Vermont Truck Accident Lawyer

Don’t Navigate the Aftermath of a Truck Accident Alone; An Experienced Vermont Truck Accident Attorney Can Help

There’s no way around it, being in an accident is scary and overwhelming for you and your loved ones. Even more so when that accident involved a large truck, like a semi or tractor-trailer. While we hope these accidents never happen, data shows that they do, and often. Since 2020, there have been over 1,059 semi-truck accidents in Vermont. Many resulting in serious injuries, and even death.

Following a destructive truck accident, you’ll have countless questions. You and your family should not have to hunt down answers on your own. Experienced Vermont semi-truck accident lawyers can work with you and your family to get you all the compensation you deserve.

I Was in a Vermont Truck Crash, Do I Have Legal Options?

Every crash is different, and so every case is different. The best way to learn whether you might have a truck accident claim is to speak with a tractor-trailer accident lawyer.

But before doing so, it may be helpful to have some background on what exactly an attorney must prove to win your case. If you have specific questions, the semi-truck accident lawyers at Munley Law are more than happy to discuss your case with you free of charge. During an initial consultation, we will listen to what happened, explain your rights, and help explain what evidence we will need to prove your claim.

A negligence lawsuit

To recover compensation from a truck driver or a trucking company, you must first prove that those parties were negligent. You’ve likely heard of “negligence” lawsuits. Negligence is a legal concept and has a special meaning in the law.

There are four elements of a negligence claim: duty, breach, causation, and damages.

Duty

To prove the duty element, a truck accident attorney must prove that the person who did wrong (for example, the truck driver), owed you a duty not to cause harm. Whether a duty exists is a complex question. But generally, under the law, a person owes you a duty to not cause foreseeable harm by their actions. That means you can generally hold a truck driver, or a trucking company, responsible after a truck crash because they owed you a duty as a passenger, pedestrian, or someone else on the road.

Breach

The breach element requires proof that the wrongdoer failed to act according to a specific standard of care. Generally, all people must act as a reasonable person would in a given situation. If a truck driver crashes because they weren’t paying attention, or if a trucking company fails to properly maintain their trucks or permits an unskilled or overtired truck driver to be on the road, they may have breached a duty.

Causation

Causation is simple in theory, but often a difficult factual and legal issue. To successfully bring a negligence claim, there must be proof that the breach of a duty, what the wrongdoer did, caused your injuries. This can sometimes be difficult when it comes to medical injuries. That’s where expert witnesses come in.

Damages

The final element of a truck accident claim is damages. You must prove that the breach of a duty caused you financial or emotional damages. Said differently, this is where we must prove the amount of money involved.

Why Should You Hire a Vermont Truck Accident Attorney?

Why do you need a lawyer? The right truck accident lawyer is always going to work to make sure your rights are protected in the wake of a commercial vehicle accident. No matter how big or small, truck accidents have consequences, and you and your loved ones should be able to focus on getting medical care and dealing with any damage caused by the accident. Your lawyer can focus on holding the wrongdoer accountable and getting you the financial relief you need to move forward.

Here are just a few reasons you shouldn’t try to navigate the aftermath of a truck crash alone:

Commercial truck accidents are legally complex, given the number of players involved

While it may seem simple, the commercial trucking industry is incredibly complex. Truck crash cases in Vermont involve many players, and many times these players are going to react to an accident by trying to limit how much money they could have to pay. You need a Vermont truck accident lawyer to make sure you’re not left holding the bill for the damages caused by someone else’s wrongdoing.

Passengers, the truck driver, the driver of any other vehicle involved, the trucking company, insurance companies, the truck maintenance company, and the company that makes truck parts all have a vested interest in the aftermath and outcome of a truck accident. It’s hard to know which of these parties is financially responsible for the injuries you suffered. Multiple parties could be held responsible. A lawyer can help you get to the bottom of it.

A Vermont semi truck accident attorney can help resolve a dispute before it starts

Of course, lawyers are familiar with fighting cases in court. But, sometimes, the best option is to resolve a dispute well before a formal lawsuit. Sometimes, lawyers can do this just by being involved in negotiations. After all, people can be more forthcoming if they know that you are armed and ready to take a dispute to court.

Other times, we can help by writing a formal demand letter. This is essentially a letter explaining your claim, the reasoning behind your entitlement to money, and the underlying law. Sometimes, all it takes is someone who can speak the insurance company’s language, or who can get through to the lawyers representing the truck driver or trucking company who did you wrong. These letters sometimes resolve cases long before a formal court case could.

Tractor-trailer accident lawyers can investigate your claim and gather evidence

Because of the complexity of truck accidents, especially accidents involving large commercial trucks, there can be a lot of groundwork to cover to investigate and prove your claim.

A lawyer can identify and interview witnesses. Many people could have seen the accident or the events leading up to it. For example, the truck driver, other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and other witnesses who happened across the accident scene can have invaluable information. We can also figure out who maintained the truck or the trucks involved. We’ll find witnesses with information, interview them, and preserve their testimony for use in court.

We’ll also gather documents and other physical evidence. We can take pictures of the truck involved, the accident scene, and any damage caused. Furthermore, we can track down surveillance video and other camera footage of the accident. We know where to look, and have experience tracking this evidence down for our clients.

Furthermore, sometimes you will need an expert witness. This could be a medical expert who can testify to your injuries and how they will impact your life. It could also be an expert tasked with calculating the different ways the truck accident has cost you money. Furthermore, truck drivers and trucking companies are subject to numerous interlocking government regulations by the local, state, and federal governments. There are experts that can explain these regulations and why any violation of them was unreasonable. These witnesses can be the difference between winning and losing a case. Munley Law has worked with experts across Vermont, and the country, to support our clients. We know how to do it effectively and efficiently.

A Vermont truck accident attorney can help you estimate how much money you could recover and help you weigh your options

After a truck accident, you and your family will undoubtedly have questions, and it’s completely common to not know whether, and how, to seek compensation from the at-fault party. A tractor-trailer accident lawyer can help. At Munley Law, we can help you estimate how much money you could be entitled to during a free initial consultation, and we can help present your options in plain English.

Why Choose Munley Law for Your Truck Injury Case?

With so many personal injury law firms to choose from, how do you know who you can trust to fight for you and your family? Selecting a Vermont truck accident attorney is an important decision. But Munley Law sets itself apart, and we’re ready to prove it to you. Here are just a few reasons to let us fight for you and your family:

Experience – When it comes to a truck accident lawsuit, experience counts. Each of our partners has decades of experience representing individuals and families who have suffered serious injuries or been denied benefits. Because we are a family firm, we often work closely together on our cases to achieve the best possible results for you.

Industry Leaders – The board-certified truck accident lawyers at Munley Law are among the highest-rated and most respected legal advocates in the country. Other lawyers regularly look to us as the industry experts in trucking law and recovering from truck accident injuries. All of our credentials (including Best Lawyers in America, Best Law Firms,  and Million Dollar Advocates Forum) reflect the extremely high standards we’ve set for ourselves, and the recognition of our clients and peers.

Resources – Successfully recovering money after a Vermont truck crash is challenging. At Munley Law, we have access to resources that are typically available only to big law firms. We work closely with our network of engineers, investigators, experts, and in-house medical personnel to build your case. What’s more, unlike at other law firms, you aren’t on the hook for paying these professionals out of pocket.

Our No-Fee Promise – We do not collect a fee unless we win your case. If we do not produce results for you, you owe us nothing. Also, at no point will you ever pay anything out of pocket; even when we win, our fee comes out of the money we recover for you.

You can contact our attorneys by phone or by using the form or chat feature available on our website. Contacting us is free, and doesn’t obligate you to do anything. But the first step to getting you the recovery you deserve is to speak with one of your Vermont truck accident lawyers, who are ready to get results for you.