Cherry Hill Truck Accident Lawyer

The trucking industry plays a big role in transporting goods between destinations within New Jersey and between our state and others near and far. Given how truckers cover so much ground on an annual basis, and nothing is flawless, crashes inevitably occur.

With an average of over 3,772 truck accidents happening each year in New Jersey (according to recent data collected by Trunk Info), there are several accidents across the state every day.

If you’ve been involved in one of those accidents, Folkman Law wants to hear from you. Our dedicated attorneys are standing by to discuss your accident and provide you with the information you need to decide the best move for your compensation.

At Folkman Law, Cherry Hill truck accident lawyers have decades of experience advocating for injury victims like you. We have recovered millions of dollars in settlements for our clients and want to do the same for you.

The different factors described above aren’t exhaustive but are instead examples of factors our Cherry Hill truck accident lawyers tend to contribute to these collisions the most. So, whether you believe one of these caused the wreck that led to your injuries, or another one did, get in touch with us to discuss it and whether New Jersey law allows you to recover compensation.

How Truck Accidents Differ from Car Crashes

One of the biggest differences between truck and car accidents, aside from the obvious, which is the stark difference in size between the two vehicles, is ownership and, thus, insurance. While the owner of a tractor-trailer, for example, may be the person driving it, that’s often not the case.

The same logic applies to dump trucks, tankers, and similar vehicles. Since the operators and owners of most trucks are not the same, it’s common for one or more of those parties to not only have their own insurance coverage.

Another big difference between truck and other types of accidents is that truckers are often working for someone else when on the road. Trucking companies hire drivers to transport goods to their destinations. And, even when a trucker is hauling a load using their own tractor, a product distributor likely packed that load and hired them to take it somewhere.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Truck Accident?

Another challenge that arises in filing a truck accident claim is who to assign blame to.

Obviously, it starts with the truck driver whose actions led to the accident. However, there can be additional contributing factors that can expand the named defendants.

Consider the following:

Trucking Companies

A trucking company is obligated to conduct a thorough background check of every driver. They are also obliged to monitor that driver’s history. Any driver who has been repeatedly cited for traffic violations or DUI would be considered a risk and probably shouldn’t be driving for the company.

The truck company also bears responsibility for scheduling routes and putting pressure on truck drivers to make deliveries that compromise the regulations.

That makes them liable for the actions of the truck driver.

Cargo Loaders

When a truck is loaded at a warehouse, it is typically loaded by an independent crew. In other words, the truck driver doesn’t load his own truck. If that cargo was improperly loaded, it could shift during transport and cause the accident.

Fleet Mechanics

A trucking company hires mechanics to service and maintain their fleet. If those mechanics don’t provide the proper upkeep or miss problems with brakes, tires, or other systems, the fault of the accident can be traced back to them.

With so much at stake with a truck accident claim, it is vital that you hire an attorney who understands who to hold responsible. The team at Folkman Law has the investigative skills to determine who the liable parties are.

What Are the Damages in a Truck Accident?

You may hear an attorney refer to any losses you suffered in your truck-involved accident as damages.

It’s unlikely that your wreck will affect you and anyone else in the same way, so if you have been involved in a trucking crash in Cherry Hill, it’s important to keep track of receipts for any expenses you incur and to document any other emotional or hard-to-value impacts it has on your life.

When you work with a Cherry Hill truck accident lawyer, you can expect them to take an accounting of your crash-related losses, which may include:

• Economic damages for losses like medical bills or lost wages.
• Noneconomic damages for losses like pain and suffering or mental anguish.

Securing punitive damages may also be an option if a collision hurts you. However, these are generally only awarded if a case goes to trial. If you opt not to settle your case out of court with an insurance company and instead pursue it in a Camden County courtroom, you can expect your attorney to go over whether you should demand this type of financial award as compensation.

Additional damages, such as funeral and burial costs, may be available to surviving family members of a deceased truck accident victim by filing a wrongful death lawsuit.