Truck Accidents

A Trusted Pittsburgh Truck Accident Attorney to Help You Pursue Damages

If you or a loved one in the Pittsburgh area has suffered serious injuries because of a collision with a large truck, you may be entitled to compensation. To increase the likelihood of successfully recovering compensation from your truck accident case, it is important for you to not only find a reputable law firm with experienced truck accident attorneys but to do so as soon as possible.

Why? Most truck drivers work for commercial trucking companies. To protect their profits, it is standard practice for companies in the trucking industry to have a law firm on retainer to defend them whenever their driver is involved in a trucking accident. While the victim and their family are still in shock and dealing with the medical emergency as a result of the truck crash, the truck company's lawyers could be visiting the crash site, obtaining copies of the police report, and getting the important head start to build a legal defense for the trucking company.

The trucking company’s #1 priority is their profits. 

Our #1 priority is you and protecting your legal rights.

We will fight the trucking company, so you can focus on getting better.

It is also important to know that the state of Pennsylvania's Statute of Limitations establishes deadlines for filing lawsuits. You may waive your right to compensation if you fail to act quickly.

Types of Truck Accidents

According to recent statistics, common types of truck accidents in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania include:

• Rear-end collisions - when a truck crashes into the end of a smaller vehicle. Often occurs when a truck fails to properly stop in time and is especially hazardous depending on weather conditions such as rain, snow, ice or fog.
• Head-on collisions - when a truck collides with a smaller car nose-to-nose.
• Side collisions - when a truck swipes into a smaller car due to wrongful overtaking, blind spots, excessive speed, or improper distancing.
• Jackknifing - when the head of the truck twists around so it faces the back of the truck, almost like a broken neck. Trucks often skid into this position because of brake or equipment failure, improper breaking, or inclement weather. A collision is nearly impossible to avoid in jackknifing accidents.
• Under-ride accident - when a smaller car crashes into a big truck and continues moving with force under the truck.
• Over-ride accident - when a large truck crashes into a smaller car and continues to drive over it.

Why We Are the Right Pittsburgh Truck Accident Lawyer for Your Case

Unfortunately, getting just compensation from trucking accidents in Pennsylvania is more difficult than it should be. You will face resistance from the truck driver, the trucking company's attorneys, and the auto insurance companies. To make matters even worse, the truck company can even try and blame you for the trucking accident. As your Pittsburgh truck accident attorney, the information and evidence we gather to fight for your personal injury claim can also serve to protect you from any claims made by the trucking company. It is in your best interest to have an experienced attorney backed by a law firm with ample resources on your side. 

After a catastrophic accident, let us handle all dealings with the trucking company and so you can focus on healing.

To successfully mount a case against the truck companies and their legal team, you want an experienced trial attorney who has the ability as well as the financial resources to take the truck companies to court. 

Gathering witness testimony, conducting an accident reconstruction, and filing legal motions can be incredibly time consuming and costly. If we take on your case, your initial evaluation, consultation, and all steps leading to the successful conclusion of your case are costs that we handle on your behalf. In other words, you are not required to pay us anything until we recover money for you.

As we work on your case, our firm will utilize experts and specialists to gather whatever evidence we feel is essential to litigate your truck accident claim against the defendants.

At McKinney Law, we can guarantee that if we take on your case, we believe it is a winner, and we will spare no expense to make sure your case gets the best shot of reaching a successful settlement or trial verdict.

We have worked with clients in similar situations to yours and understand that you may be facing significant emotional and financial burdens following an accident of this nature. We work hard to relieve as much of that burden as possible. We are here for you during your most difficult times. 

Truck Accident FAQs

How Much Compensation Can I Recover after a Pittsburgh Truck Accident?

When a passenger vehicle collides with a commercial truck, the passenger vehicle driver faces a greater risk of suffering devastating injuries, compared to collisions with other passenger vehicles. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, are among some of the serious injuries truck accident victims commonly sustain, which can drastically alter a person's way of life. Healing from these injuries costs money and time. Your truck accident claim should not only factor in medical bill costs, but lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering as well.

Due to the sheer size and weight of commercial trucks, many of the accidents are fatal. When a motor vehicle accident results in a fatality or fatalities, it is in the best interest and the right of the close relatives of the deceased to file a wrongful death claim to recover money from the truck driver, trucking company, or another negligent third party. 

As with all personal injury claims, each case has its own unique fact pattern. Because each truck accident case is distinct, without knowing the circumstance leading up to the accident and any other important details - no one can predict or even estimate what the monetary compensation will be for your claim. Therefore, before you accept any money from an insurance company, call us at 412-520-3301, for a free case evaluation. The insurance company’s offer could be drastically less than what you can get with the proper legal representation.

What Qualifies as a Large Truck Accident?

Any vehicle that weighs more than 10,000 pounds qualifies as a large truck. Such vehicles are typically referred to as semis or tractor-trailers. Accidents involving these types of vehicles are particularly dangerous due to their large size.

In fact, approximately 10% of people involved in large truck accidents lose their lives. Additionally, large truck accidents are more likely to involve multiple vehicles than passenger car collisions.

Federal and state agencies are responsible for regulating truck driver hours and trucking equipment. Trucking companies must keep records of this information. Large truck accidents are often the result of trucker fatigue and/or faulty equipment. Negligence on the part of truck drivers, such as speeding, improper lane changes, and failure to observe other vehicles when making turns, can also result in accidents. If you or a loved one has been involved in a collision with a large truck, get in touch with an experienced Pittsburgh truck accident lawyer immediately.

Large trucks are involved in a high percentage of traffic crashes and deaths. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2022 alone - over 53,000 large trucks were involved in crashes that caused auto accident injuries with over 4,000 fatal injuries. Sadly, the trend lines indicate a growing problem. The same data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety from 2017 data indicated only 3,200 deaths related to large truck accidents. The problem is likely to continue to increase as industry insiders confirm that more trucks continue to ride U.S. highways and roads daily.

It is important to have the help of an experienced Pittsburgh truck accident lawyer whenever you are hurt in any one of these accidents. The legal professionals at our personal injury law firm will give you valuable legal advice and will take care of your truck accident case by negotiating with the trucking company and/or insurance carrier. In addition, you can learn whether or not the filing of a lawsuit against the trucking company is necessary to ensure that you receive the compensation for your auto accident injury that you deserve.

Anyone hurt in a large truck accident needs assistance from a Pittsburgh truck accident attorney to ensure the responsible parties are held accountable. Our legal professionals that handle these cases understand how to negotiate with trucking companies to maximize the likelihood of a positive outcome. Additionally, a qualified truck accident lawyer can explain whether filing a lawsuit in the wake of an accident is even necessary in order to get proper compensation.

Get Legal Help From a Pittsburgh Truck Accident Lawyer

Again, if you or a loved one in the Pittsburgh area has been hurt in a large truck accident, our experienced attorneys at McKinney Law are here to help, call us at 412-520-3301.

Your initial consultation with a Pittsburgh truck accident attorney is free. If we take on your case, we work on a contingency fee basis. This means we won’t charge any fees for our services unless our truck accident lawyers succeed in getting compensation for you first.

That said, it is important to know that the Statute of Limitations establishes deadlines for filing lawsuits. You may waive your right to compensation if you fail to act quickly. Get in touch with a Pittsburgh truck accident lawyer at our firm today to avoid this outcome.