Automobile Accidents
Car Wrecks :
According to date from the National Transportation Safety Board, www.ntsb.gov, over 40,000 highway deaths occur each year. In 1999 the figure was 41,611, up from 41,501 a year earlier. These included 20,771 passenger-car fatalities, up from 21,141; 11,208 light trucks and vans deaths, up from 10,665, and 2,471 motorcycle deaths, up from 2,292.
There are many factors involved in successfully working up a good case, requiring:
a) Immediate investigation of the accident site;
b) Early statements taken from parties or witnesses;
c) Mechanical investigation of the vehicles involved;
d) Background checks on the responsible party.
Also, the insurance coverage available must be accurately determined; whether or not your claim includes a products liability claim (for example; a SUV or 15 passenger van rollover, tire separation, defective airbag, etc.). In any event, you will need an experienced law firm such as Clark and Clark to take your claim from the initial investigation stage through settlement negotiations and trial, if necessary.
Commercial Trucking Claims
According to Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), 429,000 commercial vehicles were involved in wrecks in the United States in 2001 resulting in 5,082 deaths and 131,000 injuries. It follows that a great number of potential personal injury and wrongful death claims arise from these almost one-half million trucking accidents a year.
Driver's Hours Controversy:
Public Citizen, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT) have challenged the final rule governing the hours of service of commercial truck drivers, issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The regulation expands the hours that truckers may legally drive, fails to mandate the use of electronic onboard recording devices to put an end to the pervasive violations of legal limits, and regrettably, is likely to lead to many avoidable deaths and injuries on the nation's highways. See: http://www.citizen.org/.
DOT UPDATE:
. . . the Department of Transportation (DOT) has agreed to issue long-overdue truck safety rules under a binding Settlement Agreement effective February 24, 2003. The DOT agreed to issue the rules after Public Citizen, Teamsters for a Democratic Union, Parents Against Tired Truckers, and Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways sued the agency in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington for ignoring statutes that required the agency to issue the safety rules by deadlines, some of which passed more than a decade ago. Under the Agreement, the DOT will issue final rules in five vital areas over the next 18 months, starting with hours-of-service rules to address driver fatigue, which are due to be issued by the end of May this year. The other rules address: (1) establishing minimum background checks for new commercial truck drivers; (2) setting minimum training requirements for drivers of longer-combination vehicles; (3) requiring background checks for new truck drivers; and (4) establish permitting and other requirements for commercial vehicles that transport certain hazardous materials. (See: http://www.citizen.org/).
Clark and Clark represent clients, or their estates, who have been injured or killed in commercial trucking accidents. Proper representation of such clients demands:
- Knowledge of all federal and state trucking regulations and the ability to obtain specific relevant Company regulations and procedures
- Prompt expert investigation by a qualified investigator of:
- The accident site
- The driver(s) involved
- The tractor/trailer (for potential products liability claims)
- The trucking company
- The accident site
- Vigorous legal representation in discovery, pretrial, and trial aspects of such cases
If you or a loved one have a potential commercial trucking claim email or call 1-866-836-9954 toll free to discuss your case, as it is imperative that a full investigation be undertaken as soon as possible. You may fill out and submit our online form by clicking here. Or you may call us toll free or e-mail us for a personal consultation and evaluation of your case (see Contacts):
