Bus & Truck Accidents

Due to the weight involved, a bus or truck accident may be catastrophic or even fatal to people in a smaller vehicle or pedestrians. Sometimes a truck or bus rolls over, causing problems in multiple lanes of traffic. Often, there is more than one person injured in these accidents, and the injuries may be quite severe for all of the victims. As a result, there may be complexities related to insurance coverage and other technical matters that make it crucial to retain an experienced Middlesex County truck accident lawyer to give yourself a strong chance of recovering damages, such as medical bills and lost wages. At Siegel & Siegel, we represent people seeking a motor vehicle collision attorney throughout Middlesex and Mercer Counties.

People injured by a bus or truck may be able to recover compensation by filing a civil lawsuit for negligence. Most often, a driver of a bus or truck is sued for negligence. To establish negligence by a preponderance of the evidence, you will need to show that the driver owed a duty to use reasonable care but failed to do so, thereby causing your injuries, and that you suffered actual damages. For example, if a bus driver sped through a red light, it is likely that a jury would find that they did not use reasonable care while operating the bus.

In some cases, you may hold the bus or truck driver's employer responsible. Employers may be held indirectly liable for an employee's negligence in the course and scope of employment. However, trucking companies and other employers may also be held directly liable in other situations.

For example, interstate tractor-trailer drivers and their employers must follow specific safety regulations. If these regulations are not followed, and the result is an accident, you may be able to hold the driver or the employer responsible through negligence per se. A commercial trucking employer is supposed to review a truck driver's logbooks to make sure that they are keeping accurate records of their work hours. In some cases, truck drivers falsify their logbooks with the tacit permission of their bosses. Our truck accident attorneys can help Middlesex County residents investigate the details of what specifically happened to cause the crash.

Employers may also be held liable for negligent hiring, negligent training, or negligent supervision. Companies that hire contractors or employees to operate heavy machinery should ensure that those operators are competent and trained to handle the different emergencies and surprises that are part and parcel of life on the road. For example, when a truck driver is unable to make a wide turn safely and winds up crushing a pedestrian or motorcyclist, the fault may lie not only with that driver but also with an employer or company that failed to ensure that they were properly trained to make those turns without harming bystanders.

There are different procedural rules that apply to private and public entities. If the bus or truck was owned by a city or state entity, for example, there may be special time limits that you need to follow. The general statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years, and if you do not file within two years, you lose the right to recover compensation for an accident. However, when a governmental entity is the defendant, you only have 90 days after an accident to give formal notice to the agency. After that, you will need to wait for six months while the entity investigates and tries to figure out whether it is possible to resolve your claim. If no resolution is possible, you may file a formal lawsuit.

Bus and truck accidents may be devastating physically, emotionally, and financially. Our firm may be able to help you recover compensation, including medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, household services, and pain and suffering. Our Middlesex County truck accident attorneys represent victims in Plainsboro, Cranbury, South Brunswick, North Brunswick, New Brunswick, Edison, Piscataway, Trenton, Princeton, Hamilton, and West Windsor, as well as other communities in Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth, and Union Counties. Contact us online or call us at 609-799-6066 to set up a free appointment with a car crash lawyer.