Auto & Truck Crashes

Roadway distractions and driver inattention lead to serious motor vehicle accidents each year. In fact, over 40,000 people are killed and another 2.5 million Americans are injured in car and truck crashes every year. 2,000 of those deaths occur on our New Jersey and Pennsylvania highways. Distracted driving has now reached epidemic levels.

Rossetti & DeVoto, PC has represented injured citizens and their families in some of the most serious car, truck and bus crashes, many occurring on major roadways like the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City Expressway, and Schuylkill Expressway.

The Dangers of Large Trucks

Large trucks and buses create substantial risks to motorists and pedestrians using roads in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This is why it’s even more important to need a quotation for truck insurance, so you know your rights if an accident is to occur. As serious injury lawyers, we have seen some of the most tragic crashes and know the dangers that these vehicles pose. Large trucks and buses have blind spots on both sides and in the rear of the vehicles, making it difficult for the driver to see other vehicles when changing lanes, merging, operating in reverse, or making turns.

Large trucks and buses are also much heavier than traditional cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Whilst this is taken into consideration by many shipping companies, such as CSA Transportation, some are less scrupulous with their checks and safety measures. It takes the driver longer to stop or slow these vehicles and it is much more difficult to maneuver these vehicles in emergency situations. This makes for a bad combination, especially when a commercial truck or bus crashes into a smaller vehicle. The force of the truck or bus often pushes smaller vehicles into oncoming traffic, down embankments, or causes them to rollover. If a truck or bus lands on top of a smaller vehicle, it can lead to crushing injuries, paralysis, and death.

Injuries Caused by Car Accidents

Car accident victims often suffer serious injuries that can cost thousands in medical and funeral bills and lost time from work. If you are injured in a motor vehicle crash, it’s important that you speak to an accident lawyer from Rossetti & DeVoto, PC immediately about what happened. A lawyer can help you understand your rights now and how you can seek compensation for your injuries.

The injuries caused by careless and reckless drivers include the following:

• Brain and spinal cord injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Amputation
• Impalement
• Paralysis
• Hearing and eyesight loss
• Head trauma (traumatic brain injuries – TBI)
• Damage to internal organs
• Internal bleeding

You deserve to be compensated for any injuries suffered in a car or truck crash, especially when the accident was caused by a careless driver or a preventable hazardous condition.

Who Can be Held Liable in a Car Crash?

Aside from the careless driver, who else can be held liable in a car crash? Depending on the location of the crash and the circumstances surrounding the crash, there could be property owners, corporate employers of the reckless driver and even public entities. Some common defendants in car, truck and bus crashes include the following:

• Truck and bus drivers
• Trucking company
• Shipping company
• Owner of the truck or bus
• Road department (failure to fill dangerous potholes, replace broken traffic lights, replace missing guardrails, failure to trim overgrown brush, etc)
• Vehicle manufacturer
• Vehicle part manufacturer
• Service station for falsifying repair records
• New Jersey Transit, PATH, and PATCO

Speak to a Lawyer First

Whenever you are involved in a car or truck accident you should always speak to an accident lawyer before speaking to an insurance agent. The insurance company for the at-fault driver will likely contact you soon after the accident. He or she will try to ask you for a statement about the crash in the hopes that you admit some level of fault. Speaking to an insurance adjuster before you talk to a lawyer can derail your personal injury case before you can even file one.

When you a represented by Rossetti & DeVoto, PC, we will handle all communications with the opposing side, so you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries and putting the pieces of your life back together.

Recoverable Damages from a Car or Truck Accident

If you are a victim of someone else’s irresponsible actions, you have rights, including the right to recover for pain and suffering, disability and impairment, lost wages, medical bills, property damage, and the loss of enjoyment of your lifestyle and activities.

Pain and suffering and disability and impairment are concepts you often hear about but rarely have to deal with yourself-until it happens to you. Most of us can handle pain on a limited basis. But when the pain becomes constant and relentless, it begins to consume our lives. Our normal routine is completely disrupted, doctor visits overtake pleasure activities and we often become depressed when the pain doesn’t go away despite many months and even years of treatment. At Rossetti & DeVoto, PC, we understand how pain impacts you and can effectively communicate that to jurors and insurance company adjusters, so they understand the impact that it has on your life.

Lost wages often play a big role in personal injury lawsuits stemming from serious motor vehicle accidents. In some cases, employees simply cannot return to work to do their normal jobs. In other cases, employees can return to work but only at reduced hours or reduced work duty, which also results in lost compensation. We understand the impact that lost wages can have on your household finances and the stress caused by being out of work. We work with top vocational and economic experts who will review your salary and work history to calculate how much you should be compensated for your lost time from work.

The medical bills caused by a car, bus or truck crash should not have to be paid by you or your loved ones, especially if someone else caused the crash. In many automobile accident cases, medical bills are paid under the PIP or MedPay portion of your car insurance policy up to the limits of insurance that you selected. That can leave you having to pay expensive deductibles and co-pays and when your insurance limits are reached, you are responsible for the bills. Medical bills, even for one visit to the emergency room, can cost you thousands. At Rossetti, DeVoto, PC, we make sure you are not stuck paying for your medical bills when someone else is responsible.

Steps to Take Following Auto & Truck Crashes

Auto, bus and truck crashes can lead to major, life-changing injuries. Be sure you protect your rights by taking the proper steps after a crash.

Here are seven things you can do immediately:

1. Report the crash to the police.
2. Report the crash to your insurance company.
3. Do not destroy your vehicle or let anyone else take it.
4. Photograph your vehicle and the crash scene.
5. Record any statements you give or someone else gives with your cellphone.
6. Seek immediate medical attention if you are injured.
7. Contact us to review your case at no obligation.

You should never leave the scene of the accident, even though you were the victim and the at-fault driver fled the scene. Trying to chase a driver that hit you and fled will only put you in a more dangerous situation. It could also cause you to get into trouble with law enforcement for taking part in vigilante justice. Simply call 911, remain at the scene, and provide police with a detailed description of the vehicle that hit you.

One of the first things a car accident lawyer will ask you for after a car, bus or truck accident is if you took pictures. Pictures are vital to any accident case. They can tell the story much better than you might remember in the days, weeks, and months following the crash. Be sure you take pictures of your vehicle, the road conditions, debris from the crash, street signs, traffic lights, potholes, missing guardrails, brush overgrowth and anything else that contributed to the crash.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Today

You probably have many questions depending on your accident and injuries. Please check out our question and answer section on car, bus, bicycle, taxi, and truck crashes to learn all you can about your potential case. If you have additional questions, please call us and we will be happy to assist. To learn more, click here to read the most Frequently Asked Questions.

The experienced team from Rossetti & DeVoto, PC is relentless in our pursuit of justice for you. We have a proven track record of significant seven-figure jury verdicts and settlements. We are here to ease your anxiety and stress caused by auto, bus and truck crashes so that you can concentrate on your recovery while we handle your legal case. You and your family have rights, including the right to be compensated for the injuries suffered as well as the pain and suffering you’ve endured since the crash. We start protecting your rights the minute you call our office.