Brentwood Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck accidents are often much larger than ordinary car accidents. As such, the fallout from a truck accident can be significant, and an attorney can help you take steps to get compensation.
Truck accidents in Brentwood and throughout Long Island tend to happen on larger highways where trucks are more common. Even so, certain highways and roads around Brentwood are particularly dangerous. To start a lawsuit, you must first go through the insurance process. New York is a no-fault insurance state with certain restrictions about when drivers can sue. A lawyer can help you determine if you meet the legal thresholds to file a lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit can help you recover the full extent of your damages, including economic and non-economic damages. To prove your claims and be awarded damages, you need evidence. Much evidence comes from the accident itself, while other evidence might come from reports and medical records.
If you were injured in a truck accident around Brentwood, you should speak to an attorney as soon as possible. Our truck accident lawyers are ready to assist you and work to get you compensation. For a free case evaluation, call The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.
Where Truck Accidents Can Happen Around Brentwood, NY
Truck accidents often happen on larger, busier highways. Trucks, especially large eighteen-wheelers, are often only permitted on some smaller local roads if they are making deliveries. Even so, there are numerous areas around Brentwood where truck accidents might happen.
The Long Island Expressway runs along much of Long Island and through numerous neighborhoods, including Brentwood. Expressways like this one are designed for large trucks, and many trucks use expressways as parkways in New York do not permit trucks. With so many trucks using the Expressway in the northern section of Brentwood, accidents can happen, and drivers might be seriously injured.
There might also be roads in Brentwood that are more prone to accidents, creating a serious risk of truck accidents. The intersection of Crooked Hill Rd. and Wicks Rd. is rather complicated, with numerous lanes of traffic intersecting. Truck accidents can occur where roads are more complicated, and truck drivers unfamiliar with the area might be more likely to cause a crash.
Starting a Lawsuit After a Brentwood Truck Accident
Because of New York’s insurance laws, injured drivers often have to submit insurance claims before they can file lawsuits. Our truck accident attorneys can help you through both steps in this lengthy process.
New York is a no-fault insurance state, and all drivers are required to carry personal injury protection (PIP) insurance as part of this system. Drivers file claims through their own PIP coverage and may receive compensation from their insurance providers without having to show evidence that the other driver was at fault. Even so, insurance policies often only cover economic losses to a certain extent, and many injured drivers want to file lawsuits to get additional compensation.
To file a lawsuit after an auto accident, you must prove you have a serious injury per I.S.C. Law § 5104(a). Only drivers who experienced such an injury are permitted to file lawsuits. A serious injury is defined under I.S.C. Law § 5102(d) and includes death, significant disfigurement, dismemberment, fractures, loss of a fetus, permanent loss or limitation of body parts, organs, or systems, or a medically diagnosed non-permanent injury that inhibits you from doing normal daily tasks for at least 90 days out of the 180 days after the accident.
Truck accidents are often very severe, and drivers can experience traumatic or catastrophic injuries. As such, many drivers injured in truck accidents have little trouble meeting the serious injury threshold. Contact our truck accident lawyers for help if you have difficulty starting a lawsuit.
Damages You Can Recover in a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Brentwood, NY
Truck accidents are not usually small incidents. Trucks are huge vehicles with large trailers and heavy cargo traveling at fast speeds. Many truck accidents are devastating, and numerous people are often injured. The damages – economic and non-economic – can be exceptionally high. Our truck accident attorneys can help you evaluate your damages, so you get the compensation you deserve.
If you had to pay for expenses related to the accident, these losses should be added to your economic damages. While replacing totaled vehicles can be costly, many truck accident victims incur crippling medical debt. In cases with severe injuries, people might need long-term care, which only makes it harder for them to escape their debt. To make matters worse, many injured victims cannot return to work, and their lost income should also be added to their economic damages calculations.
Non-economic damages are evaluated differently since they do not cost plaintiffs money. Instead, non-economic damages relate to subjective experiences. For example, physical pain, emotional or mental suffering, humiliation, and other painful experiences may be compensated. Their value is often based on how deeply they impact your life.
Where to Find Evidence to Support Your Truck Accident Claims in Brentwood
Much valuable evidence can be found at the scene of the truck accident. While some evidence might be savaged later, a lot of evidence might disappear once the police clear away the accident scene. If possible, plaintiffs should try to record photos and videos of the accident immediately after it happened. These recordings might save details about the accident that we can use to support your claims.
Trucks are loaded with all kinds of safety gear and equipment that might be used as valuable evidence. For example, if you were injured because the underride bar on the truck failed, we can get the underride bar and examine it for signs of damage.
Trucks sometimes have a black box recording device that records details about speed, brake times, and time spent on the road. We must obtain this data to determine if the driver was negligent when the accident occurred.
Even if physical evidence is in short supply, we can build a strong case on witness testimony. Lay witnesses are ordinary people who saw the accident happen or have personal knowledge of something relevant to your case. An expert witness is someone with special technical skills and knowledge who can help us understand how or why the accident occurred. In truck accident cases, an accident reconstruction expert might be brought in.
Call Our Brentwood Truck Accident Lawyers for a Free Case Review
Call our truck accident attorneys for an evaluation of your case free of charge. To get started, call The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.