How is fault determined in a truck accident?

Determining who is liable for a commercial truck accident requires you to analyze every detail of the case. The truck driver isn’t always at fault. Another motorist’s negligence could have caused or contributed to the accident. Fault can also lie with a trucking company that violated safety regulations, a mechanic who failed to maintain or repair trucks properly, a party that loaded cargo improperly, or the manufacturer of malfunctioning vehicle components. A thorough evaluation of all evidence, including the truck’s black box data, maintenance logs, and driver logs, may reveal negligence that wasn’t immediately apparent. That’s why you need to consult with an experienced attorney who can assess the full facts of your individual situation.

How do truck accident lawsuits work?

Following a truck accident, you can pursue compensation through the trucking company's auto insurance company and any other defendants’ insurers. An attorney can help you submit the required paperwork and documentation and represent you in settlement negotiations. If a settlement agreement that fairly compensates you can’t be reached, the insurer isn’t cooperating, or legal deadlines are approaching, your attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf. This step begins the litigation process, which includes multiple stages and legal proceedings. While your attorney can still work to negotiate a settlement during the litigation process, we also prepare to present your case in court and secure a verdict or award that compensates you.

Why do you need an experienced commercial accident attorney?

Having seasoned Philly truck accident lawyers on your side allows you to approach the challenges of the claims process fully prepared for a successful outcome. Our meticulous investigations allow us to build strong cases for each individual client based on their unique circumstances. Our legal knowledge and history of standing up to insurance companies ensure that we’re ready to meet the demands of the legal process and address issues and legal challenges. Commercial truck lines like FedEx and UPS and their insurance companies have an abundance of resources and sophisticated legal teams representing their interests. Bringing on van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim to represent you ensures that you, too, have the benefits of experience, resources, and professional knowledge.

How much are most truck accident settlements?

Truck accident claim payouts depend on numerous factors, including the extent of your damages and the insurance coverage available to compensate you. Accidents that result in less severe injuries and less extensive damages may result in settlements in the range of thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. More serious injuries that bring about more severe losses can lead to higher payouts. Our truck accident attorneys in Philly have recovered compensation for our clients in the ranges of hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars, and even multimillion-dollar settlements and awards.

Philadelphia Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck Accident Attorneys in Philadelphia, PA Providing Legal Advocacy for Large Vehicle Collisions in Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania

The aftermath of a collision with an 18-wheeler or a tractor-trailer can be devastating. Your life-altering injuries leave you facing intense pain, climbing medical costs, and significant disability. When you’re not sure where to turn, our Philadelphia truck accident lawyers are here to guide your next steps. The team at van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim has stood up to the country’s largest commercial trucking companies to achieve historic, multimillion-dollar payouts for the injured.

Every day you wait to bring on skilled legal representation means a greater chance of crucial evidence going missing. You’re at a greater risk of making statements to insurers that could be twisted, taken out of context, and used to weaken your case.

You need to act fast to protect your legal rights and begin developing a compelling claim for compensation. By offering a free, no-obligation consultation and legal assistance for a personal injury case at no upfront cost, our truck accident attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, ensure there’s nothing standing in the way of getting the professional guidance you need. Contact us today to have your case reviewed at no cost.

Help Recovering Maximum Compensation for Truck Accident Injury Claims in Philly

Victims injured through another party’s negligence in Pennsylvania can receive financial compensation for their losses. The Philly truck accident lawyers at van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim can help you establish all required elements of liability, including:

Duty of care: A responsibility the defendant had to you, usually to operate or maintain a truck in a safe fashion
Breach of duty: Conduct through which the defendant failed to meet their obligations, such as speeding, driving while impaired or fatigued, failing to follow safety regulations, or neglecting to properly maintain a truck
Causation: The collision occurred as a result of the defendant’s breach of duty, leading to your injuries
Damages: The injuries you suffered because of the defendant’s negligence led to losses such as medical costs, income loss, and avoidable physical and emotional suffering

Throughout the process of pursuing financial compensation for truck accident injuries, you need to present arguments based on legal frameworks and solid evidence. Having the experienced Philly truck accident lawyers at van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim on your side ensures you’re prepared for every demand of the legal process and every challenge that arises.

Proving Liability for a Truck Accident

Truck accidents often involve more than one defendant and potentially more than one source of insurance coverage. Our truck accident attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, have pursued compensation for our clients from all types of defendants, including:

Commercial truck drivers
Trucking companies
Truck and tractor owners
Trailer owners
Maintenance companies
Mechanics
Freight companies
Cargo loaders
Manufacturers of defective trucks or components
Other drivers involved in the accident
Property owners responsible for maintaining private property
Government entities responsible for the design and maintenance of roadways

Numerous factors contribute to truck accidents, from speeding and tailgating on the part of the driver to failing to inspect or maintain the vehicle properly. Improper loading can put a truck at risk of rollover accidents, jackknifing accidents, and loss of control more generally. Unsafe road conditions could also contribute to crashes.

Every party who played a role in causing you to sustain serious injuries should be held legally and financially accountable for your losses. Our attorneys work to identify and build cases against all possible defendants by undertaking thorough investigations of the accident, the truck driver, the trucking company, the vehicle itself, and the cargo it was carrying. We work with expert witnesses, analyze driver logs and maintenance records, and obtain crucial information about the truck’s movements through its event data recorder system, also known as a “black box.”

The Severity of Truck Accident Injuries

Any collision can cause significant injury, but crashes involving large commercial trucks are particularly dangerous. The immense size and weight of these vehicles—up to 20 times that of the average passenger car when fully loaded with cargo—produce especially forceful impacts that leave victims seriously hurt.

Our Philadelphia truck accident lawyers fight for full compensation for victims who have sustained harm such as:

Broken and fractured bones
Nerve damage
Herniated spinal discs
Spinal cord injuries
Traumatic brain injuries
Severe burns
Amputation injuries
Other types of serious and catastrophic injuries

The severity of your injuries directly impacts all aspects of your damages. More serious physical harm requires more extensive medical care and treatments, leading to increased healthcare and rehabilitation costs. In turn, the pain and loss of function caused by this injury affect your ability to work, live independently, and enjoy life.

Compensation You Can Recover in a Philadelphia Truck Accident Injury Claim

For every way your injuries have impacted you, our truck accident attorneys in Philly aim to recover maximum compensation. We pursue both economic and non-economic damages, including compensation for the following losses:

Your past and future medical expenses, such as the costs of testing, treatments, surgery, rehabilitation therapy, and medical equipment
Lost earnings while you are recovering from your injuries
Diminished future earnings due to long-lasting disability
Costs of renovating a home or securing a vehicle to accommodate the limitations caused by your injuries
Costs of hiring outside help for household services you can’t perform on your own
Pain and suffering
Scarring and disfigurement
Loss of enjoyment of life

Establishing the full extent of your damages requires extensive documentation. Through medical records, wage loss statements, your own accounts of life after the accident, and the opinions of expert witnesses, we can establish just how much your injury has impacted you.

How van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim Can Help

Requirements like proving liability and documenting your damages aren’t the only demands of the claims process. There are deadlines to meet, paperwork to submit, legal documents to draft, and evidence to provide. Throughout your claim, there are interactions with insurance companies, none of which are not on your side.

As experienced Philadelphia truck accident lawyers, van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim are here to handle all aspects of our clients’ claims. We manage the entire process of seeking financial compensation so you can focus on getting better without the distractions of managing legal matters. Through a thorough investigation, personalized legal strategies, and constant advocacy, we get maximum results for injured truck accident victims.

Why Choose van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim?

For Philadelphia truck accident lawyers with a long history of getting clients full compensation for injuries, even in high-stakes and complex matters, trust your case to van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim.

A Proven Record Recovering Maximum Compensation for the Injured

At van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim, we get results. Among the more than $100 million in payouts we have recovered for our injured clients are a $10 million settlement for a child struck by a tractor-trailer, a $4.25 million federal jury award for a motorist left with tetraplegia due to a crash with a tractor-trailer, and a $3.25 million jury award for a driver who was left disabled after a cement truck accident caused a traumatic brain injury. As a results-driven firm, we’re committed to securing our clients maximum compensation for their losses.

A History of High-Profile, High-Stakes Cases and Historic Verdicts

Your claim is your one opportunity to recover the compensation you need to recover as fully as possible, physically and financially, from your truck accident injuries. You need to know that your Philadelphia truck accident lawyers are prepared to win in a situation where the stakes are high. Having successfully secured compensation for victims in a number of high-profile cases, the team at van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim is uniquely positioned to lead you to legal victory.

The Skills to Win Complex Truck Accident Injury Claims

A truck accident case can pose all kinds of legal and logistical challenges. There are multiple defendants to identify, multiple theories of liability to consider, and the need for a comprehensive investigation that includes analysis of the truck’s black box data and driver and maintenance logs. Our truck accident attorneys in Philly are fully equipped to address every aspect of your complex case, with the resources to conduct diligent investigations and discover every piece of evidence that could strengthen your claim.

Contact the Philadelphia Truck Accident Lawyers at van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim Today for a Free Case Review

You deserve full compensation for your losses and reliable, skilled legal counsel prepared to help you receive it. Our firm provides free consultations and represents victims of truck accidents at no upfront cost.

For help from truck accident attorneys in Philadelphia, PA, contact van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim online or call 215-486-0123 today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accident Claims in Philadelphia, PA

While we cannot undo the harm caused by a truck accident, we can steer you toward the compensation you need to regain stability. To see how our experience and reputation can work in your favor, watch our Truck Accident Video FAQs. At van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim, our Philadelphia truck accident attorneys are committed to your cause, offering free consultations and 24/7 availability to address your concerns. If you're in the Philadelphia area, feel free to visit our downtown office near City Hall. Your journey to justice is just a call or click away. Contact us now.

Determining who is liable for a commercial truck accident requires you to analyze every detail of the case. The truck driver isn’t always at fault. Another motorist’s negligence could have caused or contributed to the accident. Fault can also lie with a trucking company that violated safety regulations, a mechanic who failed to maintain or repair trucks properly, a party that loaded cargo improperly, or the manufacturer of malfunctioning vehicle components.
A thorough evaluation of all evidence, including the truck’s black box data, maintenance logs, and driver logs, may reveal negligence that wasn’t immediately apparent. That’s why you need to consult with an experienced attorney who can assess the full facts of your individual situation.
Following a truck accident, you can pursue compensation through the trucking company's auto insurance company and any other defendants’ insurers. An attorney can help you submit the required paperwork and documentation and represent you in settlement negotiations.
If a settlement agreement that fairly compensates you can’t be reached, the insurer isn’t cooperating, or legal deadlines are approaching, your attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf. This step begins the litigation process, which includes multiple stages and legal proceedings. While your attorney can still work to negotiate a settlement during the litigation process, we also prepare to present your case in court and secure a verdict or award that compensates you.
Having seasoned Philly truck accident lawyers on your side allows you to approach the challenges of the claims process fully prepared for a successful outcome. Our meticulous investigations allow us to build strong cases for each individual client based on their unique circumstances. Our legal knowledge and history of standing up to insurance companies ensure that we’re ready to meet the demands of the legal process and address issues and legal challenges. Commercial truck lines like FedEx and UPS and their insurance companies have an abundance of resources and sophisticated legal teams representing their interests. Bringing on van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim to represent you ensures that you, too, have the benefits of experience, resources, and professional knowledge.
Truck accident claim payouts depend on numerous factors, including the extent of your damages and the insurance coverage available to compensate you. Accidents that result in less severe injuries and less extensive damages may result in settlements in the range of thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. More serious injuries that bring about more severe losses can lead to higher payouts. Our truck accident attorneys in Philly have recovered compensation for our clients in the ranges of hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars, and even multimillion-dollar settlements and awards.

Notable Case Results

Always Pursing the Best Possible Outcome

Assault Injury

$1 Million

Tractor-Trailer Accident

$10 Million

Bicycle Accident

$4.8 Million

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In the Media

Throughout the years, our firm and our individual attorneys have been recognized in both local and national media for our extensive legal knowledge, experience, and record of success. Our attorneys frequently appear in the media to provide insights and information on various legal matters, including high-profile cases.

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Choosing the Right Firm Can Make All the Difference

Unrivaled Record of SuccessWe have won tens of millions of dollars for injured victims, and have achieved countless "not guilty" verdicts for clients faced with criminal charges.
No Challenge too BigOur firm has handled some of the biggest cases in country, including representing the President of the United States.
Personalized RepresentationWe understand that every case is unique. Therefore, we tailor our approach based on the facts of the case and the needs of our client.
Uncompromising PassionOur competitive nature is one of our strongest qualities. You can be confident that no other firm will outwork our team.
Holistic ApproachNot only do we want to excel legally for the client, but we also want to make sure we are strengthening their mind, body and spirt.
Supporting the CommunityOur team engages in many community events and regularly donates time and resources to many charitable organizations in Philadelphia.

Talk to Our Experienced Team

Home to Philadelphia’s most accomplished attorneys, van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin & Lindheim pairs diverse practice experience with a passion-driven, comprehensive law practice—all for the client’s benefit.