Commercial trucks on average weigh up to 40 tons according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. Commercial trucks transport a variety of items and cargo in tractor trailers. Collisions involving tractor trailers on major highways such as I-95 or I-66 often result in innocent motorists suffering severe injuries or death.
Catastrophic injuries in tractor trailer accidents require significant financial compensation, which is why representation by an experienced a Vienna, Virginia tractor trailer accident attorney from Portner & Shure is highly recommended. As an award-winning law firm with highly reputable lawyers in our staff, people throughout the state know to trust us with their high-stakes cases. We invite you to see what we can do for your case, too.
Please call at your first opportunity.
Types of Tractor Trailer Accidents
Our law firm can manage tractor trailer accidents involving the following and more:
- Rollovers: Commercial trucks are large vehicles. Due to their size and high center of gravity, they are at high risk of rolling over. A rollover accident often causes severe injuries to passengers in vehicles that are crushed by the tractor trailer. Rollover crashes are more likely to occur when a tractor trailer is traveling on an incline or curve that changes their center of gravity and causes the entire thing to shift around while in motion.
- Jackknife collisions: When a truck’s tractor and trailer suddenly reduce their speed or stop, the truck and trailer move in different directions. This is extremely dangerous as the truck driver has lost all control over the trailer. This often results in the trailer colliding with other vehicles on the road. Jackknife collisions are often caused by tractor trailers traveling at excessive speeds, improper braking, improper maintenance, and improper cargo load distribution on the trailer.
- Overloaded tractor trailers: The commercial trucking industry is subject to extensive federal regulation. Many of these regulations govern the maximum amount of cargo weight that a tractor trailer is permitted to transport. Tractor trailers are often overloaded due to improper training or because truck drivers and their employers simply ignore regulations to deliver more cargo at once. When a tractor trailer is overweight, it presents a hazard to other vehicles on the road because it becomes prone to jackknife collisions and rollover collisions.
- Improperly loaded tractor trailers: When a tractor trailer is loaded with cargo, the cargo must be securely loaded and distributed. Improperly secured cargo can shift inside the tractor trailer while it is in motion. The cargo must also be evenly distributed so that the weight is not concentrated in one area of the tractor trailer. When a tractor trailer is not properly loaded, the likelihood of a jackknife collision or rollover increases.
Injuries & Damages in Tractor Trailer Accident Cases
Tractor trailer accidents often result in other motorists suffering severe injuries, such as:
- Brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Concussions
Traffic fatalities are also commonly caused in tractor trailer accidents. For nonfatal tractor trailer accidents, victims often require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. The cost of all medical treatments can quickly increase into seven-figures when calculations are made to predict future treatment costs.
Our attorneys will also consider your noneconomic damages when we represent your tractor trailer accident case. Noneconomic damages are things like your pain, suffering, emotional trauma, and undue hardship.
Litigation After Tractor Trailer Crashes
Tractor trailers often have commercial insurance policies with millions of dollars’ worth of coverage. Because the stakes are high for insurance carriers, they often retain aggressive and expensive defense attorneys. They will fight your case as much as they can, even when they know they are in the wrong.
Team up with Portner & Shure, P.A. and our reputable Vienna tractor trailer lawyers. We know how to properly investigate and litigate tractor trailer accident cases in ways that less experienced law firms might not use.
Retain Our Help without Reaching for Your Wallet
The attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A. have been successfully representing tractor trailer accident victims in Virginia for more than 30 years. Insurance companies know that we are not easily intimidated and often obtain successful results for our clients.
Do not think that retaining highly experienced personal injury lawyers is something that will cost your savings account, though. We offer contingency fee agreements that let you hire us as your tractor trailer accident attorneys without any payments upfront and we only get paid if we win your case.
