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Hanover Trucking Accident Lawyers, York County, PA

Skilled representation when you’re injured in a South Central PA truck accident

Big rigs, tractor-trailers, and commercial trucks drive through Hanover every day delivering the products we need. While these trucks help boost the Hanover economy, they also present dangers. Truck accidents throughout Pennsylvania are all too common. Heavy trucks are difficult to control, and blind spots make it difficult to see other vehicles. When trucks and cars collide, occupants of passenger vehicles are likely to suffer serious or fatal injuries, as cars are no match for the weight and mass of trucks.

At KBG Injury Law, our seasoned Hanover truck accident lawyers work full-time to show that truck drivers and truck owners caused your accident. We also file claims against manufacturers when their defective truck parts cause truck crashes. Our personal injury lawyers work to secure financial compensation for your losses, and file wrongful death claims on behalf of loving families when a spouse, parent, or child is killed in a truck accident. We’ll guide you through the claims process and answer all your questions along the way.

What are the different types of truck accidents?

The way a truck accident occurs often indicates who should be held responsible and why they were negligent. Many truck accidents happen in the same ways that car accidents happen. Other truck accidents are unique to driving a truck.

At KBG Injury Law, we handle both the clear-cut cases and the complex cases that require a lot of investigative work and legal discovery to determine how the accident happened. Some of the many types of accidents we handle include those that are similar to car accidents, like:

  • Head-on crashes
  • Broadside accidents
  • Sideswipes
  • Rear-end collisions

We also handle accidents that are unique or common to trucks, including:

  • Jackknife accidents
  • Truck rollovers
  • Accidents caused by blind-spots
  • Underride accidents
  • Wide-turn accidents
  • Tire blowout accidents
  • Backing out accidents
  • Cargo shifts and cargo spills
  • Defective truck parts

Many truck accidents cause multi-vehicle accidents, because other cars and trucks collide while trying to avoid the accident scene or spilled cargo.

What are common Hanover truck accident injuries?

Truck accidents are often the deadliest type of vehicle accident because of its force and impact. Even small box trucks weigh more than most cars. Our Hanover truck accident lawyers handle the tough cases.  We represent victims who suffer life-changing catastrophic injuries that often cause lifelong disabilities and constant struggles. We fight for victims who have permanent injuries and for victims whose injuries do heal – but only with a great amount of medical care.

We work with your doctors to verify your diagnosis, explain all the treatments you’ll need, and show just how life-altering your injuries are. Some of the many injuries we handle when truck accidents occur in Hanover include:

  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Spinal cord damage and paralysis
  • Amputation injuries
  • Burn injuries
  • Internal organ damage
  • Simple, compound, and complex fractures
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Nerve damage
  • Neck, shoulder, and back injuries
  • Hearing and vision loss
  • Lacerations and cuts
  • Scarring and disfigurement

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), more than 4,100 people died in truck accidents in the United States in 2019. Sixty-seven percent of the victims were occupants of cars and 15 percent were pedestrians, motorcyclists, or bicycle riders. Three-fourths of the fatalities involved tractor-trailers and about one-quarter involved single-unit trucks.

What caused my Hanover truck accident?

Driving a truck is difficult and complicated and requires a special commercial driver’s license (CDL). Trucking companies need to place the safety of their drivers and other people on the road ahead of any profit incentive. Safety comes first, not profit. When cars and trucks collide, the drivers and passengers in the car are likely to suffer the most severe injuries – which places a premium on truck driving safety.

This premium is recognized across the country. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates how many hours truck drivers can be on the road before they take a rest and other driver safety guidelines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates how cargo should be loaded and other truck safety issues. The federal government, Pennsylvania, and the trucking industry also regulate truck inspections and other compliance issues.

At KBG Injury Law, our Hanover truck accident attorneys work with trucking industry professionals. We demand to see all relevant records such as trucking logs, and thoroughly examine the defendants and witnesses.

We seek to hold drivers accountable if a Hanover truck accident is caused by:

  • Driver intoxication
  • Texting while driving or other forms of driver distraction
  • Driving while fatigued
  • Speeding, tailgating, or other traffic violations
  • Failing to be cautious in heavy traffic or when the weather is bad
  • Not checking blind spots

We also work to hold drivers and trucking companies liable if a Hanover truck crash is due to:

  • Improper loading of the cargo
  • Failure to vet or train a driver
  • Not keeping proper electronic logs
  • Failure to inspect the truck before each trip
  • Failure to perform required maintenance and repairs
  • Incorrect route planning
  • Driving on roads designated for passenger cars
  • Other types of negligence

What if a truck manufacturer is responsible for my accident?

Manufacturers of truck parts are required to make quality parts using quality designs. If a manufacturer or any company in the supply chain (distributors and retailers) sells a defective truck part, they can all be held liable for truck accidents the defect causes. Manufacturers and other companies can also be held liable for defective safety equipment, such as malfunctioning airbags or tires.

At KBG Injury Law, our Hanover truck accident lawyers file product liability claims based on strict liability, breach of warranty, and negligence. We work with product engineers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to show truck parts were defective and subject to a recall.

Common defective truck parts include the following:

  • Trailer hitches
  • The hydraulic system
  • Electrical components
  • Wheel and tire defects
  • The braking system
  • Fuel lines
  • Steering
  • Power train failures
  • Windshield wipers
  • Computer software and hardware
  • Airbags and seatbelts

Anyone who is injured by a defective product can file a product liability claim.

Who is liable for my Hanover truck accident and injuries?

Most truck accident cases in Hanover involve multiple defendants. At KBG Injury Law, our personal injury lawyers file claims against all responsible parties including:

  • The truck driver
  • The owners of the truck, if the driver doesn’t own his/her own truck
  • The trucking company that hired the driver
  • A truck broker who arranged the shipment
  • A trucking company that requested the shipment
  • Loading and unloading companies
  • Maintenance and repair companies
  • Truck manufacturers, distributors, and retailers

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, other state agencies, and sellers of alcohol may also be defendants in a Hanover truck accident case.

What should I do after a Hanover truck accident?

The top priority after a trucking accident is to help anyone who is injured. Victims who can wait should go to the nearest ER as soon as possible. If a victim needs immediate care, arrangements should be made (usually through the police) to arrange for an ambulance or other emergency assistance.

All drivers need to exchange insurance, driver registration, and contact information. The police should be called to attend to victims, clear traffic, and investigate the accident. If possible, victims or someone on their behalf should take pictures or videos of the accident site, the truck and vehicle damage, and of the victim’s injuries. Drivers should notify their insurance carriers about the accident immediately.

You should also contact our skilled truck accident lawyers as quickly as possible. We’ll investigate the accident site, answer your questions, and explain the litigation process. You normally have two years to file a personal injury action, but it is critical for both your health and for your insurance claim that you speak with us right away.

What is the value of my truck accident case?

Many truck accident victims are eligible for a large amount of compensation because truck accidents frequently cause severe and life-altering injuries. In Pennsylvania, accident victims can claim compensation for economic losses (past and future medical expenses, lost income and earning capacity, and property damage) and non-economic losses for physical injuries (past and future pain, suffering, loss of life’s enjoyment, embarrassment and humiliation, scarring and disfigurement, and loss of consortium).  In the case of death, other damages are also available.  We often work with experts to establish the extent of your injuries and damages to ensure that we seek and collect all of the compensation to which you’re entitled to receive.

Is there a truck accident attorney near me?

KBG Injury Law is located at 250 York Street in Hanover, PA. We are just a few minutes away from York County district courts, with convenient locations throughout South Central Pennsylvania.

Talk with a skilled Hanover truck accident lawyer today

At KBG Injury Law, our Hanover truck accident lawyers have been fighting for drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicycle riders, and the families of deceased victims for 30 years. We are respected by former clients and insurance companies for our tenacity, knowledge, preparation, and persuasiveness. We fight to obtain all the compensation you deserve. To discuss your Hanover truck accident claim, call us at 717-848-3838 or use our contact form to schedule an appointment. KBG Injury Law has offices in Hanover, York, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Gettysburg. We represent injury clients on a contingency fee basis.