Truck Crashes
The Nation’s Leading Truck Crash Attorneys
No one expects to be involved or lose someone they love in a semi or tractor trailer crash. Yet, it happens every day. Almost without exception, these crashes are not accidents. There is a reason it happened. As one of the nation’s premier truck injury law firms, we do not stop until we find out why and hold those at fault accountable.
Truck crashes are not your typical car accidents. It is imperative to have someone on your side, a truck crash attorney, that understands what you are up against and how to effectively fight for justice and change. At Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe, four of our partners, including three of our founders, specialize in truck crash litigation. We have tried truck crashes in 33 of the 50 states and have handled more trucking cases than any other firm in the country. States we work in the most often include, but not limited to, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Georgia.
Our experience has resulted in more than a quarter of billion dollars in settlements for our clients as well as numerous and significant safety changes to local, state and national laws.
When it matters most
When the unthinkable happens your first thought is not about hiring a lawyer or bringing a lawsuit. It is about your loved one and bringing about change to ensure this does not happen to another family in the future.
We know because we have been there. It is not uncommon for one of our attorneys to hop on a plane the night of the crash to be there to gather critical evidence and be that guiding light on what to do next. We have seen firsthand what these types of crashes do to family and friends.
Being there during what is the worst moments of someone’s life has emboldened us to work our hardest to pursue full and fair compensation as well as enact legislative changes to ensure safer roadways. For many of our clients, we become far more than an attorney. We become a counselor, a friend, a person you know you can count on to get you through your darkest days.
Experience Matters
Our truck crash attorneys at Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe have represented thousands of truck crash victims and their families. We have built a nationwide reputation for being the best because we know the patterns that lead to semi-truck crashes, what rules and regulations the drivers should have been following and what the companies are willing to do to make this crash disappear from their safety records. We also fully understand state and federal laws and regulations surrounding these type of accidents.
Our experience enables us to identify the likely cause of a crash. We then work quickly to gather and preserve evidence before it’s damaged or lost. We employ the most credible experts from around the nation to confirm the cause of every accident and determine conclusively the party at fault. We hold companies accountable and have successfully required the largest truck firms in the nation to make significant safety changes.
Our attorneys at Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe are ingrained in the trucking industry. Due to our breadth and depth of experience, we have been called upon to advocate for victims’ rights before the United States Congress. We hold board positions in national organizations such as the Trucking Litigation Group for the American Association for Justice. We are involved in organizations like the Truck Safety Coalition, a partnership between the Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways and Parents Against Tired Truckers. Why do we get involved? We want to put an end to truck crash injury and deaths.
Extensive Research
At Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe we use our extensive experience and knowledge to vigorously represent victims of every type of truck crash, regardless of cause. We employ all necessary resources to identify the cause of the truck crash and the party at fault. We never settle for less than full justice for our clients.
Courtroom presentation can greatly enhance your case in the courtroom. Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe employs the latest technology to make the greatest impact with various types of visual aids. These tools are provided by Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe to ensure crashes and injuries are clear to jurors:
Video Re-creations – Letting a jury see as accurately as possible a re-creation of a truck crash (as shown in the examples below) or catastrophic injury eliminates misunderstandings and confusion. We use the latest video techniques to make it seem like the jury was actually there at the scene.
Expert Photography – Photographs of the crime scene provide juries with additional visual reference to enhance your case. We may also use photographs of the victim receiving medical treatment.
Other Visual Aids – As needed, we may also use visual aids to show juries the specific laws or regulations that relate to truck safety. Detailed color charts and graphs related to a client’s specific injuries or medical condition may also be employed.
Advocates for Change
Our semi truck lawyers at Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe are staunch advocates of victims’ rights, both in and out of the courtroom. In addition to our vigorous pursuit of compensation, we force defendants to increase their safety practices and other standards to avoid causing harm in the future.
While financial compensation is a critical element of litigation, many families are also motivated by the opportunity to leave a legacy for their loved one(s). Whether helping clients establish a memorial fund or advocating to reduce the number of trucking accidents down the road, we represent our clients’ desires entirely so no other family has to needlessly experience their tragedy.
Settlements and Verdicts
Client Stories
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Do Following a Truck Accident?
The time immediately following a semi-truck crash can be difficult, confusing and overwhelming. Insurance representatives from both sides, as well as the police, will likely want to question whoever was involved in the crash or their families. Whether it’s you or someone close to you who is seriously injured, you’re likely shaken up, traumatized or even in shock. If you’re a truck crash victim who’s hospitalized, you could be taking medication that impairs your thinking and ability to communicate. It’s not the best time to answer probing questions.
It’s crucial you seek expert legal counsel as soon as possible after a crash. Insurance companies hire defense counsel the day of the crash to represent the at-fault driver and employer, and often times send their legal team to the scene of the crash while emergency responders are still there. Immediate investigation and making sure critical evidence are neither disturbed nor destroyed are extremely important. This time-sensitive crash scene evidence includes electronic information stored in the semi’s “black box,” and other various records maintained by the driver and/or his or her employer. These are often critical components of your case. An attorney can also ease your burden by working directly with police agencies and insurance companies for you.
What Are the Leading Causes of Truck Accidents?
Truck crashes are usually caused by human error and are almost always preventable. The leading causes of these type of accidents are:
- Driver Fatigue
- Distracted Driving
- Alcohol and/or drugs
- Improper lane change
- Speeding
- Weather
- Poor training
- Vehicle maintenance
- Improper cargo loading
How Truck Accidents Are Different from Car Accidents
Semi-truck crashes are not your typical car crashes. Simply put, they shouldn’t happen. These professional drivers should have been properly trained on driving these tractor-trailers, and reacting to different circumstances such as weather and traffic. The trucking industry is heavily regulated, but trucking companies and drivers often put money over safety.
The biggest difference between the two is the sheer size and weight of a truck versus a car. On average a car weighs 4,000 pounds as compared to a truck which is 80,000 pounds. Due to this size difference, the impact of a crash involving a truck tend to lead to catastrophic injury and death.
Due to the tragic outcomes of truck crashes, more effort and money goes into investigating the cause of the accident. Truck companies are well versed in minimizing their role in said crashes to avoid lawsuits and large settlements. That’s why it’s important to have experienced and nationally recognized truck crash attorneys on your side.
What Will My Attorney Do to Help Me?
In a serious truck crash involving a major trucking company, a crash team will be dispatched with the sole intent of reducing the company’s liability. You need an attorney with truck crash experience who knows what rules and regulations the driver should have been following and what their employer is willing to do to make this crash seem like it didn’t happen.
At Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe we use our extensive knowledge from litigating hundreds of these types of cases as well as our immense research methods including video re-creations and expert photography to ensure it is completely clear who was at fault. We work with the best experts in the industry and have litigated against many of the largest trucking companies in the country.
When these truck companies talk to an attorney experienced in truck crashes, like Dollar, Burns, Becker & Hershewe, they know right away you won’t accept anything less than fair and just compensation for catastrophic injuries or fatalities. In addition, and more importantly, we often force these companies to incorporate new safety policies, perform safety audits, and/or do complete overhauls of their crash prevention protocols to ensure what happened to you doesn’t happen to anyone else.
How Negligence is Established Following a Truck Accident
Following a truck crash, our team immediately springs into action working to secure numerous documents about the driver, the truck and the company. This includes electronic driving logs, records of the driver’s past performance and work history, and the company’s handling of past crashes. In addition, we employ our extensive research methods such as video re-creation to ensure our team of truck crash attorneys knows exactly what happened.
Using all of this information, we present our findings whether in mediation or at trial, to prove who was at fault and should be brought to justice.
How Compensation is Determined Following a Truck Accident
While all cases are different, there are many variables considered in determining what is fair and just compensation for all the harm and loss suffered by victims of truck crashes. These include past and future medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. Of course, the severity of the injuries or death and the severity of the wrongs committed by the driver and trucking companies are also heavily considered. The more reprehensible the conduct, the more the trucking company is willing to pay. That’s why it’s important to have experienced truck crash lawyers, like our firm, who know where to hit trucking companies where it hurts.