Rear-end accidents are one of the most common types of motor vehicle accidents. Although these accidents can range from a simple fender-bender to a serious crash that leaves people with catastrophic or life-threatening injuries, the risk of catastrophic harm or death only goes up when a rear-end accident involves a commercial truck. If you believe you may have a claim for compensation following a rear-end accident with a commercial truck, you need an experienced truck accident attorney to ensure that your claim is properly pursued and that your rights and interests are protected.
At Baldwin Matzus, LLC, our Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers have extensive experience helping our clients successfully recover compensation following truck accidents. When you’ve been left with debilitating injuries following a rear-end truck accident, you can trust us to fight for full compensation for all of your expenses and losses following the accident, including medical treatments and rehabilitation, long-term care of disabilities suffered in the accident, lost wages and earning potential, lost quality of life, and pain and suffering. Opposing parties know that our clients have winning cases and that we are prepared to do what it takes until they receive full and fair compensation.
Reach out to us for a free case review to speak with one of our Pennsylvania rear-end truck accident attorneys about your legal rights and options for pursuing a claim for compensation for your injuries and losses.
Types of Rear-End Truck Accidents
Rear-end truck accidents typically fall into one of two different categories:
- A truck rear-ends your vehicle: There are many reasons why a truck driver’s rig may end up hitting the rear of your vehicle, including distracted driving (often due to cell phone use), fatigued driving, speeding, tailgating (following too closely to safely slow down or stop), faulty braking systems, and poor weather and/or road conditions. The significant forces imparted by a truck rear-ending your vehicle can often lead to you hitting other vehicles, causing a chain-reaction traffic accident that may result in significant injuries and property damage.
- Your vehicle rear-ends a truck: This type of rear-end accident can often be deadlier than if your vehicle was rear-ended by a commercial truck. Due to the height difference between the back of a truck or trailer and the passenger compartment of a car, when your vehicle rear-ends a truck you face the risk of catastrophic or fatal injuries. These accidents can happen when a truck has broken or inadequate rear-reflectors or brake lights, leading to a situation where you don’t realize that the truck in front of you is slowing down until it’s too late. Fatal injuries from these accidents can be prevented if a truck is equipped with underride guards, which vehicles with a gross weight of over 10,000 are required to have.
Our firm can help you explore your rights to seek compensation for your injuries and losses when you’ve been involved in either one of these types of rear-end truck accidents.
Let Baldwin Matzus, LLC Help You to Get the Compensation and Justice You Deserve after a Pennsylvania Rear-End Truck Accident
After you’ve been injured in a rear-end truck accident, you should never simply accept the first settlement offer from the insurance company. You may quickly find yourself with expenses and losses that the settlement doesn’t cover. At-fault trucking parties and their insurers will do whatever it takes to minimize their liability to you. With our firm, you can expect that our experienced litigators will never be swayed by the tactics of opposing parties to avoid liability. Our firm is always prepared to fight as long as it takes until you receive the compensation you need and deserve, including taking your claim all the way to court and to trial if necessary. Don’t let insurance adjusters or defense attorneys try to convince you that you don’t have a legal claim or that you are being offered full recovery for your injuries and losses. Let our firm thoroughly review your case and help you understand what kind of outcome you are entitled to under the law.
Truck Driver Liability for Causing an Accident
The law requires all drivers to leave enough distance to the vehicle in front to be able to safely slow down and come to a stop, given the driver’s speed and the road conditions. As a result, there is often a rebuttable presumption that the vehicle in the rear of a rear-end accident failed to leave enough room to safely slow down or stop and thus was responsible for the accident.
Filing an Injury Claim Despite Being Partially Responsible for a Rear-End Truck Accident
Although being the vehicle in the rear creates a rebuttable presumption you were at fault for the crash, there may be facts and circumstances that show that another party bears some or all of the fault for the accident. Under Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence law, you may pursue a claim so long as your share of fault for an accident and your injuries do not exceed your share of fault or that of the party you are seeking compensation from. Our attorneys can review your case and advise you as to whether you may have a viable claim.
Contact Our Firm for a Free Case Evaluation to Learn More about the Process of Pursuing a Claim for Compensation Following a Truck Accident
If you’ve been seriously hurt in a rear-end truck accident, our firm can help you pursue recovery. Contact Baldwin Matzus, LLC today for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our knowledgeable truck accident attorneys to discuss how our firm can give you the best chance at securing fair and full compensation for your injuries and losses following a rear-end truck accident.
The articles on this blog are for informational purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.
