San Antonio Trucking Accident Attorney

Michael Grossman, Trucking Accident Attorney in San Antonio TX, Explains The Potential Challenges of Recovering Damages in an 18-Wheeler Accident Case

The damages caused by an 18 wheeler accident can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, the legal opposition a victim might face in attempting to secure compensation for such an accident can be equally immense.

However, you don't have to fight this legal battle alone. San Antonio trucking accident attorney Michael Grossman of Grossman Law Offices is here to help you. Whether you need someone to fight for your rights in a courtroom, or you just need someone to answer any questions you might have regarding your semi-truck accident. Grossman Law Offices is here for you.

First, it should be noted that there has seldom, if ever, been an 18-wheeler accident case that was won by a self-represented plaintiff. There are simply too many laws at play, often too many defendants, and too many technical facets of the court proceedings that must be closely adhered to, that even an inexperienced attorney stands little to no chance at recovering full and fair compensation for their client. With such a sizable sum of compensation likely on the line, choosing to self-represent, or simply randomly picking an attorney who may not have the necessary experience, is an awfully risky decision. By enlisting the help of an experienced San Antonio trucking accident attorney, you will likely be taking the first step towards seeing compensation for your injury or loss as a result of an 18-wheeler accident.

Vicarious Liability in 18-Wheeler Accident Cases

In many accidents involving semi-trucks, there will most likely be multiple liable parties. This means that, unlike otherwise “normal” passenger-vehicle only accidents in which only one party is likely at fault, a trucking accident can often involve multiple parties that all share some of the liability for the accident’s occurrence. The truck driver will be a liable party, but the truck driver’s employer can also be a liable party. In Texas, due to the legal notion of “respondeat superior,” an employer is held responsible for their employees’ negligent behavior. In other words, a trucking employer can be an additional defendant in a trucking accident personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. However, the trucking company will likely be carrying an expensive insurance policy, which causes further challenges in such cases, and will be discussed in further detail below.

Furthermore, depending on the specifics of the accident, other liable parties may also be defendants. If faulty brakes were to blame for the semi-truck accident, the manufacturer of the brakes could be held liable. If a load shifted in the tractor-trailer, causing the wreck, then an outside cargo-loading company could be held liable. If the semi-truck crashed into an overpass as a result of following a prescribed route that was planned by an outside route-planning company, that company could be held liable. As you can see, there can often be many more liable parties that were part of the accident before the accident occurred. Without experienced legal help like San Antonio trucking accident attorney Michael Grossman to conduct a thorough independent investigation into the accident on your behalf, all liable parties may not be identified. This would consequently mean that the compensation likely awarded to you would be less than fair if all of the liable parties are properly identified. Furthermore, when multiple defendants are involved in an 18-wheeler accident case, an attorney will often be required to tailor specific cases against each unique defendant. Our attorneys at Grossman Law Offices have twenty years of experience in litigating 18-wheeler cases.

Legal Opposition You Will Face

Legal opposition in these types of cases is often quite stout and can come from many fronts. Why is this often the case, and quite opposite of what is experienced in passenger-vehicle only accidents? A majority of the challenges in seeking compensation as a result of an injury or loss because of an 18-wheeler accident stems from the fact that a trucking company will most often be carrying a high-dollar insurance policy on their trucks and drivers.

High-Dollar Trucking Insurance Policies

Insurance companies that hold policies for trucking companies have a lot of money on the line in a truck accident due to massive commercial insurance policies. Within moments of a crash occurring, a team of insurance adjusters, defense attorneys, and accident recreation specialists will be on their way to the scene of an 18-wheeler accident. This team has a single purpose: to build up evidence to use against you in court. They will be looking for anything, like physical evidence, truck logs, witness statements, etc. in order to get their client off the hook.

High-Ranking Insurance Adjusters

Insurance adjusters that work semi-truck accident claims will often be some of the most experienced and high-ranking adjusters in their company. They have risen to their privileged and likely well-paid position by being able to do one thing well: saving their company as much money as possible. This is most often done by working to see large sum insurance claims denied or severely lessened. With their years of experience in seeing such claims denied, they will employ specific tactics in order to get a victim to admit to some, or even all, of the blame for an accident. In doing so, they can stand to save their company a sizable sum. By enlisting our help, you will be fighting their experience with our own experience. We’re familiar with their tactics, and will work your accident claim with your best interests in mind. Additionally, it should be noted that we’ve brought cases against every major insurer in the country, and they are often prone to settling out-of-court with our clients instead of meeting our lawyers in court. In other words, our reputation can go to work for you.

Fast-Acting, Savvy Defense Attorneys

Furthermore, trucking insurance companies will have defense attorneys on call that can quickly respond to the scene of an 18-wheeler accident. They will begin building a case as quickly as possible against you, seeking to make quick work of your claim. By contacting Grossman Law Offices, you can also have a quickly responding team of investigative experts that will look into your accident scene when necessary in order to discover the truth of what occurred and to assess all liable parties. San Antonio trucking accident attorney Michael Grossman and his team at Grossman Law Offices are capable of performing thorough investigations so that all liable parties are held accountable for their negligent behavior.

Additionally, defense attorneys will often use the legal overlap that exists between state and federal laws created by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration. This legal gray area allows a savvy defense attorney to potentially circumvent state laws by appealing to federal regulations or vice-versa. In other words, the legal battlefield is complex and having an experienced semi-truck accident attorney on your side can help prevent you from stepping into a minefield.

Deceitful Drivers and Truck Companies

Even the truck driver will likely be working against you. In most cases, his or her entire career is resting on the outcome of this lawsuit, so he or she might be tempted to destroy evidence or bend the truth in order to avoid taking responsibility, and the trucking company probably won't investigate too thoroughly as to whether or not this is occurring. Our investigative prowess and careful deposition techniques are often able to deduce whether or not a truck driver is lying. With 20 years of experience, we’ve heard nearly every story that a truck driver can tell.

Furthermore, some trucking companies may be self-insured. This often leads to rather unethical behavior against a victim when the victim is seeking compensation for an injury or loss. Because the company does not carry a traditional insurance policy, they do not have to hold themselves to the same standards and regulations as a traditional insurer. As such, they often mistakenly believe that they can get away with such behavior as tampering with evidence of badgering witnesses. Our law firm has often been called when a victim has already experienced this type of unethical behavior. In those instances, we have worked to pursue legal means that compel the negligent trucking company to act correctly so that an injured or bereaved victim can seek compensation on a level playing field. Often, if a victim can contact us before having to deal with such a company, the victim can save themselves from much unnecessary frustration.

San Antonio Trucking Accident Attorney Michael Grossman Can Help You

With so many forces likely working against you, you need someone like San Antonio trucking accident attorney Michael Grossman on your side. He and his team at Grossman Law Offices are familiar with the many challenges that often arise in trucking accident cases. As mentioned before, our clients are often offered out-of-court settlements, which means that they’re able to get through the legal process more quickly and see compensation more quickly than if a trial case is required. However, our attorneys will work your case from the outset as if the case were headed to trial. In other words, we’re well-prepared to take your case to court when necessary.

Our experienced Texas attorneys can help even the odds. We have twenty years of experience, and we are meticulous in our examinations. We will examine your case from every possible angle and make sure you completely understand the options available to you so that you can make an informed decision. Trucking companies know who we are and know about our successful track record with these types of cases. In many situations, they will often agree to a favorable settlement to avoid facing our attorneys in trial, which means you get to get on with your life that much sooner. If you or someone you love has been hurt in an 18 wheeler accident, contact the San Antonio trucking accident attorneys at Grossman Law Offices, and make sure you and your family get the compensation you deserve.