Truck Accident Lawyers in Selma, AL
Selma is known for the pivotal role it played in the Civil Rights Movement. Located in Dallas County, the city is home to a number of historic and landmark attractions including the National Voting Rights Museum, City Marina, Heritage Village, Edmund Pettus Bridge, and Historic Riverfront Park.
Data shows that nearly 86% of communities in Alabama, including those in Selma, rely on commercial trucks to transport various goods. In 2019, commercial trucks drove more than 6.5 billion miles on the roadways of Alabama.
While commercial trucks play a key role in transporting critical as well as non-critical goods within Alabama as well as to other parts of the country, they also pose a threat to other road users due to their massive size and weight.
In truck accident cases, it’s essential to hire a law firm as soon as possible because there are data recorders on the trucks that need to be downloaded as quickly as possible to confirm or refute the truck driver’s version of the events leading to the accident. Those recorders reveal speed and braking information which is vital to the investigation.
If you have been injured in a commercial truck accident in Selma, you have the legal right to sue the parties responsible for the accident and recover damages. At the law office of Frank M. Wilson, we can represent you, protect your legal rights as an injury victim, build the strongest possible case against all the at-fault parties, and fight aggressively to recover full and fair compensation for your injuries and other losses.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Selma
According to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), the most common causes of truck accidents are:
- Speeding
- Driving too fast for conditions
- Impaired driving
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Making improper lane changes
- Making improper turns
- Not yielding the right of way to other vehicles
- Misjudging the truck’s stopping distance
- Mechanical failure caused by defective parts
Injuries That Can Result from a Truck Accident
Truck accidents can result in serious injuries including broken bones, crush injuries, burn injuries, traumatic amputation, nerve damage, internal organ damage, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.
There are a number of hospitals in and around Selma where you can get treated for your injuries following a truck accident. These include the Vaughan Regional Medical Center in Selma, Jackson Hospital and Clinic in Montgomery, Prattville Baptist Hospital in Prattville, J. Paul Jones Hospital in Camden, and the Hale County Hospital in Greensboro.
Who Can be Held Liable for a Truck Accident in Selma, AL?
Depending on what caused the accident, the following parties can be held liable for your injuries and financial losses.
- The truck driver
- The truck company
- The cargo loading company
- The truck manufacturer
- The company or contractor responsible for truck repair and maintenance
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Filing a Selma, AL Truck Accident Claim?
Under Alabama law, the deadline for filing a truck accident claim is set at two years. The two-year deadline starts right from the date on which the accident occurred. If you do not file a claim within the two-year deadline, you will permanently lose your right to sue and recover damages from the at-fault party.
Why You Should Contact an Experienced Selma Truck Accident Lawyer Right after the Accident
Following a truck accident, you hire an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as you possibly can. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the faster they can start investigating your accident and collect the evidence needed for your claim.
The data contained in the truck’s event data recorder – commonly referred to as a black box – can be particularly helpful for your claim. The information that can be retried from the truck’s black box includes the truck’s speed at the time of the accident, whether the truck driver applied brakes, whether the truck was put on cruise control before the accident, daily and monthly truck activity, tire pressure, and many more.
The key thing to be noted here is that the trucking company will not voluntarily share this information with you. They also have the legal right to destroy the black box data after a certain period of time – which is 30 days in most cases.
If the data is destroyed or lost, it can be very hard for you to establish the liability of the driver or the truck company. It’s why you should contact a lawyer as soon as you possibly can after a truck accident.
Your lawyer will write a spoliation letter to the truck company, inform them that you intend to file a claim against them, and request them to preserve the information contained in the black box. Based on the information, your lawyer can determine how the accident happened and to what extent the truck driver or the truck company can be held liable for the accident.
Apart from black box data, several other types of evidence might be needed to establish the liability of the truck driver, the truck company, or any other third party. These include the hours-of-service logs, truck inspection, repair, and maintenance records, dash cam footage, surveillance or security camera footage, and reports and testimonies from accident reconstruction experts.
Get Our Competent Selma Truck Accident Lawyers on Your Side to Obtain Maximum Damages
At the law office of Frank M. Wilson, we have extensive experience and success in recovering damages for truck accident victims. We know how to prove the liability of the truck company and how to get the insurance company to pay you the compensation you deserve. If a negotiated settlement is not an option, we will not hesitate to take your case to trial in order to recover the compensation you deserve.
Our legal team is led by Frank M. Wilson, who is one of the most experienced personal injury attorneys in Alabama. He has been fighting for the rights of injury victims in Alabama for more than 30 years.
To discuss your claim with our seasoned Selma truck accident lawyer, call our law firm today at 334-420-2931 or fill out our online contact form and schedule a free consultation.