Truck Accident Attorneys in Washington, D.C.

Truck accidents can result in catastrophic injuries and tremendous financial burdens. If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident in Washington, D.C., having an experienced attorney on your side is crucial. Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison is a leading personal injury law firm that handles truck accident cases in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.

Overview of Truck Accident Cases in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., sees high volumes of truck traffic transporting goods along the East Coast. This brings an increased risk of truck accidents compared to other areas. Some key statistics on truck crashes in Washington, D.C., include:

• In 2019, there were 743 truck crashes reported in Washington, D.C. This resulted in 9 fatalities and 302 injuries.
• Failure to yield right of way is the most common cause of truck crashes in the area at 23.7% of crashes. Speeding and drunk driving are other leading contributors.
• Tractor trailers make up the majority of trucks involved in Washington, D.C., crashes at 60.6%.

This table provides a breakdown of the types of trucks involved in crashes in Washington, D.C. for the year 2019, with tractor trailers being the most involved.

These statistics demonstrate the considerable dangers trucks can pose on Washington, D.C. roads. When large trucks are involved in collisions, the results are usually catastrophic simply due to the sheer size and weight differences compared to passenger vehicles.

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a truck crash in the Washington metro area, having an experienced truck accident attorney on your side is critical for recovering damages. Marks and Harrison have successfully handled a wide variety of truck accident cases in D.C. and surrounding regions.

Common Causes of Truck Crashes

While every truck accident case has unique circumstances, some common factors contribute to many truck collisions. Understanding these helps identify where fault and liability may lie following a crash.

Driver Fatigue

Truck drivers often endure long hours and high-pressure delivery schedules. This frequently leads to driver fatigue. Drowsy driving impairs reaction times and decision-making abilities, similar to drunk driving. Federal regulations limit truck drivers to 11 hours of driving in 14 hours, but these rules are often violated.

Speeding

Given their large size, trucks require much more time and distance to brake compared to other vehicles. Even slight speeding can make trucks impossible to stop in time to avoid a collision. In Washington, D.C., speeding is the second highest cause of truck crashes.

Poor Truck Maintenance

Trucking companies are required to systematically inspect, repair, and maintain their trucks. However, negligence here is common due to companies cutting costs. Issues like faulty brakes or bald tires can lead to catastrophic accidents.

Hazardous Roads

Dangerous road conditions also contribute to truck crashes, whether from construction, poor design, lighting issues, or lack of signage. Companies relying on GPS often route trucks down unsafe local roads not intended for large trucks.

Inadequate Driver Training

Earning a commercial driver’s license requires far less training than what’s needed to operate a 40-ton truck safely. Many companies fail to adequately train drivers on handling trucks, resulting in improper turns, merging, etc., that lead to accidents.

By being aware of these common truck crash factors, injury victims can build a stronger case by showing the truck driver or company’s negligent actions that resulted in their accident. An experienced attorney knows how to investigate and prove these crucial details.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Due to their enormous size and weight, collisions with trucks often cause severe, lifelong injuries to passengers of standard-sized vehicles. Some most common truck accident injuries include:

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Sudden impacts with trucks can cause the brain to collide with the interior skull, resulting in bruising, bleeding, swelling, and other serious damage. Mild cases cause headaches, confusion, memory problems or mood changes, while severe cases result in prolonged unconsciousness or death.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Forces involved in truck crashes also frequently fracture vertebrae or sever spinal nerves. A partial spinal cord injury leads to some loss of sensation or mobility, while a full severing results in paralysis below the point of injury.

Internal Organ Damage

Blunt abdominal trauma from truck crashes applies extreme pressure to internal organs that can rupture kidneys, liver, spleen and other vital systems. This causes severe internal bleeding and requires immediate emergency surgery.

Orthopaedic Injuries

Truck accident victims often sustain multiple orthopaedic injuries, including bone fractures, torn ligaments, cartilage damage, amputations and other trauma requiring extensive surgery and prolonged rehabilitation.

Burn Injuries

In addition to collision impact injuries, truck crashes carry a high risk of fire from vehicle fuels. Burn injuries vary based on the degree (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and percentage of the body affected but often require extensive skin grafts and treatment to avoid infection and permanent scarring.

These are just some of the devastating injuries possible in truck crashes. The experienced Washington, D.C. truck accident attorneys at Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison thoroughly investigate accident scenes and medical records to document clients’ injuries and suffering fully. This helps maximize compensation for short and long-term medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering and reduced quality of life.

Steps to Take After a Truck Accident

In the chaos following a truck crash, it isn’t easy to think clearly about the legal steps needed to protect your rights. But some key actions should be taken immediately following an accident:

• Get Medical Attention – Seeking immediate medical care is vital even for minor injuries, given the likelihood of delayed pain and complications emerging later. Having a prompt medical record verifies injuries suffered.
• Report the Crash – All accidents must be reported to the police to have an official record created. Be sure to get a copy of the police report later, as this includes unbiased witness statements and initial determinations about fault.
• Gather Evidence – Take photos of property damage, injuries, skid marks, debris locations, weather conditions, roadway hazards and anything else contributing to the crash. Also, request to retain the truck’s Event Data Recorder, which tracks the vehicle’s speeds, brake application and other electronic systems.
• Consult an Attorney – Speaking with a qualified truck accident attorney early on ensures you take action to preserve the ability to pursue fair compensation for your injuries and damages. An attorney also immediately investigates issues to determine fault and prevent cover-ups.

While taking these steps may not be foremost on your mind after surviving a traumatic truck collision, they are essential to avoid having your rights infringed upon later. Marks and Harrison’s truck accident attorneys make assisting injured victims their top priority following any truck crash.

Proving Liability in Truck Accident Cases

Establishing where the fault lies after truck crashes can be highly complex. Multiple parties may share liability, including:

• The truck driver
• The trucking company
• Truck manufacturers
• Parts suppliers
• Cargo loaders
• Public agencies responsible for road maintenance
• Other drivers involved

Successfully winning truck accident cases requires conducting thorough investigations into every party potentially responsible and building strong arguments demonstrating their negligence.

Trucking companies and insurers quickly work to limit their financial liability after crashes. Powerful trucking lobbyists influence local transport regulations in favour of industry over public safety. All this makes retaining an experienced truck accident legal team essential to overcome systemic headwinds facing injured plaintiffs.

Marks and Harrison have the resources and credentials to take on the trucking industry’s powerhouse legal defense teams, drawing on over four decades of litigating locally. Their record of over 1 billion won for clients demonstrates proven success.

Choosing the Best Truck Accident Law Firm in Washington, D.C.

When evaluating truck accident law firms available in the Washington, D.C. metro region, injured victims should carefully compare credentials, case histories, resources, and reputation. Factors to analyze when choosing an attorney include:

Firm Specialization and Focus

Truck accident cases require highly specialized legal knowledge on topics like:

• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
• Commercial driver sleep study data
• Truck maintenance requirements
• Cargo loading procedures
• Truck manufacturer defects

General personal injury firms lack deep expertise across these niche technical areas critical to building strong truck accident claims. An appropriate specialist firm focuses specifically on the complexities of truck crashes, allowing them to maximize claim outcomes.

Marks and Harrison devote over 75% of their practice exclusively to handling truck crashes. Their tight specialization provides distinct advantages to clients, including extensive legal and safety resources along with relationships with the nation’s top truck accident reconstruction experts.

Attorney Skill and Experience

Even among truck accident speciality firms, the lead attorney’s expertise and litigation skills bear considerable influence on case outcomes. Relevant areas of attorney qualification include:

• Years practising truck accident law
• Total cases argued
• Case win rates
• Settlement amounts obtained
• Trial experience

Trucking insurance companies instantly assess opposing attorneys based on such credentials when determining settlement offers. More experienced, successful opponents warrant higher payouts pre-trial to avoid courtroom losses.

Marks and Harrison’s lead truck accident attorney, Courtney Kreger Brodish, leverages over 15 years dedicated solely to representing catastrophic truck injury victims. Her proven record of delivering maximum verdicts compels much faster, larger settlements from insurers.

Ability to Invest Thoroughly

Investigating truck crashes requires substantial resources to reconstruct events, secure evidence, and consult specialized experts. Underfunding cases jeopardize the validity of claims. Areas requiring investment include:

• Accident reconstruction
• Truck technology analysts
• Medical specialists
• Economic loss projections
• Legal research

By maintaining sizeable case budgets and relationships with over 350 top medical and technical experts, Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison thoroughly validate every client’s rightful damages. This raises claim values by millions compared to firms lacking resources.

Client Service Resources

The best firms also surround clients with robust support services to assist in managing treatment, paperwork, expenses and insurance issues following traumatic truck crashes. Helpful assistance includes:

• Nurse case managers to coordinate medical care
• Investigators to obtain police reports
• Staff to address insurance benefits questions
• Process servers to handle legal filings
• Status hotlines and portals providing 24x updates

Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison make extensive teams available so clients can focus entirely on healing while attorneys forcefully pursue maximum restitution on their behalf.

Public Reputation and Credibility

Checking reputable legal rating services along with client reviews helps objectively gauge law firms’ public standing. Top credentials confirming performance include:

• Perfect 10 rating on Avvo national attorney scoring
• Superb (9.7) rating from over 150 client reviews
• Washington, D.C. area ranking among Super Lawyers
• National Law Journal and media coverage

Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison score top credentials across all key reputation indicators, assuring clients their interests are well protected. The firm also maintains ultimate ethical standing with no history of disciplinary actions.

Carefully weighing these criteria allows accident victims to select truck crash attorneys with the highest probability of delivering life-changing results. Marks and Harrison distinguish themselves as the premier local choice based on exceptional expertise, resources and reputation.

The Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison Truck Accident Legal Team

Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison assemble customized case teams matching each client with optimal experts needed to secure maximum compensation. Attorneys leverage four decades of relationships with the nation’s leading medical specialists, crash analysts, vocational experts and more to validate every unique injury and loss.

Core members of the Marks and Harrison truck accident legal team include:

Founding Attorney Gary Marks

• 51 years of personal injury experience
• Past President Maryland Association for Justice
• Published extensive legal guides and books
• Recognized among Best Lawyers in America

Lead Attorney Courtney Kreger Brodish

• Over 15 years focused exclusively on truck crashes
• Secured over $50 million for clients
• Works solely on catastrophic cases
• Consistently named a Super Lawyer

Supporting Attorney Richard Harrison

• 37 years of trial experience
• Former insurance defence lawyer
• Inside knowledge of defence tactics
• Named a “Titan of the Industry”

Backed by this formidable in-house truck accident team along with expansive medical and technical resources, Marks and Harrison possess distinct firepower to maximize claim resolutions.

Why Choose Kreger Brodish Marks And Harrison?

If you or someone you love suffered catastrophic injuries in a Washington, D.C., area truck crash, selecting the most qualified legal advocate is imperative to avoid denial of fair damages by powerful insurance carriers. Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison distinguish themselves as the premier local choice by:

• Devoting over 75% of practice specifically to truck accidents
• Maintaining perfect ethics record over 45 years protecting injury victims’ rights
• Achieving over one billion dollars in compensation for catastrophically injured clients
• Receiving near-perfect client review ratings across all online legal scoring services
• Ranking named among America’s Best Lawyers and Washington Area Super Lawyers
• Investing extensive resources to validate every client’s damages fully
• Surrounding each client with robust support teams to reduce burdens

Kreger Brodish Marks and Harrison fight relentlessly to help severely injured victims regain their quality of life after tragic truck crashes. To discuss a potential case with one of their compassionate attorneys, Check it out Washington, D.C., truck accident legal team.