Homestead Truck Accident Attorney
It is an unfortunate fact that truck accidents in Homestead and throughout Allegheny County result in far more severe injuries than motor vehicle accidents involving cars and other passenger vehicles. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, in 2017, there were 6,807 accidents involving heavy trucks on the roads of Pennsylvania. Although this number represents only a small percentage of the total number of motor vehicle accidents in Pennsylvania in 2017, 145 of these crashes resulted in a fatal injury.
Legal claims arising from truck accidents are often more complicated than other kinds of motor vehicle crashes. This is because there are multiple entities that are involved in the trucking industry, including the truck driver, the trucking company, the truck owner, the freight company, the truck manufacturer, and the mechanics involved in the truck’s maintenance. In addition, there are many more pieces of evidence to be investigated in any truck accident, including the truck driver’s logs, the freight logs, the truck driver’s driving and employment records, or the truck maintenance logs. As a result, if you have been injured in a truck accident in Homestead, it is imperative that you retain the services of an experienced truck accident attorney who will ensure that no stone is left unturned in pursuing your claim for compensation. Attorney Mark A. Smith will aggressively pursue every avenue to ensure that you receive full and fair compensation for the injuries and losses you’ve suffered from your truck accident.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Homestead, PA
Many truck accidents are the result of negligent or reckless behavior by the truck’s driver. Some of the common truck driver-related causes that Attorney Mark A. Smith has seen in his career include:
- Speeding
- Driving while fatigued, especially after driving longer than the regulatory limits for drivers
- Driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal narcotics
- Failure to signal
- Failure to yield
- Inadequately experienced/trained or unlicensed driver
In addition to driver-related causes, other common causes of truck accidents include:
- Improper loading of cargo
- Improper or inadequate maintenance of the truck
- Defective design or manufacture of the truck
No matter the cause of the truck accident that injured you, Attorney Mark A. Smith will work tirelessly to ensure that you receive the financial compensation you need for your recovery.
The Law Office of Mark A. Smith Fights for Compensation for Injured Victims of Truck Accidents in Homestead, PA
Determining both the cause of a truck accident and the parties financially responsible to the injured victims is a complex task. Attorney Mark A. Smith has the experience to thoroughly investigate your truck accident to determine the liability of the various parties in the trucking industry, including the truck driver, the trucking company, the freight company, and the maintenance company. He will also investigate all possible explanations for the accident, reviewing the driver’s logs, the freight logs, and the truck’s GPS and computer data to determine the cause or causes of your accident, such as whether the driver was driving beyond his or her time limits or whether the truck was improperly loaded.
Once the causes of your accident and the responsible parties have been determined, Attorney Mark A. Smith will fight against the tactics of the trucking companies, insurers, and defense law firms that are aimed at paying you less compensation than what you deserve. Regardless of whether the trucking companies attempt to destroy or alter records or hide sources of insurance coverage, Attorney Mark A. Smith will aggressively pursue the maximum amount of compensation available to you to ensure that your medical expenses, lost income, and other damages are fully compensated.
Contact Attorney Mark A. Smith Today to Discuss Your Homestead, PA Truck Accident Case
If you or a loved one have been injured in a truck accident on the roads and highways of Homestead and Allegheny County, you deserve to receive compensation for the serious injuries you’ve suffered. Contact The Law Office of Mark A. Smith today to schedule a consultation to discuss your case and to learn more about how Attorney Mark A. Smith can help you secure the financial compensation you need to recover from your injuries.
About Homestead, PA
The borough of Homestead is a municipality in the Monongahela Valley, located in Allegheny County approximately seven miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The area comprising present-day Homestead and nearby towns was initially settled in the 1770s. That farmland was later purchased in the 1870s and laid out in lots that were sold to landowners to form the town of Homestead. Homestead’s industry experienced a boom shortly thereafter, with railroad, glass, and iron factories opening up around the town. Homestead gained notoriety as the site of the Homestead Strike, a violent confrontation between locked-out steelworkers and the Pinkerton guards hired to secure the Homestead Steel Works. Homestead’s steel industry declined and dissipated in the 1980s, setting the stage for an economic recovery beginning in the early 2000s.
Frequently Asked Questions about Truck Accident Claims in Homestead, PA
Usually. In many cases, it is possible to hold the trucking company responsible for the accident, as the company usually employs the negligent truck driver and/or owns the truck that was involved in the accident. Even if the truck driver is an independent contractor, it may be possible to hold the trucking company responsible for negligently retaining the driver if it can be shown the driver was not qualified, including if the driver did not have a valid CDL, had a history of traffic violations and accidents, or otherwise had a demonstrable history of unsafe driving.
Depending on the circumstances of your accident, it may be possible to hold, in addition to the truck driver and the trucking company, parties such as the freight company, the truck leasing company, the truck manufacturer, or the mechanics who worked on the truck liable for your losses, especially if your accident was caused due to an issue with the truckload or a mechanical failure on the truck.
