Truck Accident Attorneys

Favorably Resolving Your Truck Accident Claim

At Burgess Law, we have been handling personal injury cases in Fairfax, Virginia since 1998. Truck accidents are all too common and often take a significant physical, emotional, and financial toll on accident victims. Many victims suffer debilitating and life-changing injuries in these accidents, including paralysis, spinal cord injuries (SCI), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and painful fractures. Others die, leaving their loved ones to grieve their loss.

If you or a loved one is involved in a truck accident, we urge you to contact one of our attorneys immediately. Insurance adjusters, investigators, and defense attorneys often arrive on the scene of an accident within hours. Without an attorney on your side, you could lose crucial evidence.

Protect your rights by calling us at (703) 952-5801 today.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

In Virginia, you only have two (2) years from the time of a truck accident to file a lawsuit against the negligent party. Trucking operations often involve multiple parties, so it may take valuable time to determine which party played a part in your accident, and timing is critical. Our skilled truck accident attorneys may be able to determine if one of these factors caused or contributed to your accident:

• Driver fatigue — Although truck drivers and trucking companies must comply with stringent hours of service guidelines, many still violate them and put other motorists in danger. Our discerning truck accident lawyers will look at the evidence to determine whether the driver may have been fatigued or drowsy at the time of the accident.
• Oversized trucks — State and federal regulations limit the size of commercial trucks allowed on certain roadways. Cargo must also be loaded in specific ways to prevent the truck from tipping over or cargo falling off. We can send investigators to immediately respond to your accident and look for crucial evidence that may prove negligence.
• Mechanical defects — Faulty brakes, worn tires, or other mechanical problems may have caused your collision. Our accident reconstruction experts can analyze evidence and deliver an opinion regarding factors that caused or contributed to your crash.

While these are 3 of the most common causes of truck accidents, other behaviors can cause large trucks to crash, as well. Drivers may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, disobey the speed limit, text while driving, or otherwise behave carelessly behind the wheel. Because truck drivers are generally employed by a shipping company, both the driver and their employer can face liability.

Our Fairfax truck accident attorneys can build your case and make demands long before the statute of limitations expires. In fact, we prepare every case for trial from day one, even though most cases settle outside of court.

Types of Truck Accidents

Truck accidents kill about 4,000 people every year, and the majority of the victims are passenger vehicle occupants. Large trucks weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger vehicles and take 20-40% longer to stop. Due to their size, weight, and nature, loaded tractor-trailers can even cause accidents that other vehicles cannot.

• Jackknife Accidents: occur when the trailer of an 18-wheeler skids and swings, forming a 90-degree angle with the tractor and creating a shape that looks like an open pocketknife. Not only can the trailer swing across lanes and other vehicles but it can quickly create a hazard for vehicles traveling down the freeway, as well.
• Underride Accidents: occur when passenger vehicles slip underneath large trucks. Passenger vehicle occupants rarely survive underride crashes.
• Rollover Accidents: also cause a serious problem for everyone on the road. If a driver loses control of a large truck, all drivers around them are at risk.

Like all other truck accidents, various parties can be responsible for rollovers, jackknifes, and underride accidents. Let our lawyers guide you through the complex liability!

How Our Attorneys Help

If you have been in a truck accident, chances are, you left the scene in an ambulance. Still, you will need to gather evidence and determine liability if you want any chance at recovering compensation. The sooner you call our attorneys, the sooner we can get to the scene of the crash and start securing valuable evidence.

Aside from this vital step, we can also help you organize all documents related to the crash, get a copy of the crash report, contact the truck driver, the shipping company, and the insurance company; and even find additional evidence during accident reconstruction and the discovery phase. Trucks often have “black box” devices that keep track of their driving time and document any important events.

Often, the truck’s black box gives us the evidence we need to win your case.

We will fight for you, every step of the way, so you can recover compensation and account for:

• Medical bills
• Missed wages
• Rehabilitative care
• Long-term effects of your injury
• Pain and suffering
• And more

If you lost a loved one to a truck accident, we can also help you file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Why Choose Burgess Law?

We are deeply involved with our Fairfax community and have many local contacts, including a team of medical, safety, and accident reconstruction experts who can examine the cause of your accident and determine the full extent of your damages. Our highly experienced lawyers can analyze the circumstances surrounding your case and determine the value of your claim so we can confidently fight for all the compensation you are entitled to. Contact a reputable Fairfax truck accident attorney to get started on your claim.

Our experienced personal injury attorneys will fight to recover maximum compensation for your trucking accident.