Despite the significant safeguards that exist to prevent truck drivers from being negligent, there are still many accidents caused by driver fatigue. When this unfortunate event occurs, a Maryland personal injury attorney from Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis, LLP can help you get the money you need for your medical bills.
After suffering severe injuries in a truck accident, contact the law firm of Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis immediately to speak to a personal injury attorney. We are here to help protect your rights, and the initial consultation is free.
Truck Accidents are Life-Changing
Unless you are exceptionally lucky, truck accidents are typically devastating. Trucks weigh up to 20 times as much as cars and often tear cars apart during collisions. Even if you survive a truck accident, there is a good chance you will spend months in a hospital and years recovering from your injuries.
As awful as this sounds, it is made worse by insurance companies. Unfortunately, you are expected to complete the claims process within a relatively short time frame after an accident. This is asking a lot from someone who is confined to a hospital bed or may need assistance with daily activities.
At Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis, our attorneys understand the pain and stress victims of truck accidents are going through after a crash. We know that dealing with an insurance company, especially one that is trying to minimize your compensation, might be too much to bear.
That is why our caring lawyers step up and deal with all the red tape. We want you to be able to spend as much energy as possible recovering. Your personal injury attorney will fight zealously to get you the maximum award while minimizing how much work you must put into the claims process.
Fatigued Truck Accidents Should Never Happen
One of the worst things about a fatigued truck accident is that there is no good reason for it to ever happen. Truck drivers receive additional training to ensure they are safe when behind the wheel of these rolling behemoths. They know the dangers of fatigue and understand the signs of tiredness.
State and federal regulations require truck drivers to avoid driving while tired. Yet it still happens regularly. And for the most part, driving while fatigued isn’t an accident. It is usually an intentional decision by a truck driver.
Usually, drivers take to the roads while fatigued because they want to maximize their hours. Rather than lose money by taking time off, they drive:
- After having already driven too many hours in the day
- At an unusual hour
- While sick or medicated
- After drinking alcohol and not waiting long enough for the effects to wear off
- On a mandatory day off
Driving like this is never safe. But if a truck driver gets away with it once, they will usually do it again because nothing bad happened the first time. All too often, the odds eventually catch up with them.
And when they do, that usually means the driver either falls asleep at the wheel or responds too slowly to a dangerous situation due to fatigue. Either way, the result is a major accident.
Fighting the Insurance Company
Many clients ask us why they need a personal injury lawyer. The answer is always the same — insurance companies hate spending money, so they fight every case, even when the facts are indisputable.
What this means for you is even if the driver fell asleep while driving and ran over your vehicle, the insurance company will try to avoid paying you what you deserve after an accident. This is usually true even if there is video evidence showing the driver fell asleep.
If the insurance company can, it will try to deny your claim. And in Maryland, that means it just needs to claim that you were at least partially responsible for the accident. That is a relatively low bar, especially when a claimant doesn’t understand insurance law.
At Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis, our attorneys will investigate the accident independently and provide evidence to prove that the fatigued truck driver was completely responsible.
After that, we must fight to get you a fair settlement. Typically, an insurer will try lowballing you if they can get away with it. Thankfully, our lawyers know the true value of your case and won’t settle for anything less than a fair offer.
If the insurance company balks at that, we are always willing to go to court and have an excellent record of success at trial.
Contact the Law Firm of Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis, LLP for Fatigued Truck Accident Cases in Maryland
If a tired truck driver in Maryland has seriously hurt you, contact our law firm today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer.