Dump Truck Accident Lawyer

Injured in an Accident With a Dump Truck? Munley Law Can Help

Dump trucks, typically used for transporting loose materials to and from construction sites, pose a danger to other drivers on the road due to their size and weight. When you get into an accident with a dump truck, you could be facing debilitating injuries and huge expenses that you were not expecting. It may be difficult to obtain compensation on your own. If you or someone you love suffer a serious injury in an accident with a dump truck, consult a dump truck accident lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys to assist you with your claim.

For more than 60  years, Munley Law has been the go-to Pennsylvania truck accident law firm. Our attorneys are nationally recognized as leaders in trucking law. We’ve achieved millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our truck injury clients across the United States. Our dump truck accident lawyers are frequently asked to lecture on trucking laws and educate other lawyers about this complicated area of the law. We are among an elite group of lawyers in the U.S. who have earned board certification in truck law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  Most importantly, we get results.  Let us get to work for you today.

Call our truck accident lawyers today. The consultation is free, and there is no fee for our services unless we win your case.

How Can a Dump Truck Accident Lawyer Help?

If you suffer a serious injury in a dump truck accident, you may be able to pursue financial compensation for your medical bills, therapy, lost time from work, and pain and suffering. First, however, you’ll need to determine who was at fault. Responsibility may fall not only on the truck driver, but also on the driver’s employer and/or the truck’s owner.

Dump truck accidents, like all trucking accident cases, present unique challenges. The dump truck hauling and leasing companies may deny responsibility to avoid paying compensation to the victim, claiming the driver is an independent contractor. If a government agency owns the dump truck, sovereign or municipal immunity rules may affect your ability to file a lawsuit. This is why it is vital that you have an experienced truck accident lawyer on your side.

Currently, any company that owns a permit for a dump truck bears responsibility for all accidents involving one of its vehicles – regardless of whether the dump truck driver is an employee or an independent contractor. Trucking companies can be held accountable for failure to:

• Maintain the dump truck and its parts;
• Provide adequate training to drivers;
• Hire safe drivers;
• Conduct background checks on their drivers;
• Monitor dump truck driver safety and performance;
• Check log books and require accurate entries for the dump truck;
• Enforce limited driving hours for dump truck drivers.

Trucking companies will often have investigators and lawyers at the scene of an accident right away to begin preparing their defense.  We will respond just as quickly to preserve evidence, engage investigators, and begin building a winning case for you.

Why Are Dump Trucks So Dangerous?

According to IBIS World, there are currently over 28,000 dump truck service businesses in the United States. It is projected that dump truck services will continue to increase as time progresses. With more dump trucks on the road, the possibility of dump truck accidents also increases.

Dump truck accidents can cause massive damage and devastating injuries. There are several reasons why dump truck accidents produce such severe injuries and high mortality rates.

• Dump trucks are heavy – The average car weighs about 2,800 pounds or 1.4 tons, while a typical dump truck weighs 56,000 pounds or 28 tons and can carry 28,000 pounds or 14 tons of material per load. That means that a loaded dump truck weighs in at 84,000 pounds or 42 tons. This amount is 30 times the weight of an average car and 4,200 times the weight of an average bike.
• Dump trucks carry loose materials – The materials that dump trucks transport also contributes to the severity of dump truck accidents. Because dump trucks have an open trailer and are full of loose, rocky, unsecured contents, spills can become major hazards when dump trucks collide with other vehicles, pedestrians, road signs, rails, curbs, and buildings. When a driver slams on the brakes, the sudden stop can also cause injuries by flinging these heavy objects out of the back of the truck and into the path of other drivers and pedestrians.
• Dump trucks operate in construction sites – The location where most dump trucks are used also helps explain why so many dangerous dump truck accidents happen. Dump trucks are needed to clear construction sites of dirt and debris and haul heavy materials to and from the site.  Construction zones themselves are dangerous areas full of heavy machinery such as cranes, bulldozers, and cherry-pickers. They are worked by pedestrian construction workers and are full of raw materials and other hazards. The high amount of noise and action can cause dump truck drivers to be distracted and crash, and a collision that occurs on a construction site is much more likely to implicate other dangers.

What Causes Dump Truck Accidents?

Dump truck accidents are caused by a multitude of reasons, including operator error, mechanical problems, or negligence on the part of another driver. Some common causes of dump truck crashes include:

• Faulty brakes or mechanical failure
• Driver distraction
• Overloaded trucks
• Improperly loaded trucks
• Driver fatigue
• Defective truck parts
• Failure to properly inspect and maintain truck
• Impaired driving
• General driver negligence, such as the failure to use turn signals, stop at stop signs and traffic lights and obey speeding laws

If a negligent driver or transportation company was at fault for your accident, the truck accident lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys can help. We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine and prove the cause of your crash, and ensure that the negligent party is held accountable.

If You or Someone You Know Is Involved in a Dump Truck Accident, Who Is Responsible?

If you suffer a serious injury in a dump truck accident, the financial costs can add up quickly. You may be unable to work, facing enormous medical bills, and unknown future treatment. If another driver’s negligence caused your accident, you have the right to seek remuneration from the at-fault party or parties.   First, however, you’ll need to determine who was at fault. Responsibility may fall not only on the truck driver but also on the driver’s employer and/or the dump truck’s owner.

Dump truck accidents, like all trucking accident cases, present unique challenges. Dump truck hauling and leasing companies frequently deny responsibility to avoid paying compensation to accident victims. When the dump truck is owned by a government agency, the case may be further complicated by “sovereign immunity” rules which protect government entities against potential lawsuits. In order to navigate these complex legal hurdles to obtain the full amount that you are entitled to, it is vital that you have an experienced truck accident lawyer on your side.

Currently, any company that owns a permit for a dump truck bears responsibility for all accidents involving one of their vehicles – regardless of whether the dump truck driver is an employee or independent contractor.

The truck accident team at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys has 60 years of experience holding trucking companies accountable for failures to:

• Properly inspect and maintain dump trucks
• Provide adequate training to drivers
• Conduct relevant driver background checks
• Monitor and review dump truck driver safety and performance
• Keep and check dump truck driver log-book entries to ensure accuracy and compliance with federal and state laws
• Enforce limited driving hours for the dump truck drivers to avoid the dangers of fatigued driving

Dump Truck Accidents FAQs

Q: I Was Hurt in an Accident While Driving a Dump Truck. Can Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Help?

At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we know that driving a truck is a dangerous job. Many of our truck accident clients are truck drivers themselves.  If you were hurt in a dump truck accident on the job as a driver, passenger, or construction site worker, we can help. Not only can we help you pursue a workers’ compensation claim and collect maximum benefits for medical expenses and lost wages, but we can also determine if you may pursue a third party claim. For example, if your dump truck crash was caused by another motorist on the road, we can help you pursue compensation from the at-fault driver, in addition to your workers’ compensation.

Q: If the Truck Company’s Insurance Company Calls Me, What Do I Say?

If you are contacted by the truck driver or trucking company’s insurance, you are no under obligation to speak with them. In fact, it is better if you do not speak with them at all until you have consulted with an attorney. It is especially important that you do not provide a recorded statement. While their questions may seem benign, a recorded statement can later be used against you in order to deny or diminish your claim. This is why it is important to have an experienced truck accident lawyer on your side to handle all correspondence with the insurance companies on your behalf.

Q: How Much is a Dump Truck Case Worth?

Each case is different, and the amount of compensation you can receive will depend on a number of factors. You should not trust a lawyer who promises to settle your case for a specific amount of money or in a specific time frame. However, your lawyer should be able to give you some guidance after taking into consideration the following elements:

• The cost of your medical treatment
• The projected costs of future treatment
• The extent of your injuries and the suffering you have endured or will endure
• Permanent scarring, disfigurement, or loss of a body function
• Missed time from work
• Diminished earning capacity
• Altered quality of life
• Loss of companionship

Q: Do Dump Trucks Follow the Same Regulations as a Commercial Truck?

Yes, dump trucks are federally regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In addition, they also face state regulations such as whether a tarp is needed over the load. Currently, there are only 11 states in the U.S. that do not have tarping laws.

At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys: No Fee Unless We Win

The dump truck accident lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys operate on a contingency basis. This means that our attorneys only collect a fee (a portion of the settlement or verdict) if we win damages for you. You will not have to pay anything up-front or out of your own pocket.

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