Belleville Truck Accident Lawyer
If you were injured or if you lost a loved one in a commercial truck crash in Belleville, MI an experienced truck accident lawyer who specializes exclusively in these cases can help you and your family get the pain and suffering compensation and money damages for medical bills and lost wages you are legally entitled to.
The Best Truck Accident Lawyers Near You After a Crash in Belleville, Mi
The lawyers at Michigan Auto Law are widely regarded as one of the top truck accident law firms for semi crash cases in Belleville, MI. Here’s why:
We are known for our ethics and compassion. We return calls and emails promptly and treat every client with care and respect. Thanks to the exceptional service we provide, we have earned more than 2,500 five-star reviews.
Our law firm has decades of experience in tractor trailer litigation. We have more than 50 years of experience with semi crashes throughout the state. We’ve seen it all.
We specialize exclusively in large commercial vehicle crashes. This is our sole focus, which means our truck accident lawyers have the in-depth knowledge and expertise to handle any challenge that may arise in your Belleville, MI crash case.
We have secured more million-dollar settlements and verdicts from commercial vehicle crash cases than any other law firm in the state. We’ve won more million-dollar commercial vehicle crash settlements and verdicts than any other firm in Michigan. We also secured the largest commercial vehicle crash settlement in the state’s history—and the largest in the nation that year.
Board certification. Michigan Auto Law is the only law firm in the state whose lawyers hold a board certification in Truck Accident Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy, giving you a distinct advantage in handling your Belleville, MI crash case and maximizing your potential recovery. No other attorney or law firm in the state is board certified.
Hall of Fame – Steven M. Gursten of Michigan Auto Law is one of only three lawyers in the country named to the American Association for Justice Trucking Litigation Group “Hall of Fame” for his truck accident litigation, giving you unmatched expertise for your Belleville, MI crash case.
Every transportation company, insurance adjuster, and insurance defense attorney in Michigan knows we don’t settle for less than the full value of a case. They also know we’re ready to take a case to trial if necessary. Our reputation in the courtroom means we often settle cases for more money and in less time than other attorneys or law firms.
What Should I Do After a Crash
If you were hurt in a truck accident in Belleville, MI our lawyers recommend you do the following:
- If possible, move to a place of safety
- Call 911 (seek medical help and police assistance)
- Do not make any statements at the scene or thereafter, and do not sign any waivers, releases, or settlement agreements – until you have talked with your attorney first
- Get a copy of the police report
- File your application for no-fault benefits with your insurance company as soon as possible (and not more than 1 year after your crash)
- Be sure to comply with all notification requirements in your policy
- Document and report all of your injuries
- See your doctor and follow up with all medical appointments
- Hire an experienced truck accident lawyer to protect your legal rights and help you win a settlement that reflects the full value of your Belleville, MI crash case
How Can a Lawyer Help Me With My Belleville, Mi Truck Accident Case?
Our truck accident lawyers who specialize exclusively in helping people who have been injured or lost loved ones in semi crashes will help you do the things that need to be done to get you a winning settlement or trial verdict for your Belleville, MI case.
First, our specialized and experienced truck accident lawyers will help you preserve the evidence you need to prove your Belleville, MI semi crash case by stopping the trucking company and its attorneys from destroying – which they have a legal right to do within a very short period of time after the crash.
Second, our experienced and trusted attorneys will help you find ALL of the responsible parties whose negligence caused your injuries, not just the obvious ones like the truck driver and the company he works for. These responsible parties are not always easy to find, but it can and must be done.
Third, our experienced and specialized truck accident lawyers will help you by using their knowledge of and familiarity with the vast code of federal safety rules and regulations to pinpoint the trucking company’s violations which led to your injuries and the loss of your loved one’s life in your Belleville, MI semi crash case.
Fourth, our experienced and trusted attorneys will help you gather the evidence that is necessary to prove your case against the negligent parties. Here are examples of the evidence that will be key to winning your case:
- Event Data Recorder (an EDR is also commonly known as a “black box”) downloads – If liability is being contested or if the negligent driver or the lawyers are trying to blame you in part for the truck accident in Belleville, MI, this evidence can often reveal critical information on the driver’s actions in the moments before the crash.
- The driver’s cell phone records
- Electronic recordings
- All video and audio of the onboard cameras (Video Event Data Recorders)
- The driver’s “electronic logging device” (ELD) records showing hours-of-service (i.e., driving hours and resting hours)
- All inspection records
- The driver’s qualification file
- Photos of the crash scene
- Video surveillance of the crash scene
- Witness names, contact information and statements
- All law enforcement reports
- All reports from EMS, fire and other first responders
What Will an Experienced Belleville Truck Accident Lawyer Do for Me?
Our experienced and trusted truck accident lawyers who specializes in semi crashes will do the following for your Belleville case:
Preserve key evidence and keep the trucking companies from destroying it – Trucking companies are legally allowed to destroy critical evidence as soon as 90 days after your crash. This can ruin your case before it begins. That’s why it’s important to hire our experienced attorneys who will serve the company with a “preservation of evidence/spoliation” letter or go to court to get a temporary restraining order to preserve the evidence of the trucking company’s negligence.
Identify critical safety violations that led to your crash – Because the federal safety rules and regulations that apply to commercial vehicle crash cases are so complex, you need an attorney with the experience to navigate them effectively. Our attorneys have studied and applied these regulations hundreds of times in the cases we’ve litigated. We know exactly where to look, what evidence to uncover, and how to identify the specific rule violations that caused or contributed to your crash. With this knowledge and focus, we can build the strongest possible case to secure justice for you and your family.
Identify and hold accountable all at-fault parties – Transportation companies often create complex corporate entities to hide their responsibility for a crash. On top of that, they try to conceal both the multiple layers of insurance coverage they carry as well as the extent of their own financial assets. This is all done to avoid having to pay for the harms, losses and injuries their negligence has caused. Our experienced truck accident lawyers have handled these types of cases hundreds of times and know how to bring the responsible parties’ “financial secrets” to light so that you and your family receive the full compensation you are legally entitled to in your Belleville, MI crash case.
Prevent the trucking company and its attorneys from manipulating the litigation process to cover up negligence – Many transportation companies try to hide their egregious acts of negligence from the jury by waiting until the last minute before trial and then admitting their negligence. Their hope is that because the issue is no longer “contested” the victim’s attorney will be prevented from presenting evidence of the company’s negligent acts and omissions and its disregard for the safety regulations and the safety of other drivers with whom they share the road. Their goal is to prevent the jury from knowing just how wrong and inexcusable their conduct was which caused the crash in question. Our experienced Belleville truck accident lawyers specialize in litigating these cases and will never let your case be undermined in this way. If the transportation company decides to admit early on that it was negligent, then that will likely lead to an early settlement or a trial that is focused exclusively on damages. But if the transportation company initially – and stubbornly – denies their negligence throughout depositions and the discovery process only to “flip flop” just before trial as a tactical maneuver, then we will use that contradiction as justification to prove the essential facts about the company’s negligence and, depending on the circumstances of the case, to prove that the transportation company’s conduct was malicious or willful and wanton enough to warrant exemplary damages.
Get a much bigger, faster settlement for you and your family – Our experienced and trusted Belleville truck accident lawyers will maximize your settlement and get it to you much faster than an attorney with less experience and skill. The insurance industry’s own data shows that crash victims represented by skilled attorneys are likely to get settlements up to 4x greater than those who hire just any attorney.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Crash With A Semi?
One of the reasons these cases are more complex and challenging than car crash cases is because there are so many potentially at-fault parties.
The parties that a lawyer could potentially hold legally liable for a truck accident in Belleville, MI include:
The semi driver – The truck driver is almost always responsible in some way.
The vehicle owner – The semi owner may be liable under the “owner liability” law of the state in which your crash occurred, which holds semi or commercial vehicle owners liable for injuries or death caused by the negligent operation of a vehicle they own. The owner may also be held accountable for failing to inspect, repair and maintain the semi.
The trailer owner – The semi or commercial vehicle and trailer can be owned by different entities, meaning another potential layer of liability.
The transportation company – The transportation company’s liability can stem from its status as the employer of the driver, or its status as the owner of the semi and/or trailer, or both. It might also be liable on the basis of other theories, such as negligent supervision, training and hiring of drivers whose negligence results in a serious crash.
The shipping company – Also known as the “shipper,” this is the company that hires the trucking company and its driver to haul products or cargo.
The load broker – The shipper or another company may hire a load broker or “middleman” to locate and hire drivers and trucking companies to transport the load.
The leasing agent – Drivers, trucking companies and shippers will often lease the semis they use to transport goods and products.
The loading company – A loading company is paid to load cargo onto the semi for transportation. If the tractor trailer is overloaded, or the load shifts during transport, causing a crash, the loading company can be held liable.
The maintenance company – If the semi is not properly serviced and maintained in safe condition, the maintenance company may be held legally liable.
The manufacturer of the semi, trailer and equipment – A semi part manufacturer can be held liable if the semi or trailer, or a product, part, or equipment, causes or contributes to the crash.
What Types of Compensation Are Available?
You may be entitled to the following damages if you or a loved one was injured in a semi crash:
- Medical expenses (past, present, and future)
- Loss of current income
- Loss of potential future earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Fright and shock
- Denial of social pleasure and enjoyments
- Embarrassment, humiliation or mortification
- Permanent and disabling injuries
- Reduced quality of life
- Wrongful death damages (including the loss of a loved one’s companionship and financial support)