Grand Rapids Truck Accident Lawyer

Grand Rapids Truck Accident Attorney

A motor vehicle crash can be one of the most traumatic and life-changing events in a person’s life, and when one of the vehicles involved is a huge commercial truck weighing tens of thousands of pounds, the consequences can be much more dire. If you or a loved one has been injured by a semi-truck, passenger bus, box van, or other commercial vehicle, a Grand Rapids truck accident lawyer from our firm can help you demand justice for your injuries.

The trial-tested attorneys at Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, know how to deal with corporate trucking companies, their insurance carriers, and the Grand Rapids courts. With over 40 years of success in helping Michiganders achieve justice for their injuries, we understand both the complexities of trucking regulations and the challenges faced by our injured clients.

Our empathy and legal mastery help us craft custom legal strategies that support our clients and maximize their chances of success. To us, you’re more than a number; we take the time to ensure our clients’ needs are uplifted at every possible step.

Understanding Truck Accidents in Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids sees significant truck traffic every day on major corridors like I-96 and US 131. With so many of Grand Rapids’ vital products and materials delivered via truck lines, it is an unfortunate inevitability that semi-trucks are often involved in traffic accidents in the greater Grand Rapids area.

Michigan has around 15,000 annual crashes involving commercial motor vehicles like semi-trucks, with around 100 of them being fatal and many others causing injuries.

Like any other category of motor vehicle accident, trucking accidents have a wide range of potential causes. Many of these causes overlap with other types of motor vehicle crashes, while others are unique to commercial trucking scenarios. Some primary causes of injurious commercial truck accidents include:

• Driver Fatigue: Federal trucking regulations enforce “hours of service” rules, which are designed to prevent truckers from being overworked to the point of hazard. Unfortunately, violations of these rules are all too common in the trucking industry. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, nearly 200,000 inspections every year uncover an hours of service violation, and exhausted, overworked drivers are a danger to themselves and everyone on the road, no matter how skilled or well-trained they might be.
• Distracted Driving: Although this issue is not unique to commercial truck drivers, distracted driving is a danger to everyone on the road, as constant phone use and other tech distractions have become irresistible to drivers. When scrolling and texting habits are combined with a fully loaded semi-truck weighing tens of thousands of pounds, the results can be disastrous, sometimes leading to serious injuries and fatalities.
• Speeding and Reckless Driving: When a driver makes a foolish, reckless, or selfish choice, such as driving in excess of the legal speed limit, swerving between lanes at high speeds without signaling, or running through a red light instead of coming to a complete stop, they put themselves and everyone else on the road in danger. When massive commercial vehicles are involved in these types of incidents, that danger can be magnified significantly.
• Improperly Loaded Trucks: Not every commercial truck accident is a matter of a truck driver making bad decisions behind the wheel, of course. In some situations, third parties, like warehouse or distribution center workers, may be found at fault for a truck accident. When cargo is not properly balanced and secured, it can lead to accidents, such as a truck falling over onto its side while navigating a sharp curve or a trailer jackknifing when the driver has to make a fast stop on slippery roads.
• Mechanical Issues: Poor maintenance practices are another common cause of truck accidents. Depending on the nature of the mechanical failure and the accident it caused, a trucking company or its maintenance provider might be found liable for injuries sustained.
• Corporate Policies: Determining liability in some complex commercial trucking accident cases requires more abstraction, such as when a truck crash can be traced back to negligent hiring or supervisory policies at a trucking company. Successfully proving that a shipping company’s lax policies are directly responsible for truck crash injuries usually requires a significant amount of compelling evidence, plus a sharp legal strategy to contextualize it.

Just as there are many potential underlying causes for truck accidents, the injuries sustained in these accidents also vary widely. Some of the types of injuries commonly sustained in truck accidents include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
• Spinal Cord Injuries/Paralysis
• Broken Bones
• Crushed or Lost Limbs
• Organ Damage and Internal Bleeding
• Burns
• Emotional Trauma

Due to the violent nature of a commercial truck crash, fatalities are also a regular outcome in serious crashes. Whether you are trying to secure fair repayment for your medical bills and lost shifts at work through a personal injury lawsuit or you are filing a wrongful death claim to fight for justice in the name of a loved one killed in a crash with a negligently operated semi-truck, Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC can help.

FAQs About Grand Rapids, MI Truck Accident Law

How Do Truck Accident Lawsuits Work?

Truck accident lawsuits work like other types of motor vehicle accident injury lawsuits, with the particulars of each case being informed by that case’s unique details. After some truck accidents, a formal lawsuit may not even be necessary, with a routine insurance claim being sufficient. In other scenarios, however, months of litigation may be required to maximize your recovery. Your personal injury attorney in Grand Rapids can help explain the most effective strategies for your unique case.

How to Choose a Truck Accident Lawyer?

To choose a truck accident lawyer, look for a firm that has a track record of success in dealing with truck accident cases. At Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, we have helped injured Michiganders seek justice for their injuries and losses in a wide variety of scenarios, including those involving large commercial vehicles and well-defended commercial shipping companies.

How Does a Truck Accident Lawyer Help Me After an Accident?

Truck accident lawyers can help their clients in many ways, including handling and filing the paperwork related to the claim, negotiating with insurance providers, litigating cases in court, and otherwise supporting clients through their recovery. If you are uncertain about what an attorney could do for you, many law firms offer initial consultations at little to no cost. This allows injured parties with modest financial means to access high-quality legal help.

Are Semi Trucks More Dangerous than Passenger Cars?

Semi trucks are often considered more dangerous than passenger cars due to their immense size and weight. In other words, a moving object weighing 20,0000 lbs. is often more dangerous than a 2,000 lb. object moving at the same speed in an obvious way. Danger is a complicated subjective concept; however, and when looking at total number of crashes, or per capita crashes, personal vehicles like cars, light trucks, and motorcycles are generally more prone to injurious and fatal accidents than commercial big rigs.

Speak With a Grand Rapids Truck Accident Attorney

You don’t have to face big trucking companies and their corporate insurance carriers alone. Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, fights to make sure you get justice and resolution to your case. Don’t be pressured into accepting a mediocre case outcome. Contact Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, and let us help you.