North Carolina’s Top Truck Accident Attorneys

Helping Truck Accident Victims Seek Fair Compensation in North Carolina

We see trucks every day throughout North Carolina. Big rigs are speeding down I-440 in Raleigh. Tractor-trailers are making their way down the All-American Freeway in Fayetteville. Semi-trucks are making deliveries on West Cumberland Street in Dunn or picking up cargo on Northeast Boulevard in Clinton. An accident with one of these trucks can leave you with serious injuries.

At the North Carolina personal injury law offices of Brent Adams & Associates, our one and only priority is to fight for you. Our dedicated team of truck accident attorneys and paralegals are experienced in federal and North Carolina traffic laws. We make every effort to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.

Our law firm operates out of five different locations, including Clinton, Dunn, Fayetteville, and Southern Pines, and our primary location is in Raleigh, NC. Our Raleigh truck accident lawyers offer free consultations to prospective new clients interested in retaining our legal services. In addition to offering free, no-obligation case evaluations, our Raleigh truck accident attorneys also operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you won’t owe us a dime in legal fees unless we can win your large truck accident case. To discuss your accident involving a large commercial truck, please contact our law offices to schedule your free initial consultation today.

What Are Considered ‘Commercial Trucks’ in North Carolina?

There are many different terms for commercial trucks, including 18 Wheelers, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, big rigs, and semi-tractor-trailers. However, knowing the legal definition of a commercial vehicle is important, especially if you have been struck by a commercial truck. Commercial vehicles and semi trucks have different insurance coverage requirements, regulations, and rules that could impact your personal injury claim.

In North Carolina, there are three different classes of commercial vehicles. Each class requires the drivers to acquire a commercial driver’s license.

Class A commercial vehicles include any motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of over 26,001 pounds, provided that the gross vehicle weight of the vehicles being towed is more than 10,000 pounds. Examples of Class A commercial motor vehicles include tanker trucks, dump trucks, semis, and more.

Class B commercial vehicles include buses and vehicles that are towing a trailer that does not have an excess gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds.

Commercial motor vehicles not included in classes A or B but are designed to transport 16 or more individuals or transport hazardous materials may be considered Class C commercial vehicles.

Are Commercial Trucks More Dangerous Than Most Passenger Vehicles?

Statistically speaking, large commercial trucks are more likely to be involved in fatal auto accidents than most car accidents involving a typical passenger car.

Tragically, large truck accidents are fairly common in North Carolina and across the country. A truck wreck is typically more dangerous than most other motor vehicle accidents because of the sheer weight and size of a large commercial truck. Additionally, a commercial driver has more blind spots and tighter schedules and is likely to be fatigued when behind the wheel of their commercial truck. This makes large trucks especially dangerous to other motorists on the road.

Despite the dangers that tractor-trailers represent, many commercial trucking companies and their lobbyists are fighting to meet truck safety rules and regulations in pursuit of higher profits.

If you have been injured in trucking accidents caused by negligence, recklessness, or other causes, you must work with an experienced truck accident attorney when seeking financial recovery. Contact our North Carolina law firm to discuss your truck accident case today.

What Should You Do Following a Semi-Truck Accident?

Immediately following a large truck accident or any other type of auto accident, it is important that you check for injuries to yourself and your passengers. Call 911 to summon emergency response personnel, including paramedics and the police.

While awaiting the arrival of law enforcement and emergency medical professionals, attempt to move your car to a safe area on the side of the road and turn on your hazard lights.

If you are able, attempt to take photos and videos of the damage to your car, the large truck, and other vehicles involved in the crash. Also, take pictures of road markings, hazards, debris, traffic signs, and weather conditions. If you or others have been injured in the truck crash, document those injuries in photographs and video.

Attempt to locate witnesses to the truck crash. Write down their accounts of the truck collision and get their names and contact information. Additionally, get as much information from the commercial truck driver as possible, including their contact information, the trucking company’s insurance, their commercial driver’s license number, the truck owner’s name, and the driver’s employer.

Always be watchful of what you say and how you say it. While you should attempt to remain polite to everyone involved in the motor vehicle accident, you should never go so far as to admit fault, say you’re sorry or dismiss the severity of your injuries. Anything you say at the accident scene could be used against your insurance claim later.

When police arrive at the scene, provide them with a comprehensive accident report. Police reports will be valuable evidence for your experienced truck accident lawyers when presenting your case.

Most insurance policies require you to report the accident to them within a certain amount of time to claim benefits. Ensure that you contact your insurance provider promptly.

It is important that you receive immediate medical attention following a truck accident. Even if you believe your injuries to be minor in nature, they could worsen with time. Medical records are also valuable pieces of evidence for your personal injury lawyers if you file an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit.

If you have not done so already, now is the time to contact our law firm to discuss your truck accident case in more detail. A Raleigh truck accident attorney from our firm can help determine liability, negotiate for better settlement, and help you contend with the insurance company and commercial trucking company throughout the legal process. To discuss your case with a Raleigh truck accident lawyer at our law firm, please contact our law offices to schedule your free case review today.

How Do Commercial Truck Accidents Happen in NC?

Large tractor-trailers have been greatly increasing in presence on North Carolina roads and highways – especially in Raleigh and Fayetteville. Transporting everything from furniture, lumber, and clothing to dairy, meat, and other food products, many of the truck drivers on the roads today drive further in a week than most of us do in an entire year.

Though most truck drivers are safe and courteous, many are forced to work long hours and drive long distances in a short period of time, which can often lead to careless operator errors. Many times, these errors can result in a collision or other type of accident in which other drivers are hurt.

Common causes for accidents involving large trucks include the following:

Adverse weather conditions
Aggressive driving and reckless driving
Blind spot accidents
Carelessness and driver negligence
Dangerous road conditions or road debris
Defective road design or construction
Distracted driving
Driving at excessive speeds
Drowsy driving and driver fatigue
Drunk driving and driving under the influence of drugs
Failure to merge properly
Failure to yield to the right of way
Illegal maneuvers
Improperly loaded cargo
Inadequate surveillance
Incompetence or improper hiring practices
Loose cargo
Mechanical failures and vehicle defects
Overloaded cargo
Poor vehicle maintenance
Tailgating and following too closely behind the lead vehicle
Texting while driving or talking on a cell phone while driving
Third-party negligence
Undertrained or unlicensed truck drivers
Violations of federal regulations
Unrealistic driving schedules, deadlines, or quotas

What Are Common Types of NC Truck Accidents?

Like other types of motor vehicle accidents, truck accidents can happen in a number of different ways. In fact, because of the size and design of most large trucks, there may be additional ways for things to go wrong and accidents to occur.

Common types of truck accidents seen in North Carolina include the following:

Blind spot accidents: commercial truck drivers have several blind spots that they must worry about when operating their large trucks. Smaller vehicles tend to disappear from a commercial driver’s view from time to time. Accidents may happen when a truck changes lanes or makes a turn without seeing the vehicle in its blind spot
Cargo spills: rollovers and improperly secured cargo could result in the cargo in a tractor-trailer spilling out onto the road, creating potential hazards for other motorists. Cargo spills typically occur thanks to improper loading techniques, faulty restraints, and overloading
Jackknife accidents: Jackknifing occurs when the trailer of a big rig swings out to the side, forming a shape that vaguely resembles a Jackknife. Jackknife accidents often occur when the truck driver is forced to brake suddenly or loses control of their vehicle
Rollover accidents: driving at high speeds, sharp turns, and improper loading could result in a truck tipping over onto its side or its roof
Tire blowouts: trucks can lose control when one of their tires suddenly bursts. Tire blowouts are often the result of road hazards, overloading, or poor maintenance
Underride and override accidents: underride accidents occur when smaller passenger vehicles get trapped underneath the rear or side of a large truck. Override accidents occur when a truck runs over a smaller vehicle in front of it
Wide turn accidents: large trucks require a substantial amount of space to make their turns, and they could swing wide as they navigate corners. Collisions may occur if other vehicles end up in the truck’s path during a wide turn

How Are Tractor Trailer Accidents Handled in NC?

When truck accidents occur in North Carolina, commercial trucking companies involved in the accident often send representatives to the scene of the crash. These agents for the trucking company work to handle everything at the accident scene so that they can limit the company’s liability in the collision.

If a truck company representative approaches you immediately following the trucking accident, don’t talk to them. Instead, direct them to speak with your personal injury attorney.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, please contact our attorneys to schedule your free case evaluation today.

Can You Recover Financial Compensation with a Trucking Accident Claim?

If you have been injured in a Raleigh accident involving a tractor-trailer, you may be entitled to compensation from the driver and the trucking company for your medical bills and other losses. But don’t expect much help from the insurance companies. They know a lot of money is at stake and will fight you every step of the way.

Insurance companies use a lot of tactics to try to pay you less. This includes minimizing your injuries or claiming they were pre-existing. They may even blame you for what happened. You may get a settlement offer from them that falls far short of covering all of the damages you suffered. That’s why you need an experienced lawyer.

A successful truck accident claim could recover both economic and non-economic damages to help compensate you for your injuries and other losses.

Economic damages may include the following:

Lost wages and lost income earning capacity
Property damage and property loss
Past medical bills and future medical expenses
Costs of long-term personal care and physical therapy

Non-economic damages may include the following:

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress and mental anguish
Loss of companionship or consortium
Diminished quality of life
Wrongful death
Disfigurement, dismemberment, or disability

In certain cases, pursuing punitive damages may also be possible. Punitive damages are not awarded in all truck accident cases and are typically only provided to injured victims in cases of extreme negligence, wonton recklessness, and willful intent. Please contact our law firm to schedule a free consultation with experienced North Carolina truck accident lawyers today.

Why Are Truck Accident Claims More Complicated Than Most Motor Vehicle Accident Cases?

First, it is very important to understand that the laws governing large trucks and truck drivers are dramatically different than those of the average car driver. Since you are dealing with a driver and a trucking company, the laws regulating how the two are to be paired together in terms of responsibility also have to be different.

The driver, their qualifications, and the trucking company in question all have to be taken into consideration in each North Carolina truck accident case, in addition to the separate and differing circumstances surrounding individual accidents. It may seem unfair, but after being hit by a semi-truck, vital evidence in truck accidents is often controlled by the trucking company.

What Are Common Commercial Truck Accident Injuries?

The drivers and passengers of other motor vehicles involved in large truck accidents can suffer life-altering or life-threatening injuries. By comparison, the truck drivers themselves are usually more protected and only suffer minor injuries in most cases.

Common injuries sustained in large truck accidents include the following:

Back and neck injuries
Broken bones
Burns and disfigurement
Chest injuries, including broken ribs
Complete or partial paralysis
Crushing injuries
Deep cuts and lacerations
Dental damage
Disc herniation
Dismemberment
Facial injuries
Head trauma and concussions
Nerve damage
Organ damage and internal bleeding
Permanent scarring
Soft tissue injuries to muscles and joints
Spinal cord injuries
Traumatic brain injuries
Wrongful death
And more

Whether your injuries are minor or severe, our legal team would proudly represent your interests in pursuit of fair and full compensation for your injuries and other losses. To learn more about our legal services, please contact our North Carolina law firm to schedule your free consultation today.

Can Multiple Parties Be Held Liable for Large Truck Accidents?

Before a semi-truck or commercial vehicle ever gets on the road, many parties are involved in its operation. These parties may include truck drivers, manufacturers, truck owners, trucking companies, cargo loaders, and third parties. Depending on the particulars of your case, multiple parties could be held accountable for the truck accident occurring.

The list of potentially liable parties can be long. Because of this, your truck accident case could become complicated very quickly. Multiple insurance companies could be involved, teams of lawyers could fight to establish fault and liability, and you can bet that no one involved wishes to have the blame rest on their shoulders. Because of this, and so many other reasons, it is highly recommended that you retain the professional legal representation of an experienced truck accident attorney.

When Are Commercial Truck Drivers Responsible for a Tractor Trailer Crash?

The truck driver is responsible for the truck and its operation when the vehicle is on the road. Distracted, fatigued, and negligent drivers could be held responsible for any damages caused by their motor vehicle.

Can Trucking Companies Be Held Liable for Damages in Truck Accident Cases?

Yes. There are many examples of trucking company negligence that can lead to an accident. The company may have hired an inexperienced driver or one who did not have a safe driving record. The company may have given the driver an unrealistic schedule. Or the company may have failed to properly maintain the truck or make needed repairs.

Trucking companies know how to cover themselves. They often send investigators to the scene of a crash to gather evidence that they own, such as data from event data recorders or hours of service logs. And they hire lawyers who will take steps to protect the company’s interests – not yours. That’s why your choice of legal representation is so important.

What Evidence Could Be Useful to Commercial Trucking Accident Lawyers When Presenting Your Truck Accident Case?

Every personal injury claim, whether related to an auto accident or something else, is unique and complicated in its own way. As your attorneys, our legal team will attempt to use every piece of evidence available to help support your truck accident claim in pursuit of the maximum compensation for your case.

Types of evidence our legal staff may collect in a truck accident case include the following:

Black box information and diagnostics
Cargo and loading information
Cell phone records
Commercial truck ownership records
Driver logs
Employment records for the truck driver
Eyewitness testimonies
Medical records
Photos from the accident scene
Police reports
Surveillance video
Truck maintenance records

What is the Statute of Limitations for Filing Truck Accident Claims in North Carolina?

In most personal injury cases, you typically have three years from the date of the accident to file your lawsuit. If you are seeking to file a wrongful death claim related to a fatal truck crash, you usually have two years from the date that the individual passed away.

If you fail to meet these deadlines, your personal injury or wrongful death case could be dismissed, and you could be forever barred from recovering compensation.

How Can a North Carolina Truck Accident Lawyer Help You in the Aftermath of an Accident?

It is imperative that the truck accident attorney you choose to represent you and your family has the expertise and experience to get you the results you deserve. Truck accidents are extremely costly for trucking companies that are operating on short schedules and deadlines, so many insurance companies representing these trucking companies can be very eager to settle any claims when they are faced with a strong case.

But building a case for compensation is complicated. Experience counts. Find a good truck accident attorney in Raleigh to ensure you will not be taken advantage of by unfair insurance companies. An experienced lawyer can investigate the accident, build a strong case that holds negligent parties accountable, and negotiate with the insurance company – or take them to court.

If you have been hurt in a North Carolina truck accident, it is vital you have a truck accident attorney in Raleigh who knows and understands the laws governing these kinds of situations. Brent Adams is an experienced lawyer and is happy to put his knowledge and expertise to work for you to get the results you deserve.

All of our attorneys have years of experience dealing with serious multi-axle collisions. When handling a truck accident case, a lawyer needs to have a vast depth of knowledge in a variety of different areas, including commercial insurance, truck mechanics and operations, as well as federal trucking guidelines and regulations such as drug and alcohol testing and hours of service/work requirements.

We build strong cases that the insurance company has to take seriously. Then we can negotiate a settlement that meets your needs. But we’re not a settlement mill. We’re not interested in making a quick deal that helps them save money. We’re only interested in recovering the financial compensation you deserve. If the insurance company won’t negotiate, we are not afraid to go to court.

Do not let an unfortunate truck driving accident ruin your life. You have rights. If you have been injured in any way by a negligent truck driver or other party, it’s important to get legal advice as soon as possible. The first step is ensuring you have a good lawyer, one who is experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to the often complex nature of trucking accidents.

Contact us today to learn more. It will cost you nothing to have your case reviewed by one of our experienced lawyers. Once you have all the information you need, you can make an informed decision as to whether or not you wish to continue with your claim. We will make every effort to ensure you see maximum results.

Schedule a Free Consultation with an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer in North Carolina Today

Both federal law and North Carolina law regulate commercial trucks, their drivers, and the companies that operate them. Despite that, accidents can and do happen, often with catastrophic results. If a truck wreck has impacted you or a loved one, you must seek legal counsel from experienced personal injury attorneys to represent your case.

Our law firm has extensive experience representing injured clients in a number of different personal injury cases, including truck collisions. To learn more about how we may be of assistance to you and your family during this difficult time, please contact our North Carolina law offices to schedule your free consultation today. You may reach us at 910-249-6891.