St. Paul Truck Accident Attorney

Hire Our Experienced St. Paul Truck Accident Lawyers to Help You Get Compensation

St. Paul and the Twin Cities region see a lot of commercial truck traffic. While important to our economy, large trucks pose a serious risk to others. Semis and tractor-trailers can weigh 80,000 pounds fully loaded, so they can cause utter devastation to smaller passenger vehicles in a truck accident. Commercial truck accidents injure thousands of people each year and kill many others.

If you sustained severe injuries or lost a loved one in a St. Paul truck accident, speak with our attorneys immediately to discuss your options for obtaining compensation.

The St. Paul truck accident attorneys at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers have many years of experience helping people like you, and we will review your cases, advise you of your options, and fight hard to protect your rights so you can get the maximum compensation you deserve. Contact us today to request a free consultation concerning your truck accident injury claim.

Why Choose Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers as Your St. Paul Truck Accident Attorneys

We founded our law firm with a mission to provide the highest level of representation to those suffering needlessly due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing. Since opening our doors in 2007, we have recovered more than $55 million in settlements and verdicts for injured clients throughout Minnesota.

Although we can’t guarantee the compensation you will receive, we can promise to work diligently to build the strongest case possible and fight vigorously to get full and fair compensation for you.

Our attorneys have earned reputations as staunch legal advocates with the tenacity and resolve to negotiate aggressively with insurance companies or present a compelling case in court for our clients. Whether at trial or the negotiation table, you can trust we will do all we can to maximize your financial recovery, and we will remain right beside you until the end to ensure you have everything you need to realize as full of a physical recovery as possible.

Honored for our outstanding professionalism and client service, our attorneys have received many five-star client reviews and dozens of testimonials from our clients. We have also received national recognition for employing some of the top-rated personal injury attorneys in the country.

Contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free review of your case. We work on contingency, so you won’t have to pay us anything upfront to represent you. Contact us today to learn about your options for getting the compensation you need following a St. Paul truck accident.

What Are Common Types of Truck Accidents in St. Paul?

Due to their design, size, and weight, large commercial trucks can cause many accidents, including some that typically don’t happen with passenger vehicles, such as underride or jackknife accidents. Regardless, any truck accident can cause significant damage to other vehicles and severely or fatally injure the vehicles’ occupants.

Here are some common types of truck accidents that occur around St. Paul:

• Jackknife accidents: A jackknife accident occurs when a truck's trailer swings out to the side, forming an angle with the cab, resembling a folding knife. This usually happens when the truck's wheels lock up, causing the trailer to skid out of control. Jackknife accidents often lead to hazardous multi-vehicle collisions.
• Underride accidents: Underride accidents happen when a smaller vehicle slides under the rear or side of a truck, usually due to sudden braking. These accidents can result in severe injuries or fatalities for the smaller vehicle's occupants.
• Wide turns: Trucks have large turning radii, especially when turning right. If a truck driver fails to account for this and does not make a wide enough turn, they may collide with vehicles in adjacent lanes or clip pedestrians or cyclists.
• Blind spot accidents: Trucks have significant blind spots around their sides and rear, where truckers might not see smaller vehicles. If a truck driver fails to check their blind spots or properly signal lane changes, they can collide with vehicles in their blind spots.
• Hazardous material spills: Trucks carrying hazardous materials pose increased accident risks. These materials can spill after a collision or rollover, leading to chemical exposure, fires, explosions, and environmental hazards.
• Rear-end collisions: These accidents occur when a truck crashes into the rear of another vehicle. Rear-end collisions can happen due to tailgating, distracted driving, or inadequate braking distance.
• Rollover accidents: Rollover accidents involve a truck tipping over onto its side or roof. These accidents can occur due to speeding, sharp turns, improper cargo loading, or sudden maneuvers to avoid collisions. Rollovers are particularly hazardous because they can lead to the truck sliding across multiple lanes, causing additional accidents.
• Tire blowouts: Truck tire blowouts can cause the driver to lose control and lead to accidents. The sudden loss of control can result from tire defects, overloading, inadequate tire maintenance, or road hazards.

These are a few types of St. Paul truck accidents, but many others exist.

Truck drivers must drive safely and follow applicable laws and regulations, and they and their employers must maintain the integrity of their vehicles. If they don’t and cause an accident that injures you or someone you love, call our St. Paul truck accident attorneys to hold them accountable.

What Are Common Causes of Truck Accidents in St. Paul?

Truck accidents can have multiple causes, often involving a combination of factors.

Here are some common causes of truck accidents:

• Driver fatigue: Fatigue contributes to many truck accidents. Long hours on the road, demanding schedules, and inadequate rest breaks can lead to drowsy driving, reduced reaction times, and impaired decision-making.

• Distracted driving: Distractions such as texting, talking on the phone, eating, or using electronic devices divert a truck driver's attention from the road. These distractions can significantly increase the risk of accidents.
• Impaired driving: Alcohol, illegal drugs, or certain medications can impair judgment, decrease coordination, and delay reaction times, increasing the likelihood of truck accidents.
• Speeding: Driving above the speed limit or too fast for road conditions causes many truck accidents. Speeding reduces a driver's ability to stop or maneuver safely, making it more difficult to avoid collisions.
• Inadequate training: Insufficient training or improper licensing of truck drivers can lead to accidents. Truck drivers must possess the necessary skills and knowledge to handle large vehicles, navigate different road conditions, and operate specialized equipment.
• Equipment failure: Mechanical failures in truck components such as brakes, tires, steering systems, or lights can cause accidents. Poor maintenance, manufacturing defects, or improper repairs can contribute to equipment failures. Also, many trucking companies use retreaded tires to save money. However, these tires have a terrible record of unraveling, leading to loss of control and accidents.
• Improper cargo loading or securement: Incorrectly loaded or secured cargo can make a truck unbalanced or shift during transit, leading to loss of control and accidents. Improper cargo loading can also result in cargo spills or objects falling from the truck, creating hazards for other vehicles.
• Adverse weather conditions: Rain, snow, ice, fog, or strong winds—all typical in St. Paul—can significantly increase the risk of truck accidents. Reduced visibility, slippery roads, and decreased traction make controlling large trucks more challenging.
• Aggressive driving: Reckless behaviors such as tailgating, frequent lane changes, improper passing, or failure to yield can lead to truck accidents. Aggressive driving increases the likelihood of collisions and escalates the severity of their consequences.
• Failure to follow traffic laws: Violating traffic laws, such as running red lights, ignoring stop signs, or failing to yield the right of way, can result in truck accidents.

Addressing these causes requires effort from trucking companies, drivers, regulators, and other road users. Implementing stricter regulations, promoting driver training and awareness programs, ensuring proper maintenance, and encouraging responsible driving behavior can eliminate the causes of truck accidents and enhance road safety.

Still, many truckers and trucking companies ignore laws and regulations and do not adequately train their drivers or maintain their trucks for safety.

If your attorney can prove the trucker or trucking company’s negligence caused the truck accident that injured you, they can hold the responsible parties liable for your injuries and seek the compensation you deserve.

What Are Common Truck Accident Injuries?

Truck accidents often result in severe injuries due to the large size and weight difference between trucks and smaller vehicles.

Some common truck accident injuries we help people receive compensation for at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers include:

• Whiplash: Whiplash is a common injury in rear-end collisions where the sudden impact causes the head to jerk forward and backward forcefully. It can result in long-term neck pain, stiffness, and headaches.
• Broken bones: The impact of a truck accident can fracture bones in the arms, legs, ribs, and pelvis. These injuries may require surgery, immobilization, and extensive rehabilitation.
• Spinal cord injuries: A truck accident can lead to spinal cord injuries, resulting in partial or complete paralysis. Spinal cord injuries often have a life-altering impact on the affected individual's mobility and overall quality of life.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI): A truck accident can cause a traumatic brain injury, ranging from concussions to more severe injuries. TBIs can result in cognitive impairments, memory loss, difficulties with speech or motor functions, and changes in behavior or personality.
• Internal organ damage: A truck accident can cause deadly internal injuries to the liver, spleen, kidneys, or lungs. Internal injuries may not manifest immediately, but they require immediate medical attention. 
• Back and spinal injuries: Truck accidents can herniate discs, fractured vertebrae, or cause other back and spinal column injuries. These injuries can lead to chronic pain, limited mobility, and long-term complications.
• Burns and scarring: Truck accidents involving fires, explosions, or hazardous material spills can result in severe burns and scarring. Burn injuries often require extensive medical treatment, including surgeries, skin grafts, and rehabilitation.
• Soft tissue injuries: Truck accidents commonly cause sprains, strains, bruises, and other soft tissue injuries. These injuries can cause pain, swelling, and limited range of motion, affecting the individual's ability to perform daily activities.
• Emotional and psychological trauma: Truck accidents can also lead to emotional and psychological trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. These injuries may require therapy or counseling to address the psychological impact of the accident.

The severity and types of injuries can vary widely depending on the accident. Seek immediate medical attention after a truck accident, even if you feel no pain, as some severe injuries may have delayed or subtle initial symptoms.

How Do I Prove Liability in a St. Paul Truck Accident?

Proving liability in a truck accident typically involves gathering evidence and presenting a solid case that demonstrates the negligence or fault of the responsible party.

Here are some steps that can establish liability in a truck accident, many of which you will need a truck accident lawyer to complete for you:

• Seek medical attention: Make your health and safety your top priority. Seek immediate medical attention for any injuries sustained in the accident. Prompt medical treatment ensures your well-being and establishes a legal connection between the accident and your injuries.
• Document the accident scene: If you physically can, gather evidence at the accident scene. Take photographs or videos of the vehicles involved, the surrounding area, skid marks, traffic signs, and other relevant details. This documentation can provide valuable visual evidence later.
• Obtain the police report: Contact the police and file an accident report. The report will contain details about the accident, statements from involved parties and witnesses, and the officer's opinion about fault. Request a copy of the report for your records.
• Gather witness statements: Obtain contact information from any witnesses and ask for their statements regarding what they saw. Witness testimonies can support your version of events and establish liability.
• Preserve evidence: Preserve any evidence related to the accident, including damaged property, clothing, and personal belongings. This evidence may establish liability or determine the extent of damages.
• Review trucking company records: If the truck involved in the accident belongs to a trucking company, request relevant records, such as driver logs, maintenance records, and employment records. These documents may reveal violations of safety regulations or negligent practices.
• Obtain black box data: Commercial trucks often have electronic data recorders, commonly known as black boxes, which capture information about the truck's speed, braking, and other relevant data. This data can provide valuable insights into the circumstances leading up to the accident.
• Investigate the driver's history: Conduct a background check on the truck driver involved in the accident. Look for any prior traffic violations, history of drug or alcohol use, previous accidents, or other relevant information that could demonstrate a pattern of negligence.
• Expert opinion: In complex truck accident cases, you may need to consult accident reconstruction experts, medical professionals, or other relevant experts who can provide their opinions and analysis based on their expertise.

Consult an Attorney

As you can see, you have many steps to take and information and evidence to gather to support your St. Paul truck accident injury claim. Contact our personal injury attorneys. We have experience handling truck accident cases and can guide you through the legal process, gather evidence, and build a strong case to establish liability.

Our lawyers have access to resources that can expedite the process, and we can fight to protect your rights and hold all responsible parties accountable throughout the process.

You need an attorney to prepare and successfully navigate a truck accident injury claim. We can provide personalized advice and guidance based on the circumstances of your case as we fight tirelessly to help you get the maximum compensation possible.

St. Paul Truck Accident Attorney FAQs

Contact an Experienced St. Paul Truck Accident Attorney Today

You suffered because of a St. Paul truck accident, and you deserve to receive compensation for all your injuries and losses. You need an attorney to help with the highly complicated process. To begin, contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers today at (651) 237-4258 for your free consultation.