At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, our personal injury attorneys will do everything we can to help the victims and their families in the aftermath of a truck crash. We put the full resources of our firm into recovering the compensation you need and deserve.
You Could be Eligible to Collect Damages After a Truck Accident on Long Island
After an accident, you could be suffering many losses. Your lawyer could identify that these include the following:
Medical Costs
You could have injuries, a new or worsened condition, and more because of the accident. These damages could also create other losses, like:
- Ambulance costs
- Hospital stays
- Follow-up visits
- Medication costs
- Physical therapy
- Psychological therapy
Your accident could have created a situation that kept you out of work and missing out on wages, benefits, tips, and bonuses. You might also be unable to earn wages at the same level as before the accident due to your injuries. You could secure an award that reapys you for this loss.
Non-Economic Losses
Not all accident-related damages are financial. However, they could still qualify you for an award. These can include pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
How Our Attorneys can Help You and Your Family with Your Truck Accident Case
We are ready to dig deep to find out what really happened in your accident and seek the money you deserve. Truck accidents frequently have many potentially responsible parties and involve multiple insurance companies. We pursue every available option in an effort to protect your interests.
Examples of the kinds of evidence that may play a role in a truck accident investigation include:
- The truck driver’s logbook, which may include evidence of overwork and fatigue
- The truck’s electronic data recorder or “black box,” which may contain evidence about speeding, failure to brake, and similar actions
- Maintenance records for the truck
- Evidence of drug or alcohol impairment
- The trucker’s driving record
- Physical evidence from the accident scene
- Photos of the accident scene
- Evidence of vehicle defects
- Cell phone records that indicate driver inattention
- Accident reconstruction
- Eyewitness testimony
At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, we are ready to stand up for your right to compensation for the losses you’ve suffered. We have the resources to independently investigate the crash to find out what really happened and who should be held accountable for the crash. We pursue all available sources of insurance coverage to make sure clients are fairly compensated for the long-lasting impact of severe injuries.
Our Law Firm Gets Results for People Injured in Truck Accidents on Long Island
All accidents are different. Those that involve heavy trucks often produce the most serious injuries. They also involve some of the most complex legal issues. That’s why it’s important to work with a law firm with experience handling complex personal injury matters—and a track record of getting results for clients.
Here are just a few examples of the many successes we’ve had in helping people who suffered serious injuries in crashes:
- $95,000 settlement: For a driver who suffered knee injuries in a crash that occurred when a truck driver made an improper right turn from the left lane of traffic. The injuries required arthroscopic surgery.
- $450,000: For a man sideswiped by a trucker changing lanes, improperly causing a fractured leg that required operative intervention.
- $700,000: For a woman hit by a truck that pulled out of a gas station into traffic without yielding the right of way, causing multiple fractures and years of rehabilitation.
Our truck accident attorneys have handled everything from claims involving tractor-trailers (18-wheelers) and delivery trucks to those involving garbage trucks, construction vehicles, and other large commercial vehicles. Our past clients say things like the following statement about working with us:
“Richard was very helpful from the beginning. He handled our car accident case with such responsibility and punctuality. Throughout the case, Richard checked in often, as did his wonderful staff at the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP.” – Fleet
There is too much at stake and too many urgent details to trust your case to an inexperienced lawyer.
How much is Your Case Worth?
It’s impossible to predict how much compensation you could recover without a consultation about the specifics of your situation. We want to listen to the details of your case and then provide you with your best legal options for recovery. If you have been hurt in a truck crash, contact the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP now for a free case evaluation that comes with no risks and obligations.
You can Use Common Causes of Truck Accidents as Your Grounds to Sue
Personal injury lawyers Richard Jaffe and Stephen Cohen have secured numerous settlements and verdicts for truck accidents in their 40-plus years of combined experience in personal injury and wrongful death litigation. They know how to conduct a sophisticated investigation to establish the cause or contributing factors of a crash.
Some common factors in truck accidents include:
- Driver fatigue — Truckers pressured to stay on the road well beyond the hours allowed under federal law
- Driver negligence — Speeding, tailgating, changing lanes, pulling out, running stoplights, distracted driving
- Truck maintenance — Worn tire treads, worn brakes, broken lights
- Dangerous cargo — Improperly secured or hazardous freight
- Negligent hiring — Accidents, violations, DWI, drug use, no valid CDL
Truck Accidents Cause Severe Losses
Tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks are susceptible to the same types of accidents that cars may be involved in. However, due to their size, weight, and unique handling characteristics, there are some types of truck crashes that are particularly common or unique to trucks.
This makes it even more important to get help from a truck accident lawyer serving Long Island if you have been the victim of a crash involving a semi, box truck, or another large commercial vehicle. When any sort of accident involves a large truck, the injuries and property damage are usually much greater than if the crash had involved only passenger vehicles.
Types of Truck Accident Claims We Handle
A truck’s massive size and weight cause it to maneuver, stop and accelerate differently from how a lightweight car does. The designs of many trucks also make the impacts different from collisions that involve cars of similar sizes and designs.
Some of the most common types of truck accidents we handle include:
Jackknifing
When an 18-wheeler or tractor-trailer jackknifes, it puts everyone on the road in danger. The trailer can drift into an adjacent lane of traffic in jackknife accidents, potentially hitting other vehicles or creating serious road hazards due to blocked traffic lanes or debris from spilled loads.
Rear-End Collisions
A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh 80,000 pounds or more. According to the basic laws of physics, it will take a heavy truck much farther to stop. When truck drivers speed or follow too closely, the potential for a rear-end collision skyrockets.
Head-on Collisions
Any time two vehicles strike each other head-on, the results are likely to be devastating. When one of those vehicles is a heavy truck, the outcome is often even worse. These kinds of accidents may happen when a truck crosses the median or center line—in many cases due to trucker fatigue.
Most large trucks and the trailers they pull lack rear bumpers. This may allow a passenger car to slide under the trailer or truck body in an impact. One study found that underride happened in three-quarters of all rear-end collisions that involved a car that collided with the rear of a large truck. These accidents can cause very serious injuries and are often fatal.
Spilled Cargo
Heavy trucks haul tons of cargo. If the load is not put on the truck and secured properly, it may fall off the truck and strike another vehicle or cause a serious accident when other drivers try to avoid the debris.
Rollover Accidents
Trucks have a very high center of gravity, which makes them prone to tipping. This can happen when a trucker takes a turn too fast or when a truck driver swerves to avoid a collision. This problem is made worse when cargo is not loaded properly, allowing it to shift in the trailer or cargo area of the truck.
Bridge Strikes
Some trucks are unable to fit under bridges, overpasses, and other structures that cross the roadway. When a truck driver does not pay attention to the height of the truck and the clearance of upcoming obstacles, the truck can collide with the structure and cause a serious accident.
Sideswipe Accidents
Large trucks—and particularly 18-wheelers—require much more space to turn and maneuver. If a truck driver turns improperly or makes a lane change without checking for traffic, a sideswipe accident may result.
Richard Jaffe has Seen Firsthand the Serious Injuries Truck Crashes can Cause
Richard Jaffe is not only an attorney. He is also a licensed EMT (emergency medical technician) and a firefighter. He understands what you are going through because he assists victims of traumatic injuries in his role as a first responder. He knows that accident victims endure severe pain and face a long road to recovery.
We prioritize delivering exceptional client service and keeping our clients informed about the status of their cases. You will work directly with attorneys Stephen Cohen and Richard Jaffe when our firm takes on your case.
Your matter is important to us, so we won’t hand you off to a paralegal or an assistant. We will even give you our cell phone numbers so you can contact us whenever you have questions or concerns.
Long Island Truck Accident Attorney FAQs
Our team wants you to be empowered with all available information.
What Makes Truck Accidents Different from Car Accidents?
Basic physics accounts for the severity of many collisions that involve a tractor-trailer or other heavy truck and a passenger vehicle. A fully loaded 18-wheeler can tip the scales at 80,000 pounds or more. That’s roughly 20 times heavier than the typical passenger car. When a heavy truck and a lightweight car collide, it is almost always the car—and its occupants—that fare worse.
How can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me After a Truck Accident?
The insurance claims and lawsuits that result from a truck accident are often much more complex than a “typical” car accident. This fact makes it even more critical to get help from an experienced personal injury attorney.
Your lawyer can fully—and independently—investigate the true cause of the accident and determine everyone who may be liable for the crash. Your lawyer can then work to recover fair compensation from all available sources.
Who Could be Held Responsible for the Accident?
In addition to the truck driver, there are several others who may also be responsible for a crash. The trucking company that employed the trucker can usually be held liable for the trucker’s negligence.
Other potential defendants include the company that owned or leased the truck and trailer (often two different companies), the owner of the cargo, the company that loaded the cargo, the company that maintained the truck, the manufacturer of defective equipment, among others.
What are the Most Common Causes of a Truck Accident?
As with car crashes, there are many potential causes of truck accidents. While many of them are similar to the causes of car accidents, there are unique factors in the trucking industry.
Driver fatigue is a particular concern with truckers, despite federal hours of service rules that limit time behind the wheel. Some truckers even use prescription or over-the-counter drugs to stay awake. Poorly maintained equipment, speeding, and inexperience are other common factors.
Can I Afford an Attorney to Help Me Get Compensation for my Truck Accident Injuries?
Yes! At the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, we handle truck accident claims on a contingency-fee-basis. That means you pay us nothing upfront and we charge no attorney’s fees unless and until we recover compensation on your behalf. Even the claim review and initial consultation are completely free and come with no strings attached.
Reach Out to Our Attorneys Today to Begin Your Path Toward Justice
Call the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP, or contact us online and we will respond. We offer free consultations, including home and hospital visits. Se habla español.
Call or text 516-358-6900 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
