife Accidents: A jackknife accident happens when a truck’s trailer swings out to form a sharp 90-degree angle with the cab. This often occurs when a negligent driver brakes too hard or too suddenly, causing the trailer to skid out of control. Jackknifing can block multiple lanes of traffic, leading to multi-vehicle pileups.
- Underride Collisions: An underride collision is one of the most dangerous types of truck accidents. It occurs when a smaller vehicle crashes into the back or side of a truck and slides underneath the trailer. These crashes often result in severe head and upper-body injuries or fatalities because the top of the smaller vehicle can be crushed.
- Rollover Accidents: A rollover accident happens when a truck tips onto its side or roof, often crushing nearby vehicles or blocking the road. Rollovers are especially dangerous on highways and curved roads, where high speeds and shifting cargo increase the risk.
- Tire Blowouts: A tire blowout occurs when a truck’s tire bursts, causing the driver to lose control. Unlike passenger vehicles, a blown tire on an 18-wheeler can send thousands of pounds of metal careening across the highway. Pieces of shredded tire, known as road gators, can also create road hazards for other drivers.
- Wide-Turn Accidents: Unlike smaller vehicles, semi-trucks need a much larger turning radius to make a right-hand turn. If a truck miscalculates its space, it can either swing into oncoming traffic or squeeze another vehicle between the truck and the curb. This is known as a wide-turn accident, and it’s particularly dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and smaller vehicles caught in the truck’s blind spot.
While each type of truck accident has its own risks, many crashes share common causes. Some of the key factors leading to truck accidents include:
- Driver Fatigue: Truck drivers work long hours, often pushing past their legal driving limits. Fatigue slows reaction times and increases the risk of mistakes.
- Distracted Driving: Checking a phone, adjusting a GPS, or even eating while driving can lead to deadly consequences.
- Speeding & Reckless Driving: Some truckers speed to meet tight deadlines, making it harder to stop or react to sudden changes on the road.
- Improper Loading: Cargo that isn’t loaded or secured correctly can shift, causing rollovers or lost cargo on the highway.
- Mechanical Failures: Brake failures, tire blowouts, and steering malfunctions are often due to poor truck maintenance or defective parts.
- Bad Weather Conditions: Ice, rain, fog, and high winds are all dangerous conditions that can make controlling an 80,000-pound truck even more difficult.
Get Help From a Trusted Battle Creek Truck Accident Lawyer
At Conybeare Injury and Accident Lawyers, we know what it takes to stand up to trucking companies and insurance giants. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Battle Creek, our personal injury attorneys are here to help: no upfront costs, no stress, just legal support you can trust. Call The Bear today at 269-769-BEAR or fill out this online contact form to schedule your free initial consultation. Remember: if it’s not fair, call the Bear!