Case Study: Tractor Trailer Accident

Tractor-trailer accidents can be caused by a variety of factors, but finding the root cause is the difference between winning and losing a case.

One night while our client was driving her car, she collided with the side of a tractor-trailer hauling steel beams that were extending off the edge of the truck. The truck made a left-hand turn on a red-light giving her no time to stop. Our client was 27 years old at the time and as a result of the accident she became paralyzed from the waist down. The chaos and aftermath following her accident forced her parents to become her full-time caretakers.

Why This Case Matters

Our client’s parents reached out to us because they felt she deserved justice that insurance companies were not delivering. Even in the midst of their grief, her family wanted the trucking company and truck driver to be held responsible to ensure that no one else had to go through another tragedy like they had experienced.

How We Built
A Winning Case

01 Investigate

To help build this case, we partnered with an accident reconstructionist who recreated the accident, giving us the opportunity to study the scene to prove who was at fault. We analyzed the tire marks, gauge marks, witness statements, and photographs taken by cameras at the intersection where the accident occurred.

02 Analyze

We worked with a trucking industry expert with an in-depth awareness of all state regulations, trucking safety practices and required driver training. We learned, during our investigating, that the trucking company had no meaningful driver safety program. This discovery was alarming, given that their drivers were regularly operating 80,000-pound trucks.

03 Synthesize

As we built our case, we spent countless hours conducting extensive research by reviewing evidence like driver logs, employment files, electronic data from the truck itself, and other company and driver documentation. We also reviewed human factors, such as visibility and lighting conditions at the time of the accident. Finally, we consulted with spinal cord injury and rehabilitation specialists to develop a lifelong treatment plan for our client in order to determine the amount of compensation required to ensure adequate care throughout the rest of our client’s life.

The Result

After building the case, all of our expert reports were compiled and exchanged. Shortly before the scheduled trial date, we obtained a significant financial settlement from the trucking company on behalf of our client.

Although tragically paralyzed because of the negligence of the trucking company’s driver, our client was equipped with a lifelong treatment plan and the financial resources necessary to lead a comfortable life. Furthermore, the trucking company was held responsible for their actions, preventing them from harming others in the future.