Las Vegas Truck Accident Lawyer
Have you been injured in a crash involving a commercial truck in Las Vegas? If your injuries were caused by another’s negligence, recklessness, or intentionally harmful conduct, you may be entitled to significant compensation. If a truck driver, trucking company, or another entity caused your harm, you should not shoulder any financial burdens that may arise due to your injuries. Those responsible for causing your injuries should be held responsible for your medical bills, lost wages, and any other financial losses related to your accident.
At Swenson & Shelley, our Las Vegas truck accident lawyers engage in relentless pursuit of justice for truck accident victims™. Protecting the rights and interests of those who’ve been hurt or who’ve lost loved ones due to truck accidents is our greatest honor and priority. If you choose to work with our firm, we’ll aggressively pursue any and all compensation to which you are entitled as a result of your injuries.
If you have not yet connected with our legal team, reach out to Swenson & Shelley to schedule a risk-free, no-cost case evaluation. During your consultation, we can discuss how our Las Vegas truck accident attorneys can help you pursue compensation and accountability from those who have caused you harm.
Do You Have a Truck Accident Case?
You might have strong grounds upon which to file a legal claim for compensation if you were injured or suffered other losses in a commercial truck crash caused by another’s actions or inactions. Filing a successful truck accident case will require you to prove the losses you have suffered so that the court can determine how much compensation you’re rightfully owed.
Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents in Las Vegas
Common causes of big rig accidents in Las Vegas include:
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Tailgating
- Aggressive or reckless driving, including excessive speeding or swerving in and out of traffic
- Failure to yield the right of way, including not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks and intersections
- Running red lights and stop signs, or disregarding other traffic signals and controls
- Failure to check mirrors or use indicators before turning or changing lanes
- Wide right turns
- Drowsy or fatigued driving
- Impaired driving
- Distracted driving
- Hauling an overweight, unbalanced, or unsecured cargo load
- Deferred or negligently performed vehicle maintenance
- Defective truck parts
- Driver inexperience
- Unfamiliarity with delivery routes or local roads
- Poor road conditions, such as potholes or icy road surfaces
- Adverse weather conditions
- Low lighting
Why Truck Accident Claims Are So Complicated
Truck accident cases are often far more complex than other types of motor vehicle accident cases. Some of the reasons why truck accident claims are particularly complex include:
- Truck accidents often cause serious injuries. Seriously injured accident victims need to pursue future anticipated expenses and losses as part of their truck accident compensation. This process involves complex predictions and calculations.
- Truck accident claims often involve significant financial awards due to the severity of accident victims’ injuries. This reality can cause trucking companies and their insurers to fight vigorously to minimize their financial liability.
- Truck accident cases require thorough investigations and examinations of detailed evidence. State and federal regulations require extensive record-keeping by trucking industry companies. Pouring over these records requires time and effort.
- Trucking companies often have layered insurance coverage and complex corporate structures that can make it difficult to determine the extent of their financial resources.
Why You Need a Lawyer for Your Truck Accident Case
Trucking companies and their insurers typically have many lawyers at their disposal. They employ these attorneys, in part, to help them avoid liability in the event of a commercial truck accident. You should not have to face big corporations and their extensive legal teams on your own. Let a Las Vegas truck accident attorney from Swenson & Shelley help level the playing field for you by:
- Recovering evidence that can be used to successfully construct your truck accident claim, including accident scene photos and video, records from the trucking companies, and law enforcement accident reports
- Working with accident reconstruction and trucking industry experts to evaluate evidence related to your case, determine how the accident occurred, and who can be held at fault for your injuries and losses
- Retaining medical and financial experts to calculate your future anticipated medical needs and lost income
- Assessing insurance coverage and other financial resources available to provide you with financial recovery
- Negotiating with insurance companies so that you can focus on healing
- Filing your claim with trucking and insurance companies to pursue a negotiated settlement designed to provide you with fair and full financial compensation for your past, ongoing, and future losses
- Taking your truck accident claim to court or trial if necessary to fight for the accountability and justice you deserve
What Compensation Can Be Recovered?
If you were injured in a crash involving a big rig in Las Vegas, you may be entitled to pursue truck accident compensation for your injuries. This compensation may include damages for both losses that you’ve already incurred and those that you’re reasonably expected to incur in the future. The Las Vegas truck accident lawyers at Swenson & Shelley will pursue full financial recovery on your behalf. Depending on the nature of your injuries, we will seek compensation that covers:
- The cost of your medical treatment and rehabilitation services
- The cost of any long-term care that you may need if you’ve been permanently disabled due to your truck accident injuries
- Lost wages or income incurred if you had to take time off work to heal
- Lost future earning capacity due to any permanent disabilities rendering you unable to go back to work
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment and quality of life due to disabilities or to visible scarring and disfigurement
Who Could Be Held Liable in an 18-Wheeler Accident?
More than one party may be held liable for a semi-truck accident. Multiple companies are usually involved in the operation of commercial trucks, which is one of the reasons why truck accident cases are usually quite complex. Parties that may be held liable for a commercial truck accident in Las Vegas include:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company that employs or retains the truck driver
- The owner of the truck, if not the truck driver or trucking company
- The cargo/freight company responsible for loading the truck or trailer
- The truck’s manufacturer
- A third-party manufacturer of a part used on the truck, such as tire and brake manufacturers
- The mechanic or auto shop responsible for maintaining the truck or trailer, if distinct from the trucking or freight company
- Another driver involved in the accident
- A government agency tasked with safe road maintenance
How Is Fault Determined in a Truck Accident?
Because multiple parties may be liable for an 18-wheeler accident, it is usually necessary to examine many documents and pieces of evidence to determine what caused a truck accident. Types of evidence that we may use when evaluating your truck accident case include:
- Truck driver service logs
- Logs from the truck’s electronic data recorder, a type of “black box” device that records information about the truck’s operation
- The truck driver’s employment and driving history
- Results from any drug and alcohol tests performed on the truck driver following the accident
- The cargo/load manifest
- Inspection and maintenance records for the truck
- Post-accident vehicle inspection reports, including any records finding failure of defective parts in the truck
- Dispatch logs from the trucking or freight company
- Police accident reports
- Accident scene photos
- Eyewitness statements
- Surveillance or traffic camera footage of the crash
Statute of Limitations for Truck Accident Lawsuits in Nevada
Truck injury victims in Nevada have limited time to file a truck accident lawsuit. Nevada’s statute of limitations for personal injury typically gives victims two years from the date of their accident to file a lawsuit against anyone who may be liable for harm.
It is important to speak with an attorney at our firm as quickly as you can after you’ve received medical attention for your crash injuries. Building a strong legal case takes time. And if you file a truck accident lawsuit after the limitations period has expired on your claim, your case will likely be permanently dismissed. At this point, you’ll lose your right to demand financial compensation for your injuries and losses.
Tips for Protecting Your Rights after a Truck Accident in Las Vegas
To build the strongest possible legal case against those who have caused your injuries, take some time to help preserve your legal options and protect your rights. You can help facilitate the strength of your legal claim by:
- Taking photos or videos of the accident scene, including detailed shots of any vehicle damage, skid marks, debris or potholes in the road, traffic signals and controls, and weather, lighting, traffic conditions, etc.
- Seeing your primary physician or another medical provider as soon as possible after the accident. A medical provider can diagnose any injuries you may have suffered in the crash. Follow your providers’ treatment instructions to the letter.
- Requesting copies of medical records from your treatment and keeping track of all bills and invoices for medical services that you incur. Keep records of any extraneous expenses you may incur as a result of the accident, such as a registration fee for a handicapped parking sticker. Also, make sure to retain copies of any employment paperwork related to time off you may need to take in order to recover.
- Starting a journal to record the details of your injury recovery and to document any pain and restrictions on your daily life that you may be experiencing.
- Avoiding social media. Posts you make about the case, the accident, your injuries, or photos and videos of yourself during your recovery might end up being used by attorneys representing the at-fault parties to undercut your case.
- Making time to speak with a Las Vegas truck accident attorney from Swenson & Shelley to construct your legal case.
Speak With a Las Vegas Truck Accident Attorney Now
Don’t wait to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a truck accident lawyer in Las Vegas about your legal rights and options. Contact Swenson & Shelley today to discuss the details of your case. Our skilled legal team has the experience to aggressively fight for the financial compensation you deserve. Call us or fill out our online form today to start building a strong legal case against those who have caused you harm.