According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there is a motor vehicle accident occurring somewhere in the world every 60 seconds. This adds up to over 5 million motor vehicle accidents per year. In the United States alone, approximately 43,000 people die every year in motor vehicle accidents. While any motor vehicle accident has the potential to cause death or injury, the risks to all impacted parties are significantly higher when tractor-trailer and semi trucks are involved in an accident. Out of approximately 15 million trucks on the road in the United States, 13 percent are tractor-trailers, semis, and similar large trucks. Because of their larger size and heavier weight, accidents involving these large trucks are significantly more serious; an accident involving another car might leave you with a dented fender and some chipped paint, while an accident with a tractor-trailer can total your car and leave you with severe injuries as a result. On average, there are 2.3 deaths and 60.5 injuries caused by tractor-trailer trucks for every 100 million miles driven. Accidents involving a semi truck or tractor-trailer cost over $20 billion every year, and 98 percent of these collisions will involve serious injuries or fatalities.
Because of the various factors that can be involved, accidents that involve big-rig or tractor-trailer trucks can be very complicated. By itself, the issue of fault can get very murky; was the driver over their allotted hours? Was the driver driving while intoxicated, or distracted by texting or cell phone usage? Were there adverse weather or road conditions that caused the accident? Was there a mechanical or maintenance failure that caused the accident? Was the truck’s load improperly balanced or secured, leading to it shifting during transit? In addition to the question of liability, there is also the question of expedience. Evidence at the accident scene can begin to degrade as soon as the vehicles are cleared, paperwork related to the accident is only held onto for a brief period of time, and witness accounts can fade from memory. An experienced law firm will anticipate these circumstances, and will work quickly and diligently to find out the answers to these questions.
The Ledger Law Firm, located in Newport Beach, California, represents clients all over the country who have been involved in accidents with big-rigs. The firm’s attorneys have years of experience carefully collecting evidence from the accident, preserving it, and poring over every detail to ensure their clients receive the best representation possible. Through the process of discovery, they will learn whether the driver was intoxicated, falling asleep at the wheel, or driving unsafely; whether the trucking company failed to optimally maintain their fleet of vehicles, whether there were hazardous weather or road conditions that led to the accident; or if the shipper or cargo loader failed to heed proper weight and load restrictions when loading freight into the truck. Regardless of which parties are at fault, the Ledger Law Firm will ensure their clients receive the compensation they are owed. With their policy of not charging a fee unless they win the case, the firm has had great success representing their clients in big-rig accident claims. They currently have a 98% claim success rate, translating to over $20 million in recovered compensation for their clients.
Contact Information:
The Ledger Law Firm also operates a web site just for trucking accidents at: http://truck-accident-help.com/. Truck Accident Help is located at 5160 Birch Street, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA, 92260. The phone number is 1-800-221-7147.