Baton Rouge Truck Accident Lawyer

Skilled Legal Counsel for Victims of Commercial Truck Accidents

Every vehicle accident is a serious situation, but truck accidents tend to be even more serious due to the size and weight of large commercial vehicles. When you get legal counsel to file your injury claim after a truck accident, make sure your Baton Rouge truck accident attorney acknowledges just how serious the situation is.

At Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys, we understand the gravity of the situation you’ve found yourself in and genuinely want to help you get through it. We help people injured in truck accidents pursue the compensation they deserve after a tired, reckless, or otherwise negligent truck driver caused a catastrophic collision.

Our Baton Rouge injury lawyers have dedicated their careers to assisting our neighbors across the region in their time of need by offering reliable legal counsel and emotional support. Our work is driven by our Christian faith and our personal commitment to our clients, so we insist on handling every case as if we were representing a close friend—as we see it, we are.

We are ready to begin building your truck accident case to help you secure the compensation you deserve. Schedule your free initial consultation by calling us at (225) 999-1111 or contact us online today.

Why Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys?

• Decades of experience handling truck accident cases.
• Our deep understanding of the federal and state trucking laws.
• Our $8.75 million recovery for a truck accident victim in Pointe Coupee Parish.
• Our $2 million recovery for a Baton Rouge truck accident victim.
• Numerous other multi-million dollar recoveries for truck accident clients.
• We are happy to come to you to discuss your case.
• Free consultations.
• You pay nothing until we recover compensation for you.

Schedule a free consultation and discover why injury victims trust Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys to handle their big truck cases. 

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How An Attorney Can Help After a Trucking Accident

You have a much greater chance of recovering maximum compensation when you have an experienced Baton Rouge truck accident lawyer representing you.

Commercial truck accident cases are complex and often involve numerous parties, insurance companies, and defense attorneys who will fight hard to avoid or minimize payment to you.

An experienced truck accident attorney will level the playing field for you and fight tirelessly to recover full compensation for your damages. 

Some of the ways a truck accident attorney can help include:

• Thoroughly investigate your accident to determine all possible causes and potentially liable parties.
• Discover and analyze all insurance policies that may provide coverage for your damages.
• Handle all communications with insurance companies and defense attorneys.
• Combat dirty tactics used by insurance companies and defense attorneys.
• Conduct formal discovery to identify and collect essential evidence to support your case.
• Pay all costs and fees to pursue compensation for your damages at no upfront cost to you.
• Customize your strongest legal strategy.
• Negotiate with the insurance companies and defense attorneys to achieve a fair settlement for you.
• If a fair settlement is not reached, take your case to trial and hold all defendants accountable for your damages. 

You don’t want to face a truck accident claim without an experienced Baton Rouge truck accident attorney by your side. 

Why Do Truck Crashes Happen in Louisiana?

Louisiana is a major corridor for long-distance trucking. Two major interstates, including the I-10 and I-12, allow for bigger trucks like 18-wheelers and semi-trucks to carry freight on fast schedules. With so many large vehicles sharing the road with smaller passenger vehicles, the risk of a serious truck accident is constant.

Truck accidents can happen for any number of reasons, including some of the same reasons often at the root of car accidents in Baton Rouge. Truck operator error, drowsy or distracted driving, and drug or alcohol usage can be to blame for big rig accidents, as can mechanical defects and inadequate maintenance.

The negligence of the trucking company that owns or hires a commercial truck involved in an accident can also directly contribute to why that accident happened. For example, if a trucking company doesn’t properly inspect or maintain its fleet of semi-trucks, it could be partially liable for a truck accident that occurs due to a truck part failure.

What Are Common Truck Maintenance & Repair Problems?

Common problems caused by insufficient truck maintenance and repair include:

• Brake Failure: Runaway trucks are a disaster waiting to happen. When brakes fail, big rigs are likely to collide with other vehicles at high speeds.
• Blown Tires: When tires fail, trucks present a serious threat to nearby traffic. Blowouts, often the result of failing to replace and maintain tires, commonly happen with little warning to other motorists and at high speeds.
• Defective Headlights: Trucks often hit the road overnight and in difficult weather, making it harder for truckers to see traffic. Malfunctioning headlights simply make matters worse.
• Poorly Secured Loads: Cargo on a flatbed that is not properly secured can also wind up scattered on the road, giving other vehicles little or no time to react.
• Powertrain Failure: Powertrain failures and other mechanical failures risk the safe operation of the truck, significantly increasing the risk of an accident.
• Suspension Issues: Although technology has greatly enhanced suspension quality and durability, regular inspection and maintenance are crucial to spotting and addressing signs before they show up on the road.
• Steering Failure: Steering failure often leads to accidents because it leaves truckers with little ability to avoid collisions and often not enough time to brake fully.
• Trailer Hitch Defects: A trailer hitch that becomes loose or unattached creates an unexpected obstacle for other drivers.
• Wheel runoffs: Loose tires and wheels can come completely off a big rig. As the wheel rolls down the road on its own, it can strike motorists.

Commercial truck owners and their drivers have the responsibility to make sure that their vehicles are adequately inspected and properly maintained. Otherwise, they could be directly liable for any accidents that happen as a result of inadequate maintenance.

Truck Driver Fatigue Causes Truck Accidents

Driver error contributes to many truck crashes, specifically errors on behalf of the truck driver. Trucks cannot brake, swerve, or change lanes nearly as quickly to traffic as smaller vehicles, so truck drivers need to always pay sharp attention to the road and traffic conditions. The margin for error is small, and when truckers make mistakes, they can have devastating consequences.

Many mistakes happen when truckers are tired. According to a study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), about 13% of large truck drivers are found to have been fatigued at the time of their crashes.

Truck driver fatigue is caused by several factors, including:

• Lack of sleep
• Medication side effects
• Long work hours
• Multiple shifts with no days off

Most drivers know that exhaustion starts to set in after about 6 or 8 hours behind the wheel. However, most commercial truck operators can legally be scheduled for 14-hour shifts, 5 days a week. The risk of getting fatigued while operating a semi-truck is high.

Other Causes of Truck Accidents in Louisiana

Truck accidents can also be caused by these common mistakes and issues:

• Speeding
• Driving while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs
• Texting or making phone calls while driving
• Road rage
• Road construction and hazards
• Insufficient trucker training

Types of Commercial Truck Accidents

With so many commercial trucks on our interstates, highways, and streets, it is no wonder Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas have so many truck accidents.

Some of the most common commercial truck accidents in Baton Rouge include:

• Cement Truck Accidents: Cement trucks can weigh up to 70,000 pounds and are frequent sites on our roads due to all the construction in our area.
• Dump Truck Accidents: Dump trucks carrying gravel, debris, and other cargo pose extreme hazards to other motorists.
• Garbage Truck Accidents: Garbage trucks, similar to dump trucks, are often seen on city streets collecting residential and commercial trash.
• Box Truck Accidents: Box trucks, including FedEx and UPS trucks, are commonly seen on the roads in the Baton Rouge area. They are used for numerous jobs, including delivering packages and moving furniture.
• Logging Truck Accidents: Log truck accidents often result in fatalities or life-altering injuries. With several paper mills and sawmills in our area, log trucks are a frequent sight on our highways. 
• Tanker Truck Accidents: Tanker trucks are extremely heavy, have limited visibility and maneuverability, and often require pressurization to prevent their liquid cargo from sloshing around and leading to truck instability. Many times, these trucks are carrying hazardous chemicals.
• Tractor-Trailer Accidents: Tractor-trailers, big rigs, and 18-wheelers are extremely dangerous in collisions due to their sheer weight and size.
• Tow Truck Accidents: Tow trucks carrying other vehicles can be seen rushing down our highways, trying to make as many tows as possible, increasing the risk of harm to other motorists. 
• Wide-Load Truck Accidents: Wide-load trucks are some of the most dangerous on the road, and collisions with them often result in fatalities.

All commercial trucks pose unique risks to motorists. All of them are much heavier and larger than most passenger vehicles, which means the force of impact can be devastating to the passenger vehicle in a collision. 

All of these trucks have significant blind spots that can cause their drivers to be unaware of approaching passenger vehicles, increasing the chance of collisions. Many of them also carry cargo that may shift, making the truck unstable and causing a crash.

Regardless of the type of commercial truck accident involved in your accident, you are likely to have suffered severe injuries. You may be left with permanent disabilities, chronic pain, and emotional trauma that have devastating results on you and your family.

The compassionate, experienced Baton Rouge truck accident lawyers at Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys want to help you recover maximum compensation for your damages. We have recovered billions of dollars for our clients, including numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for truck accident victims and their families. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.

Trucking Regulations in Louisiana

Federal regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are designed to help reduce the risk of truck accidents. When these regulations are followed closely, that risk does drop significantly. When the regulations are intentionally ignored or inadvertently violated, the risk of a truck accident goes up, and the liability of the truck driver or trucking company may go up with it.

Important trucking regulations in Louisiana include the following and more:

• Rest requirements: Truck drivers must take a break for at least 30 minutes for every 8 hours they spend behind the wheel.
• Drive time restrictions: Truckers are limited to no more than 11 hours of driving during a single shift after at least 10 hours off the road, in most cases. In a 14-hour shift, at least 3 of those hours must not be spent behind the wheel.
• Work period caps: Commercial truck operators must not work more than 60 or 70 hours on duty over 7 or 8 days, depending on certain circumstances. A trucker’s work period (what might be called a workweek in other industries) restarts after they spend at least 34 consecutive hours off the road.
• Speed limits: On many roads and highways, commercial vehicles have lower speed limits than passenger vehicles. For example, many highways in Louisiana have a 55-mph speed limit for commercial trucks and 18-wheelers.
• Truck routes: Where possible, truck drivers are expected to use lanes and routes specifically designed for commercial trucks. Such routes allow smaller vehicles to remain separate from big rigs, reducing the risk of a devastating accident.
• Weight limits: 18-wheelers cannot exceed 80,000 pounds. The weight distribution of a big rig also depends on how many axles it has and the positioning of those axles.

When a transportation company or truck driver tries to cut corners, important FMCSA regulations are often ignored. For example, a trucking company might instruct a load crew to place cargo into a trailer beyond the federal weight limit, which will increase the truck’s braking distance and put everyone on the road at an unfair risk of a collision.

Proving Liability for a Truck Accident

Finding evidence to determine the cause of a truck accident is a task that can be both delicate and complicated. The complexity arises from numerous factors involved, such as road conditions, driver behavior, and vehicle maintenance, among others. An experienced Baton Rouge truck accident lawyer from our firm can look for evidence and determine the best way to use it. While we get to work on the difficulties of your case, you can focus on recovery.

Evidence that a truck accident lawyer may utilize to prove liability includes:

• Dashcam footage: Video recordings from your dashcam or that of the truck driver can provide clear evidence of what happened just before, during, and after the accident. It may show the behavior of the truck driver or other drivers on the road, traffic signals, and road conditions.
• Electric onboard recorder (EOBR): Many commercial trucks are equipped with EOBRs that record data about the truck’s operation. This information can be crucial in determining whether the truck was being operated safely and according to regulations at the time of the accident.
• Police reports: A police report of the crash should contain information about the accident scene, statements from all parties involved, and sometimes even the officer’s opinion on who was at fault.
• Eyewitness testimonies: Other drivers who witnessed the accident can provide valuable information that may not be included in police reports or captured on video. Their testimonies can help corroborate other evidence or provide new insights into the big rig wreck.
• Trucking company records: If the trucking company has a history of safety violations or failed inspections, this could indicate a pattern of negligence that contributed to the accident.
• Trucker’s driving history: A history of traffic violations or accidents could suggest that the truck driver’s actions may have contributed to the accident or that they were not fit to operate the commercial vehicle in the first place.

Steps to Take After a Truck Accident

If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, it’s important to follow these steps:

1. Call 911: Your immediate priority should be safety. Call 911 to report the accident and get medical help if needed. The police will control the scene, direct traffic away from the wreck, and create an accident report which can be crucial for your insurance claim or a potential lawsuit.
2. Take photographs: If it is safe to do so, take pictures of the accident scene from different angles. Include photographs of your injuries, any damage to your vehicle, the truck involved, the road conditions, traffic signs, etc.
3. Collect identifying information: Gather as much information as you can about the truck driver, including their name, contact information, insurance details, trucking company name, and trailer ID. Also, obtain the contact information of any eyewitnesses.
4. See a doctor: Even if you don’t feel injured immediately after the accident, it’s important to seek medical attention. Some injuries may not be apparent right away. A medical report will also serve as an official record of any injuries caused by the accident.
5. Call an attorney: Consult with a truck accident attorney from our firm as soon as possible. We can guide you through the process of filing an injury claim or lawsuit, and help ensure that your rights are protected.
6. Do not give a recorded statement to an insurance company agent. In fact, avoid speaking to them until you have consulted an experienced truck accident attorney. Insurance company adjusters are trained to try to get you to say something that can be used against you. Remember, insurance companies are in business to make money and will fight hard to avoid or minimize payment to you.
7. Stay off social media. Insurance adjusters and defense attorneys will look for anything they can use against you. You may post a seemingly innocent picture or comment, but it can be twisted to try and show your injuries are not as severe as you claim, or that your injuries have not significantly impacted your lifestyle. Ask your family and friends to refrain from posting pictures or comments about you while your case is pending.
8. Follow through with all doctor’s appointments and prescribed treatment plans.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Truck accidents often result in far more severe injuries than those caused by car accidents due to the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks. When a truck collides with a smaller vehicle, the impact can be devastating. The occupants of the smaller vehicle are at a higher risk of suffering serious, potentially life-threatening injuries, even if safety precautions like seat belts and airbags are used.

Serious injuries commonly caused by truck accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): Brain injuries can range from mild concussions to severe brain damage. TBIs can cause long-term cognitive issues, difficulty with speech and motor functions, and emotional regulation problems.
• Spinal cord injuries: Spine damage can cause partial or complete paralysis, depending on the severity and location of the injury. Victims may require long-term care and rehabilitation and may face significant changes to their quality of life.
• Broken bones: The force of a truck collision can easily break bones. Severe fractures may require surgery and extensive physical therapy to heal. In some cases, victims may suffer from long-term mobility issues.
• Internal injuries: The impact of a truck accident can cause damage to internal organs and blood vessels, resulting in severe injuries and internal bleeding.

Money Damages for Louisiana Truck Accident Injuries

Anyone who is injured in a truck accident in Louisiana has the legal right to seek compensation for those injuries. Our Baton Rouge 18-wheeler accident lawyers can help you calculate the money damages owed to you. The compensation usually available in a truck accident is meant to make the injured person “financially whole” again. In other words, it is designed to put the claimant or plaintiff back in the financial position that they were in before the accident happened.

Money damages to demand in a truck accident claim can include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages and income
• Vehicle and property damage
• Complications caused by new disabilities
• Physical pain and hardship
• Emotional trauma and mental suffering

Punitive damages may also be awarded in rare cases to punish wrongdoers for reckless behavior. If a truck accident resulted in the death of your loved one, you have the right to seek compensation for their wrongful death. The damages in a wrongful death claim can include compensation for medical and burial costs, missed income, pain and suffering, and more.

Nothing can be done to bring your loved one back, but the money damages in these cases may offer some much-needed financial security after losing a family member, which in turn, may help you find a sense of closure. Consulting with a Baton Rouge wrongful death attorney is the first step toward securing the justice and compensation your family deserves.

How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Injury Claim?

A statute of limitations sets the deadline for when you must file your claim. 

Louisiana Civil Code Article 3493.1 recently expanded the statute of limitations for most personal injury claims to two years if the accident or incident that caused you damages occurred on or after July 1, 2024.

If your accident or incident occurred before July 1, 2024, you still only have one year to file a claim.

Exceptions to the Standard Limitation Period

While the statute of limitations sets a strict deadline for filing a truck accident claim, there are certain instances where the limitation period may be tolled or paused. This can occur in various situations, such as when the injured party is a minor or when the defendant is out of state and cannot be served with a lawsuit. Tolling allows for an extension of the filing deadline under specific conditions, giving plaintiffs additional time to bring their case to court.

Additionally, if you file a claim against a state agency, you have a much shorter deadline for filing a claim. 

You must consult an experienced Baton Rouge truck accident attorney promptly to determine your filing deadline.

Another reason to act quickly is to prevent the loss of vital evidence. Over time, evidence can be destroyed, lost, or diminished, so your attorney will want to take fast action to identify and preserve essential evidence to support your claims.

Don’t wait to schedule a free consultation at Chris Corzo Injury Attorneys. 

Implications of Missing the Statute of Limitations Deadline

Filing a truck accident claim after the statute of limitations deadline has passed can lead to significant legal consequences. Generally, if you attempt to file a lawsuit beyond the designated timeframe, the court will likely dismiss your case without considering its merits. This dismissal means that you will be barred from receiving any compensation for your injuries or damages, regardless of the severity of the accident or the negligence of the other party. The statute of limitations serves as a strict boundary for legal action, emphasizing the importance of adhering to these deadlines to maintain your right to seek justice.

Speak With Our Baton Rouge Truck Accident Attorney Today

If you or a loved one has been injured in a trucking accident, our Baton Rouge truck accident lawyers at our firm can help you understand your rights and explore your options for seeking compensation. Our office is conveniently located in Baton Rouge, so scheduling a consultation with our team is simple. We are pleased to serve clients throughout the region, including St. Gabriel, Donaldsonville, Gonzales, Gramercy, Lutcher, Plaquemine, Baker, Port Allen, Addis, Sunshine, Darrow, Convent, St. James, and Belle Rose.

Talk to our team about your 18-wheeler accident. Dial (225) 999-1111 and ask for a free consultation.