Steven Gursten will be moderating and speaking at the Litigating Truck Collision Cases program this Friday and Saturday, in New Orleans, LA. The seminar is presented through the American Association for Justice, formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
The program is an advanced litigation and trial skills seminar intended to help prepare lawyers to better understand how to litigate truck accident injury cases. This program is only open to attorneys who represent injury victims.
Topics will include:
- Understanding NHTSA – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Relevant Case law for lawyers handling truck accident cases
- Convincing Arguments for Damages in Trucking Cases
- Technology Update: Understanding Black Boxes, GPS, and On Board Computer Operating Systems
- Truck Driver Training and Standards
- Themes of Trucking Accident Cases: plaintiff lawyer perspective
- Themes of Trucking Accident Cases: defense lawyer perspective
- Jury Selection in Truck Crash Cases
- Investigating the Role of the Accident Reconstructionist and law enforcement
- Developing the Trial Story for Trucking Cases
- Common lawyer pitfalls in trucking cases
- Panel and Question and Answer Session
Steve is the current Chair of the Interstate Truck Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice. He has previously moderated and spoken at numerous advanced lawyer colleges and seminars on litigating truck accident cases, including Litigating Trucking Cases – From Discovery to Trial, in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 20-21, 2006 and the AAJ Summer Convention Program in Chicago, in July 2007.
It is important for all lawyers involved with truck accident cases to understand that serious injury accidents involving large commercial vehicles should not be litigated as lawyers might handle a typical car accident case. There are specific laws and federal and state regulations that can play a crucial role in truck accident cases – both in developing theories of liability and recovering damages for clients – that are not applicable to lawyers handling basic motor vehicle accidents. In addition, truck drivers are trained professionals who are required by law to have heightened levels of skill and a better understanding of the rules of the road. Because large trucks are more dangerous and accidents involving trucks often have catastrophic consequences, the law places additional responsibilities on truck drivers and truck companies to operate these vehicles in a safer manner than is required by ordinary drivers.
