River Falls Truck Accident Lawyers

River Falls Truck Accident Attorney

Large trucks are a common sight on River Falls roadways, and few residents give these massive vehicles a second thought.

The truth, however, is that truck accidents often cause more damage and injuries than other car accidents due to the sheer size and weight of the truck. A fully loaded truck will cause more damage and potential injuries than one that is not loaded or if the tractor is traveling without a trailer. Truck accident injuries also depend on several other factors, including the size of your vehicle and the speed at which you and the truck are traveling.

If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a truck accident, contact our River Falls truck accident attorneys at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for your free case evaluation.

Common Reasons for Truck Accidents

You might get into an auto accident with a truck for many reasons, through no fault of your own. Depending on the cause of the accident, however, you could recover damages from people or entities other than the truck driver and/or the trucking company.

Common reasons truckers might get into accidents include:

• Another driver cuts the trucker off or runs into the trucker.
• The cargo is not loaded properly or is not tied down properly.
• The truck’s maintenance tech did not install parts or did not maintain the truck properly.
• The truck failed an inspection, but the driver took it out anyway.
• The driver or inspector did not inspect the truck for issues, such as failing tires or brakes.
• The driver is fatigued or tired.
• The driver is speeding or otherwise driving in an aggressive manner.
• The driver is driving too fast for conditions.
• The road is in poor condition.
• The weather causes the driver to wreck. The weather could include wind, rain, snow, sleet, ice, and even the sun.
• The truck driver’s company or a third-party dispatcher “encourages” the truck driver to break driving speed or hours of service regulations to deliver a load on time.
• Driving while under the influence.
• Distracted driving.
• Defective parts.
• Defective truck or trailer.

Before you hire just any River Falls attorney, make sure he or she has experience litigating and settling truck accidents.

Injuries You Could Suffer in a Truck Accident

The injuries you could suffer in a truck accident could lead to long-term or permanent disabilities.

Some of the injuries you could suffer include:

• Bumps, bruises, scrapes, scratches, and cuts.
• Face and eye injuries.
• Road rash.
• Strains, sprains, pulled muscles, torn muscles, and other soft tissue injuries.
• Simple and compound fractures.
• Head, neck, and shoulder injuries.
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Amputation of one or more digits and/or limbs.
• Thermal and chemical burns.
• Back and spinal cord injuries.
• Internal injuries.
• Death.

In addition to the injuries caused in an accident, you may also suffer from secondary injuries, especially if you have an underlying condition that impacts healing. For example, diabetes and immunodeficiencies often make it difficult for wounds to heal. Additionally, if you are taking medication that decreases your white cell count, you could have a longer recovery time, which leads to higher incidences of infection in open wounds.

Because you would not have suffered these secondary injuries if not for the actions or inactions of the defendant, you can still likely hold them liable for secondary injuries.

Recovering Damages

After a truck accident, victims can claim two types of damages: Compensatory damages and punitive damages. Compensatory damages include economic damages and non-economic damages. The court orders the defendant to pay compensatory damages in an attempt to make you financially whole again.

While the money does not remove injuries or disabilities caused by injuries nor bring back a loved one killed in a truck accident, it does help to relieve financial stress. The money also ensures that you get the medical care you need.

Economic Damages

Sometimes referred to as special damages, economic damages have a clear monetary value and include:

• Past and future medical expenses. Future medical expenses include physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive therapy, and other psychological therapies if needed.
• Past and future lost wages. Future lost wages could also include partial future lost wages if your disability allows you to work, but does not allow you to work for the same salary or hourly wage as you did before the accident.
• Replacement or repair of destroyed or damaged personal property.
• Funeral, burial, and/or cremation expenses.

Non-Economic Damages

Sometimes referred to as general damages, non-economic damages do not have a clear economic value attached, and might include:

• Pain and suffering, including emotional distress for those injured in a truck accident.
• Emotional distress for those who lost a loved one in a truck accident.
• Loss of quality of life if you need to take medication or use ambulatory devices for the rest of your life.
• Loss of consortium if you can no longer have a physical relationship with your spouse.
• Loss of companionship if you can no longer enjoy or take part in family activities and events.
• Loss of use of a body part or bodily function, such as your hand or eyesight.
• Amputation, whether it happens as a direct result of the accident or if a doctor needs to amputate later because of gangrene.
• Excessive scarring and/or disfigurement.
• Inconvenience.

Punitive Damages

Wisconsin allows victims to recover punitive damages if the defendant’s actions or inactions were considered an intentional disregard for the rights or safety of others. The court does not order punitive damages in an attempt to make the victim whole again, but instead, as a punishment for the defendant. Accident victims can typically only collect punitive damages if the court awards some compensatory damages.

Collect the Compensation You Deserve After a Truck Accident

Truck accident cases are often complex because defendants can cause a truck accident.

Those involved could include:

• The truck driver.
• A third-party driver in another vehicle.
• The driver’s employer.
• The truck and/or trailer manufacturer.
• A third-party dispatcher.
• A third-party inspector.
• A third-party truck technician.
• Aftermarket part manufacturers.

If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in an accident in River Falls, contact a River Falls truck accident attorney courtesy of Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation.

River Falls Truck Accident FAQs

While River Falls is not a huge town, it is the largest in the county. With the University of Wisconsin River Falls and the tourists that come in on top of those that live there, you’ll see a lot of truck traffic.

When trucks tangle with passenger vehicles, those in passenger vehicles often suffer from severe injuries or even death because of the weight of the truck—especially if it’s fully loaded.

If you suffered injuries in a River Falls truck accident, contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation.

Who is liable in a River Falls truck accident?

Individuals and entities other than the truck driver could share in the responsibility for your truck accident injuries. These include:

• The driver / owner / operator.
• The trucking company.
• A third party who caused the truck to wreck.
• An auto technician who did not install parts correctly.
• A parts manufacturer.
• The truck manufacturer.
• The trailer manufacturer.
• Third-party cargo loaders.
• A dispatcher, if he or she “encouraged” the driver to make a deadline that is impossible to meet if the driver doesn’t speed or breaks the hours-of-service regulations.
• An inspector who ignores issues or does not find problems, such as bad brakes.

Why are River Falls truck accidents usually more traumatic?

Truck accidents are usually more traumatic because of the weight of the truck. A fully loaded tractor-trailer that does not have an oversize load could weigh up to 80,000 pounds. An oversize load could weigh much more. Even an empty truck with a single axle weighs 20,000 pounds.

What causes River Falls truck accidents?

In some cases, others cause truck accidents, such as when a vehicle cuts a truck off or when someone pulls into the truck’s blind spot as the truck driver is trying to make a right turn.

Reasons a truck causes an accident include:

• Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs, and other illicit substances.
• Driving while distracted.
• Driving while tired and/or fatigued.
• Speeding and excessive speeding.
• Reckless driving.
• Defective parts, including tires, brakes, suspension components, hydraulics, air lines, and other parts.
• Incorrectly installed parts
• Manufacturing defects.
• Driving too fast for weather conditions.
• Roads in poor repair.

How long do I have to file a River Falls truck accident lawsuit?

In River Falls, you generally have up to three years to file a lawsuit against those responsible for your injuries. However, most insurance companies will try to use that against you if you wait a long time to file a claim. You should notify the insurance company of a claim immediately and refer the insurance company to your truck accident attorney.

Additionally, if more than one defendant is liable for your damages, you will have to notify their insurance companies. In the alternative, you can let your truck accident lawyer contact the insurance companies for you.

Why should I hire a lawyer to help me with my River Falls truck accident claim?

You should hire a truck accident lawyer for several reasons. First, more than one person might share in the responsibility for your injuries. A truck accident lawyer at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers can investigate the accident and notify all insurance companies who might share responsibility for your injuries.

Additionally, insurance companies are in business to make money, which means they will try anything to deny a claim or offer a tiny settlement. When you retain a truck accident attorney, the insurance companies know that it’s harder to use their tricks to place blame on you for the accident. The insurance companies also know that if they do not offer a fair and reasonable settlement that you are more likely to take your case to litigation.

Do truck drivers have to abide by special laws and regulations?

Yes. Truck drivers have several state and federal regulations they must abide by, including the hours-of-service regulations, which dictate how long a trucker can drive.

What are some common truck accident injuries?

You could suffer several injuries in a truck accident. You are at a higher risk of suffering catastrophic injuries or death because of the weight of the truck.

Injuries could include:

• Bumps, bruises, scrapes, cuts, and scratches.
• Sprains and strains.
• Pulled muscles, torn muscles, and other soft tissue injuries.
• Face and eye injuries.
• Head, neck, and shoulder injuries.
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Back and spinal cord injuries.
• Internal injuries.
• Road rash.
• Thermal and chemical burns.
• Amputation of a digit or limb.

How much can I recover in damages after a River Falls truck accident?

The amount you can recover depends on the severity of your injuries.

You could recover economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages.

Economic damages have a monetary value and include:

• Past and future medical expenses, including expenses for physical therapy, occupational therapy, cognitive therapy, and other psychological therapies.
• Past and future lost wages, including partial future lost wages if you go to work but cannot make the same salary or hourly wage due to your injuries and/or disabilities caused by accident injuries.
• Replacement or repair of destroyed or damaged personal property.
• Burial, funeral, and/or cremation expenses.

Non-economic damages do not have a monetary value and include:

• Pain and suffering, including emotional distress.
• Loss of quality of life.
• Loss of companionship.
• Loss of consortium.
• Inconvenience.
• Loss of use of a body part.
• Loss of use of a bodily function.
• Amputation of a digit or limb.
• Excessive scarring and/or disfigurement.

Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers

Truck accident injuries often lead to long-term or permanent disabilities that require medical care for the rest of your life. You can recover those medical expenses and lost wages from a truck accident, so you don’t have to suffer financially. If you lost a loved one in a truck accident, the money does not bring your loved one back, but it helps make you financially stable.

If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a truck accident, contact a River Falls truck accident lawyer at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers.

River Falls Office
215 S 2nd St #20
River Falls, WI 54022
Phone: 715-200-3626