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Collisions involving large trucks and commercial motor vehicles often result in devastating injuries or death. These vehicles are so big and heavy that the damage they inflict on your person and property can affect you for years to come, if not the rest of your life.
If your Sterling Heights, MI, truck accident resulted from another party’s negligence, Christensen Law will help you seek compensation from those liable. Our Sterling Heights personal injury lawyers will fight to ensure the responsible parties pay so you do not shoulder the financial burden of a crash you did not cause.
Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation and learn more about how our legal team will pursue economic justice for you and your family.
How Our Truck Accident Lawyers Help You After a Collision in Sterling Heights
Truck accident cases often involve complex investigations, complicated state and federal trucking laws, claims or lawsuits against multiple parties, and drawn-out negotiations. Handling these things under the best of circumstances is difficult. Dealing with them while coping with a severe injury or the loss of a loved one may seem impossible.
Christensen Law’s team will take the burden off your shoulders by providing you with more than 30 years of personal injury experience. We will put our skills and knowledge behind building your case, protecting your rights, and securing the financial awards you need and deserve. With us acting as your advocate and legal ally, you can turn your time and energy toward what is most important – your health and your family.
When we work on an injury case of this kind, our Sterling Heights truck accident attorneys will do all of the following:
- Identify liable parties and prove fault. We will conduct a thorough investigation and collect evidence to determine who or what caused your crash. We will use this information to establish whether an at-fault party is financially liable for your truck accident.
- Calculate and pursue your damages. We will calculate all your economic and non-economic damages and tirelessly pursue maximum compensation for your losses.
- Handle case details and communications. We will draft and file your insurance claims and lawsuits, track and manage deadlines, and manage all case-related texts, phone calls, emails, and meetings.
- Be your voice. We will never let insurance agents, opposing attorneys, or other involved parties push you around. We will protect you from intimidation and pressure, stand up to bad faith insurance tactics, and defend you from allegations of negligence or wrongdoing that would reduce the at-fault party’s liability.
- Represent you on a contingency basis. We never charge upfront or out-of-pocket for our services. Instead, we work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t owe us an attorney fee unless and until we win your case and you recover financial awards.
How Injured Parties Can Seek Compensation After a Michigan Truck Wreck in Sterling
After a motor vehicle accident in Michigan, injured parties must first turn to their No-Fault insurance policy for compensation, regardless of who is liable for the collision. Your personal injury protection (PIP) will pay for medical treatment, replacement services, and disability benefits up to your policy’s limits. You can also seek death benefits for a fatally injured loved one.
However, if you were in a wreck with a large truck or CMV in Sterling, your medical expenses and other damages will likely exceed your PIP policy limits. When this happens, you can pursue damages from a negligent party with a liability insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Your monetary compensation may include:
- Medical expenses. We will pursue the total cost of your medical care, including bills exceeding (or not covered by) your PIP. Medical damages may include ambulance transportation, emergency services, hospital stays, surgeries, imaging tests, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and long-term nursing.
- Lost income. We will recover wages, earnings, and benefits lost due to your injury and recovery. If you suffered permanent or disabling harm that prevents you from returning to work or performing your previous job, we will seek fair compensation for your lost earning potential.
- Pain and suffering. We will seek monetary awards for intangible losses related to your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Pain and suffering damages may compensate for loss of mobility, scarring, disfigurement, depression, stress, anxiety, loss of enjoyment, emotional damage, and impaired quality of life.
- Wrongful death. If your loved one sustained a fatal injury, our Sterling Heights wrongful death lawyers will help the deceased’s personal representative seek damages on behalf of their estate and survivors. Compensation may include medical bills, funeral and burial costs, loss of the deceased’s current and future financial contributions, and loss of your loved one’s support, services, and companionship.
Who Is Liable for Your Sterling Heights Truck Collision? It Could Be More Than One Party
Sometimes, proving the other party’s fault in a commercial vehicle collision will be relatively easy. Take, for example, an accident involving a trucker under the influence of alcohol. The police officer responding to the accident could demonstrate in a police report that the blood alcohol content (BAC) of the trucker proved impairment.
However, in many cases, the cause of an accident isn’t so obvious, and perhaps surprisingly, the fault doesn’t always rest with the trucker. In these cases, our attorneys will prove fault for you. Here are some examples of what may cause a truck accident and who might be at fault for the crash:
- Improper loading of a truck. Shifting, falling, and improperly secured cargo can cause drivers to lose control or lead to a rollover accident. Overloaded cargo can also create hazards, which is why truckers must adhere to strict vehicle size and weight limits. If any of these issues contribute to your crash, a trucking company, shipping company, the entity in charge of loading the truck, or the owner of the goods may be liable.
- Poor truck maintenance. A mechanic or the trucking company responsible for maintenance could be at fault if your collision resulted from vehicle problems or a lack of inspections and repairs.
- Driver error. Truck drivers must obey all of Michigan’s traffic laws and special rules and regulations for CMV operators. In addition, CMV drivers must have a special license and receive the required training. If a trucker violates the law or engages in negligent or wrongful behavior behind the wheel, they may be liable. Negligent behavior includes speeding or engaging in reckless driving or operating a truck while tired or under the influence.
- Trucking company negligence. You may also be able to hold their employer (i.e., a trucking company) legally responsible for its employees’ actions under a legal principle known as vicarious liability. The trucking company may also be liable if it pressured its employees into acting negligently or did not vet or train its drivers before putting them on the road.
- Improper road maintenance. You could hold a government agency (or private property owner) responsible for road maintenance liable if your wreck involved negligent road conditions or roadway problems, such as broken traffic lights or obstructed signs.
We Will Collect Evidence and Prove Fault
To win your Sterling Heights truck accident case, we must show an at-fault party acted negligently, their actions caused your crash, and your collision led to injuries and financial damages. Our personal injury attorneys serving the Sterling, MI, area will complete the following tasks to build your case:
- Obtain a copy of the police report, which will provide valuable information about your accident, such as the names of witnesses and details that law enforcement notes in its report.
- Visit the scene of your collision to take photographs and collect physical evidence.
- Contact and interview eyewitnesses.
- Hire and consult with experts, such as medical professionals, crash reconstructionists, and economists, if needed.
- Locate and review cell phone, surveillance, or dashcam footage of the wreck.
- Collect evidence from the involved parties, such as the truck’s black box data recorder, the CMV driver’s logs, and alcohol and drug test results.
- Look into the CMV driver’s and trucking company’s records to see if they have previous complaints against them.
- Obtain your medical records and consult with your doctors about your injury and prognosis.
- Gather bills, receipts, pay stubs, and other proof of your financial losses and evidence that shows your non-financial losses as well.
How Long Do You Have to Pursue a Truck Accident Case in Sterling, MI?
According to Michigan Compiled Laws § 600.5805, you have three years to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit in Michigan. The statute of limitations for suing for No-Fault insurance benefits is one year under Michigan Compiled Laws § 500.3145.
If these deadlines expire, the court will likely refuse to hear your case. In addition, an expired statute will reduce your insurance bargaining power if you have not yet resolved your claims. You could be left with no payment or a lowball settlement and no option to remedy it with legal action. Our law firm can work on your behalf to avoid either outcome.
Our Sterling Heights Truck Accident Attorneys Lead All Types of Commercial Vehicle Collision Cases
Semi-trucks come to mind when you think of commercial vehicles, but many other large trucks can inflict serious injury, and these trucks are all over the place in Sterling Heights, MI. Our truck accident lawyers help with crashes involving:
- 18-wheelers
- Dump trucks
- Tractor-trailers
- Garbage trucks
- Moving trucks
- Tankers
- Concrete transfer trucks and cement mixers
- Mobile crane trucks
- Postal and private mail-delivery trucks
Call Christensen Law About Your Sterling Heights Truck Crash Today – We’re Ready to Help You
Truck collisions are among the most devastating vehicle wrecks, often leading to severe, life-altering, and fatal injuries. If your accident was not your fault, you deserve compensation so you can move forward and work toward a positive future.
You can hire a Sterling Heights truck accident lawyer with Christensen Law to navigate your case while you rest and recover. We have the legal experience to investigate your accident, determine fault, negotiate a fair settlement, or take your case to trial if need be. Contact us online for a free consultation.
