If you have lost someone in your life due to a truck accident, you have the right to both justice and fair compensation. While our Scranton truck accident lawyer at Munley can’t undo the pain you’ve experienced, we can fight on your behalf to ensure you secure the damages you deserve. Don’t hesitate, contact our Scranton truck accident lawyers today for a free initial case evaluation. We are ready and waiting to take your call.
$32 Million Wrongful Death
$26 Million Truck Accident
$20 Million Commercial Vehicle Accident
$17.5 Million Car Accident
$12 Million Work Injury
$11 Million Truck Accident
$9 Million Truck Accident
$8 Million Truck Accident
$8 Million Truck Accident
$7.5 Million Auto Accident
$6.9 Million Garbage Truck Accident
$6.5 Million Traumatic Brain Injury
Legal Options Available After a Fatal Trucking Accident in Scranton
There is nothing so devastating in life as losing a loved one. The painful reality is that fatal truck accidents do occur, and every year, Scranton residents lose family and friends to these crashes. While trying to process the grief of losing someone, the idea of also trying to understand your legal options can feel extremely overwhelming. Securing justice begins with the guidance of an experienced wrongful death attorney in Scranton who can walk you through every step.
What are your legal options if you lose someone in a fatal truck accident? One path is to file something known as a wrongful death suit. Pennsylvania law defines wrongful death as a death “caused by the wrongful act or neglect or unlawful violence or negligence of another.” In other words, if someone’s reckless, negligent, or illegal action causes a fatality, the deceased party’s family likely has the right to bring a wrongful death suit. A truck accident involving any negligence would undoubtedly fall under this category.
A wrongful death suit is essentially a personal injury lawsuit in which the party who was harmed is unable to bring their case to court. One essential factor to note is that a wrongful death suit is a civil suit, not a criminal one. If found responsible, the defendant is penalized solely for financial damages, not jail time.
If you have lost a loved one in a fatal truck accident and are interested in the possibility of filing a wrongful death suit, contact a truck accident attorney at Munley Law today. We are ready and waiting to take your call.
Damages Specific to Fatal Truck Accident Cases
When a truck accident results in a fatality, the available compensation differs significantly from non-fatal cases. Pennsylvania law provides specific avenues for recovery that address the profound and permanent losses suffered by surviving family members.
Fatal truck accident cases involve two distinct legal claims. A wrongful death action compensates the family members for their losses resulting from their loved one’s death. These damages focus on the family’s losses, including:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Medical costs related to the fatal injury
- Loss of wages that the deceased would have provided
- Loss of companionship, comfort, society, and guidance
- Emotional suffering of family members
In contrast, a survival action compensates the estate for losses suffered by the victim between the accident and death. Survival action damages focus on the deceased’s losses, including:
- Pain and suffering experienced between the accident and death
- Lost wages from the time of injury until death
- Medical expenses incurred before death
Loss of life’s pleasures during the survival period
Pennsylvania’s Rules for Fatal Accident Compensation
Pennsylvania law restricts who may file wrongful death claims to specific family members. The estate’s personal representative must file the lawsuit, with damages distributed to spouses, children, and parents. If none of these relatives exist, other relatives who were dependents of the deceased may recover damages.
Unlike some states, Pennsylvania allows recovery for grief and emotional suffering in wrongful death cases, reflecting the profound emotional impact of losing a loved one suddenly in a truck crash.
Federal Reporting and Compliance After Fatalities
Federal regulations impose immediate obligations on trucking companies and drivers when a commercial truck is involved in a fatal accident. The driver must be drug and alcohol tested within specific timeframes. The carrier must preserve all electronic logging device data and report the fatality to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration within 24 hours.
These federal requirements create time-sensitive evidence that our attorneys move quickly to preserve through immediate legal action when necessary.
FMCSA Post-Crash Investigation Procedures
Fatal truck crashes often trigger comprehensive FMCSA investigations that can uncover crucial liability evidence. The FMCSA may conduct a comprehensive compliance review examining hours-of-service compliance, driver qualification files, vehicle maintenance patterns, and company safety policies.
These investigations often uncover systemic issues that contributed to the fatal crash, such as patterns of hours-of-service violations or inadequate driver supervision. FMCSA findings can provide powerful evidence of negligence beyond just the individual driver’s actions.
Fatal truck crashes generate entries in federal databases that can reveal critical safety information about the carrier. The crash will be recorded in the Motor Carrier Management Information System and may affect the carrier’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability scores.
Our attorneys access these federal databases to identify patterns and prior incidents that may establish negligent hiring, retention, or supervision claims against the carrier.
How Violations Affect Your Fatal Truck Accident Claim
Federal violations discovered after a fatal crash significantly strengthen civil liability claims. Evidence of regulatory violations creates presumptions of negligence under Pennsylvania law. Hours-of-service violations may establish fatigue as a contributing factor, while maintenance deficiencies can support negligent maintenance claims.
By leveraging the unique federal requirements triggered by fatal truck crashes, we develop stronger liability arguments and more comprehensive evidence than would be available in non-fatal accident cases. These specialized procedures create unique opportunities for establishing liability in fatal truck accident litigation.
Why Choose Munley Law?
Munley Law is a premier Scranton truck accident law firm that works with clients. We have decades of experience advocating for truck accident victims and their families and ensuring they receive the damages they deserve.
If you have lost a loved one in a fatal truck accident, you don’t have to bear that pain alone. We are here to help and fight on your behalf. Contact us for a free initial case evaluation. We are ready and waiting to take your call.
Reviewed by Bernadine Munley, Esq., Personal Injury Attorney at Munley Law, on July 29, 2025.
