Personal Injury Lawyers / Truck Accident Lawyer / Idaho Truck Accident Lawyer

After a collision with an 18-wheeler, you may face an uncertain future with life-altering injuries. When others are to blame for your harm, you can rely on an Idaho truck accident lawyer from the highly qualified and compassionate team at Munley Law. To protect your interests and seek compensation for a full recovery, partner with the nation’s top-rated truck accident lawyers and show the at-fault parties that you mean business.

Why Choose Munley Law for Your Idaho Truck Accident Claim?

Munley Law is more than a local law firm serving clients in Idaho. Our team of attorneys is widely recognized in the field as one of the most accomplished teams for handling truck accident claims. We frequently consult with firms across the country, partly due to our certification in Truck Accident Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Founded in 1959 by Robert W. Munley, we became one of the first law firms to fight back against large trucking companies for those who were hurt by their negligence. Each Idaho truck accident attorney on our team has the skills, experience, and background in this area, coupled with a collaborative approach to examine all aspects of your case. We research your claim thoroughly, assessing the strongest approach to provide the best chance of success.

Your physical recovery is your first concern, and we can connect you with medical specialists to recommend treatment. In the meantime, we focus on your financial recovery so you have the resources you need to get your life back on track or adjust to the impact of any debilitating injuries. When you or a loved one has suffered serious harm from a negligent truck driver or other party, choose Munley Law to start and finish strong.

Consider Our Past Successes With Clients Like You

We know that finding the right truck accident lawyer in Idaho might seem difficult if you have never needed legal guidance before. That is why we invite you to read testimonials from our previous truck accident clients about our service:

Above all, we are proud that our extremely qualified attorneys treat every client with hometown respect and integrity. Whether you are in Boise, Coeur d’Alene, or somewhere in between, you are never just another case number to us. Your truck accident attorney in Idaho believes in explaining your legal options so you can make informed choices for the most satisfactory outcome. 

What Causes Idaho Tractor-Trailer Accidents?

According to the Idaho Transportation Department (IDT), there were 2,876 accidents involving commercial motor vehicles such as large trucks in 2023. Of these, 46 were fatal, an increase of over 70% from the previous year, and 689 resulted in injury. Human error or carelessness is the primary cause for these accidents, arising from factors such as:

• Driver fatigue: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration dictates how long truck drivers can operate without taking a break. When they fail to stop and rest, they lose focus and may not react in time to avoid a crash. 
• Driver training: If they fail to properly background check and train a driver, the truck company can be held liable for the driver’s actions in many instances. 
• Driver distraction: Under Idaho Statutes  §49-1401A, it is illegal for truck drivers and other motorists to hold or manually use electronic devices such as cell phones, GPS devices, laptops, or tablets while operating a vehicle. 
• Reckless or dangerous driving: If any driver, including other passenger car motorists, speeds, weaves, or otherwise drives in a reckless manner, it can lead to a commercial truck accident that injures you or your loved ones. 
• Maintenance issues: If repair shops, fleet mechanics, or others responsible for verifying a truck’s safety do not do their jobs, they may put a dangerous vehicle on the road and could be liable for your losses. 
• Cargo loading errors: When loaders or distributors do not load freight onto a trailer so it is secured and balanced, the material can shift unexpectedly, causing the truck to swerve or roll over. Additionally, unsecured loads can fall from flatbed trailers, crushing other vehicles around the truck.
• Failing to obey traffic laws: Truck drivers who ignore posted speed limits, bridge weight limits, and other laws governing where and how they should operate their trucks can be held accountable for causing injury to others.
• Defective products: Every component of a truck and trailer is constantly under heavy use and wear, leading to tire blowouts or system failures if the manufacturer sold defective products. These companies can potentially be held liable for harm to other motorists when a truck crashes. 

Our Idaho semi-truck accident lawyers have found there are many unique challenges in truck case litigation, but we are prepared to use that experience to your advantage. We work with experts in many fields and gather evidence from relevant sources to show what happened and who is at fault. By establishing negligence by the other parties, we can more forcefully negotiate a fair settlement for you. 

Which Idaho Laws Apply to Your Truck Accident Case?

Truck accident claims are notoriously complicated, even if the only parties involved are you and the truck driver. Trucking companies will fight back with a team of attorneys to protect their reputations and minimize what they have to pay for a claim. If you do not have a background in the law, you could be facing overwhelming challenges while you are trying to heal. We will assess your situation and determine how the law applies, including the following:

Statute of Limitations

Recovering from severe truck accident injuries takes weeks or even months. Yet, you cannot delay taking action when another individual or company is at fault for hurting you. Under Idaho Statutes §5-219, you only have two years from the date of your crash to take your truck accident case to trial to secure full damages. Insurance negotiations can last for much of that time, and your Idaho semi-truck accident lawyer may recommend filing the paperwork before you reach a settlement. 

Idaho Truck Insurance Requirements

Passenger motorists must have liability insurance to pay for injuries if they hurt others, and trucking companies and drivers are no exception. As described by the Idaho Department of Transportation, motor carriers (trucks and trucking companies) must carry between $300,000 and $5 million in liability coverage if they operate only within Idaho. FMCSA guidelines apply to interstate carriers, and they must have between $750,000 and $5 million, based on the truck’s weight and cargo type.

Punitive Damages 

Those who cause truck accidents from gross negligence, outrageous, or malicious conduct should be punished severely. Under Idaho Statutes §6-1604, you and your Idaho semi-truck accident attorney may be able to persuade the court to award punitive damages against those to blame. The bar is much higher than for a standard truck crash claim, however, requiring “clear and convincing evidence” of the gross negligence, malicious intent, or outrageous disregard for others’ safety.

There is no guarantee of a punitive award, but your lawyer can gather valuable evidence, such as driver log books, witness statements, and black box data from the truck to support your request. Punitive awards are meant to punish the defendant and make an example of them, on top of compensating victims for their losses.

Comparative Negligence

As you go up against an insurer or trucking company to secure payment for your damages, your semi-truck accident attorney in Idaho will prepare you for how the modified comparative negligence statutes may affect your case. The other side may claim you were partly at fault, but as long as you are less than 51% responsible for the crash, you still have the right to seek compensation.

Keep in mind that the percentage of fault assigned to you will reduce your settlement or jury award by the same amount. So, if you requested $100,000 in damages but are 20% to blame, you will receive only $80,000. Your Idaho semi-trucking accident attorney will work to reduce the fault assigned to you as much as possible, based on the circumstances of the crash.

How Do Our Trucking Accident Lawyers Demonstrate Negligence?

Trying to understand how to file a truck crash lawsuit without experienced and qualified guidance only adds to your stress when you are trying to heal from your injuries. At Munley Law, we explain what you need to know without overburdening you with confusing details. We also work with you to assemble and analyze the evidence we obtain so we can demonstrate how the other party’s actions caused you harm.

It can be challenging to prove who is responsible for a truck accident, which is why we begin requesting videos, photos, expert testimony, witness statements, and other data as quickly as we can. Truck companies may try to protect themselves, so we take action to preserve evidence after the collision before it is erased or disappears. 

In a personal injury claim, you must first show that the liable party owed you a duty of care (such as driving safely), but failed to uphold that duty. You must also establish a direct connection between the other side’s actions and your injuries, presenting material to support your monetary damage claim. This process is important during insurance negotiations and absolutely essential if your case goes to trial.

How Do We Secure Maximum Compensation for Your Truck Accident Injuries?

The size, weight, and force of a semi-truck hitting a passenger vehicle is substantial, often crushing the smaller automobile or causing it to roll over. Those inside often suffer catastrophic injuries that require emergency treatment for survival. In many instances, victims may die instantly or succumb to their injuries later.

We believe you should not have to pay a single penny from your own pocket when someone else is responsible for these massive and unexpected costs. Not only will you have medical expenses, but you need compensation for injury losses such as:

• Surgery to stop internal bleeding or repair organ damage
• Emergency amputation to remove a catastrophically damaged limb
• Follow-up visits for specialists and your doctor
• Physical and mental therapy for traumatic brain injuries or paralysis
• Skin grafts for burns or severe road rash
• Medications to control infections, seizures, or prevent organ rejection after a transplant

These are only some examples of conditions and expenses you may face, yet you also deserve financial acknowledgement for your lost wages, retirement contributions, and earning capacity. In addition, the pain and suffering after a truck accident may significantly affect your ability to recover. Your attorney can help you calculate the value of your emotional anguish, mental distress, diminished quality of life, and isolation from society after losing a limb or suffering disfigurement.

How Much Is Your Case Worth?

There is no easy way to answer this question without a complete case assessment. Even then, we can only estimate what you could receive by accounting for all your economic losses and then valuing your non-economic costs, such as for pain and suffering. Every case will be different from others, but we always attempt to get the most financial relief available for every client.

With that being said, truck accident claims are usually worth much more than car accident cases. This is due to the severity of the injuries, the extent of recovery, and the likelihood that victims will never be able to return to their former abilities in many instances. For example, if a young parent is permanently paralyzed from the neck down, they probably cannot work to support themselves or their children. Therefore, we can include a request to compensate for the parent’s care costs as well as the lost wages they could have earned if the at-fault party had not injured them.

If you lose a loved one to a truck accident, our wrongful death attorneys can support you through filing a claim, which may increase your case’s value. The loss of a parent, spouse, child, or other family member opens the way to seek additional kinds of expenses, such as funeral costs, loss of companionship, and loss of guidance and comfort from a parent. Our team will be by your side to help you with your grief and to seek justice. 

Claim Your Free Consultation With Award-Winning Idaho Truck Accident Lawyer at Munley Law

At Munley Law, we are more than accomplished and dedicated lawyers. We demonstrate our compassion and care for the community through our charity work and our focus on constantly improving our knowledge and skills. We put the full force and experience of our team to work on every case, keeping clients updated, protecting their interests, and working harder than any other firm. This is our promise to you, and we ask you to choose carefully when you are ready to hire a semi-truck accident lawyer in Idaho.

Contact us today to learn more about how we work, including our contingency fee payment plan. We do not get paid until you receive a settlement, so you have nothing to lose when you choose Munley Law. Use our online form to schedule a free case review today.