Truck Accident Lawyers in Kansas City, MO, Fighting to Secure Your Maximum Compensation

Negligence on the part of any driver can lead to significant injuries. When someone behind the wheel of a large truck causes an accident, though, the results are disastrous more often than not. Fully-loaded tractor-trailers can weigh up to 80,000 lbs. on American highways—a monstrous size compared to 3,500 lbs. passenger vehicles. The size discrepancy alone is enough to explain why drivers and passengers in smaller automobiles suffer the most significant injuries. If you or a loved one was harmed in an accident with a big rig or other large truck, contacting experienced truck accident lawyers in Kansas City, MO, is in your best interest.

At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, we understand just how devastating truck accidents can be. Unfortunately, statistics from recent years show that injurious and fatal accidents involving these massive vehicles are on the rise. This results in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injury victims yearly. While commercial truck accidents are often caused by the big rig drivers themselves, it’s others on American roads who most frequently suffer severe injuries. A Kansas City truck accident attorney can help you seek compensation for such injuries. And since Mohlman Gurney Injury Law offers free consultations, you have nothing to lose.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

It’s important to understand that there are major differences between passenger vehicle and truck accident cases. Big rigs are larger, heavier, and harder to control than other automobiles on the road. This means the forces and conditions that affect a truck are vastly different. Because of these differences and the potential devastation of any trucking accident, there are complex laws that regulate the operation of these vehicles. When it comes down to it, however, driver negligence can have similar outcomes regardless of what a person is driving. Just consider some of the most common causes of truck accidents in America:

• Driver fatigue
• Driver distraction
• Load mismanagement
• Speeding
• Illegal traffic maneuvers
• Lack of roadway familiarity

As evidenced by this list, many of the most common causes of collisions involving commercial trucks are the same as those involved in passenger motor vehicle accidents. Of course, truck driver negligence isn’t the only potential cause of accidents. In fact, studies have shown that passenger vehicles cause 80% of all trucking accidents in America. There are also incidents that are the fault of neither driver. Improper maintenance by trucking companies, government failure to repair highways, severe weather, and vehicle failure can all cause passenger vehicles and truck drivers to be involved in accidents that neither of them caused.

This means there are several parties that could be held liable in a truck accident. In many cases, multiple parties share faults. For instance, a company may have failed to properly load merchandise on a truck—but the driver may have then failed to secure their load and check for safety. The big question most people have, however, is what happens when victims contribute to trucking accident injuries. Fortunately, Missouri law accounts for such possibilities.

What if I’m Partially At-Fault for my Accident?

Statistics show that passenger vehicle drivers cause most truck accidents. This certainly doesn’t mean you’re at fault for your accident, and speaking with an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you better understand this. If you do hold some level of blame for your injury, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not entitled to recover compensation for lost wages, serious injuries, and other losses. That’s because Missouri is a comparative negligence state. This means that all liable parties will hold some level of financial responsibility.

For instance, imagine there’s a Kansas City truck accident involving a tractor-trailer that made an improper turn at an intersection. Now imagine a crash occurring when a passenger vehicle driver collides with a truck while speeding. A jury may decide that speeding wasn’t the cause of the accident, but they might believe it could’ve been avoided at normal speeds. In such a situation, they may assign 10% of the blame to the passenger vehicle driver. Under Missouri law, the eventual court award to truck accident victims would be reduced by 10%. They’d still recover compensation, though, since the trucker shares liability.

However, we cannot stress enough that you should not use this knowledge to estimate the compensation you deserve. There are many other factors that go into settlement negotiations and court awards involving trucking accidents. By assuming what you’re entitled to, you may end up allowing insurers of commercial trucks to shortchange you on fair compensation. Instead, speak with a truck accident attorney in Kansas City, MO, to better understand what you may be entitled to. Since Mohlman Gurney Injury Law will provide a free case evaluation, you have nothing to lose by reaching out for help.

What are Common Truck Accident Injuries?

When a trucking accident leads to injuries, they’re very frequently severe. This is particularly the case in pedestrian accidents and collisions involving motorcycles, but even larger passenger vehicles typically don’t stand a chance against big rigs. That’s why the following injuries are among the most common you’ll see in Kansas City truck accidents:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Broken bones
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Whiplash
• Paralysis or other disability
• Burns
• Lacerations
• Disfigurement and amputation
• Wrongful death

A particularly unfortunate fact about these trucking accident injuries is that even seemingly minor harms can turn very serious. For instance, did you know that whiplash often goes undiagnosed but can lead to dizziness, chronic pain, muscle stiffness, and ringing in the ears? Researchers have also found that the condition can eventually lead to depression. Minor concussions—which are actually traumatic brain injuries—can also cause depression. The fact that even a low-speed trucking accident can lead to life-altering injuries is scary, but you don’t have to navigate such difficulties on your own.

Regardless of how minor your injuries may seem now, it’s in your best interest to speak with an attorney regarding your truck accident case.

Are Passenger Trucks Getting More Dangerous?

If you’ve been on American highways any time during the last two decades, you’ve no doubt watched as pickup trucks grew larger. In fact, these vehicles are 11% taller and nearly 25% heavier on average. Not only does this equate to larger blind spots, but it also makes truck crashes involving pickups more dangerous than ever. A growing body of research supports this assertion and even indicates that these larger trucks are increasing the rate of catastrophic injuries and death on America’s roadways.

Unfortunately, deadly truck crashes aren’t merely the realm of big rigs any longer. The size of many modern pickups creates blind spots that can be 11 feet longer than those on typical sedans. Additionally, the truck driver behind the wheel of these vehicles doesn’t have nearly the training or experience of tractor-trailer drivers. Regardless of whether you’re injured by a big rig or passenger truck, reaching out to a Kansas City truck accident lawyer can give you a better understanding of your rights and help recover compensation from lost wages, medical bills, and other losses.

Can Truck Accident Attorneys Help?

When you’re involved in a trucking accident, it’s important to reach out to a personal injury law firm as soon as possible. This is often the first thing that people think about when they’re injured, but as days pass, they occasionally start to wonder whether they need an attorney for trucking accident claims. This is particularly the case if liability seems clear. After all, an insurance company will surely offer you a fair settlement to avoid court, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t how it typically plays out.

In most cases, insurers will try to offer low settlements to keep their profits high. Even as the adjuster pretends to be concerned with your well-being, they’re likely guiding the conversation in the hopes that you’ll admit some level of fault. This reduces liability on the driver, the trucking company, and any other potentially at-fault parties. An experienced attorney can help you avoid such pitfalls with your trucking accident claim. They can also help identify the type of compensation—both economic and non-economic damages—that you may be entitled to.

Most importantly, having a law office handles your claim means you can focus on recovering from your personal injuries. Even a low-speed Kansas City truck accident can cause serious harm, so it’s important that healing be your primary concern. At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, we’ll strive to hold truck drivers, carrier companies, and all other liable parties accountable. And since we only take a certain number of clients at a time, you’ll know that your truck accident case will get the attention it deserves while you focus on recovery.

Truck Accident Lawyers in Kansas City, MO, can Help

When accident victims experience an injury, they should speak to an attorney as soon as possible. This is even more important, however, in truck accident cases. Carrier companies and the employers of truckers have experts on the scene of serious accident sites within hours to collect information and start building a defense. It’s also not unheard of for a trucking company or drivers to falsify their logbooks or deliberately destroy evidence. These are just a few examples of how truck accident claims can become difficult to handle on your own.

At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, we have extensive experience dealing with such collisions in the Kansas City area. We know that witnesses need to be interviewed, vehicles need to be inspected, and the accident scene needs to be documented before the highway is cleared and evidence is destroyed. Much of this information may be inaccessible to you without an attorney, and this can make receiving fair compensation a difficult endeavor. Contact us today at Mohlman Gurney Injury Law by calling (816) 648-6000. Our truck accident lawyers in Kansas City know what it takes to win these cases. Reach out now for a free case evaluation.