Omaha Truck Accident Attorneys
Advocating for Truck Accident Victims in Nebraska & Nationwide
With over 9 billion tons of freight moved throughout the United States on an annual basis, large commercial trucks are almost always present when you get behind the wheel. Out of the many types of accidents that you can be involved in, truck accidents are often the most catastrophic because of the immense size and significant weight of commercial trucks.
The damage caused by a truck accident can result in fatalities, lifelong disabilities, major property damage, and emotional traumatization. The trucking industry is heavily regulated, yet deadly truck accidents still occur on a regular basis.
If you or your loved one has been critically injured in a crash with a semi-truck, big-rig or other type of commercial vehicle, you deserve to receive fair and just compensation for financial, physical, and emotional losses. At Domina Law Group, we believe in holding the responsible parties accountable for these accidents so that victims can receive the compensation they deserve.
Domina Law Group: Helping Accident Victims Since 1975
Since 1975, our truck accident lawyers in Omaha have been fighting for the rights of accident victims in Nebraska. We have a proven history of success in accident cases, and have recovered verdicts that include several multi-million-dollar verdicts and one verdict for more than $1.2 billion.
Unlike other firms, we are not afraid to stand up to powerful trucking companies and their insurance companies. If you or your loved one have been involved in a truck accident, you can trust our team of dedicated attorneys to stand up for your rights.
The Nebraska truck accident lawyers at Domina Law Group have earned a reputation for helping victims of truck driver and company negligence across the country. Our motto is "Trial Practice. Not Just Talk." because we are ready and able to represent you in court from day one, not just as a last resort.
Call our Omaha truck accident lawyers today at (888) 387-4134to schedule a free consultation.
Protecting Big Rig Accident Victims from Big Insurance
Trucking companies are insured by carriers with special skills and prompt response to major truck collisions. Insurers often deploy investigators in the middle of the night, fly to crash scenes, and do all they can to preserve good evidence for the trucker and de-emphasize harmful evidence against their trucker customers.
The insurers also study families, injured parties, and their vulnerabilities. They try to pick the ideal time of greatest vulnerability to confront an accident victim and force the victim to make critically important decisions when decision-making skills are at low levels.
Insured parties and their families need skilled legal help from a truck accident attorney as quickly as possible after a collision occurs to stand up for their rights against big insurance companies.
Why You Need an Experienced Truck Accident Law Firm
If you've been involved in a collision with a large truck, you may be tempted to work solely with the insurance company, trusting them to cover the expenses related to your injury and damage to your vehicle. Unfortunately, that path often results in truck accident victims receiving a much lower settlement than will actually cover their long-term medical expenses and loss of income.
When you work Domina Law Group, you get the advantage of a team of experienced truck accident litigators who can handle all aspects of your claim, including:
- Investigating the accident and retrieving evidence
- Filing necessary paperwork and ensuring your claim meets deadlines
- Negotiating with the insurance company and fighting for maximum compensation
- Defending your claim with testimony from medical experts and accident reconstructionists
- Taking the negligent party to court, if a fair settlement cannot be reached
While only about 5% of all personal injury cases proceed to trial, simply having an attorney representing your best interests can result in a settlement that is up to three times higher than you would have received on your own. Call Domina Law Group today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation of your case.
Investigating Your Truck Accident
In the aftermath of a serious accident with an 18-wheeler, your future may look grim. We understand the physical and emotional devastation that you are dealing with, and we are here to help you move forward with the compensation you need to pay for your medical expenses and property damage.
Many of the tragic accidents that occur every day could have been prevented by following the federal regulations for hiring practices and acceptable work hours.
For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) estimates that over 100,000 vehicle accidents every year can be attributed to drowsy driving.
There are many variables that contribute to truck accident causes, and we have the resources to help you find out the truth about your accident. When you contact our firm about your truck accident, we will immediately conduct a thorough investigation in order to uncover any violations that the truck driver or trucking company may be trying to hide.
When commercial truck drivers are pushed beyond their natural limits to meet deadlines, the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel is far greater. Our investigation will include looking into driver logbooks and making sure that the truck has received the necessary maintenance.
Once our investigation is complete, we will compile our findings and begin to build a compelling case for your accident claim. Regardless of whether driver error, aggressive driving, equipment failure, negligent maintenance or issues of corporate responsibility were to blame, we will pursue your case relentless to make sure you receive the compensation and justice you deserve.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Nebraska
Truckers' logs, driver fatigue, failure to pull over in unsafe conditions. Misuse of cell phones and radios. Medical unsuitability. Intoxication and illegal drugs. All these are prominent causes of truck wrecks.
Some common causes of trucking collisions include:
- Truck driver fatigue - Driver fatigue and drowsiness give rise to reckless behavior like lane drifting. Tired truckers caused the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to institute new hours of service regulations in 2003. Even after these rules, analysts estimate that driver fatigue is a probable factor causing 20 to 40 percent of truck wrecks.
- Intoxicated drivers - A recent study of 168 fatally injured truck drivers showed that one or more drugs were detected in 67 percent of test subjects. A third of these drivers' blood had detectable blood concentrations of psychoactive drugs or alcohol.
- Truck driver negligence - Truck drivers can, and do, commit the same errors as drivers of passenger vehicles whether that's speeding, using a cell phone, eating, or making dangerous lane changes.
- Substandard inspection - The FMCSA reports that trucks are included in two million roadside inspections per year. More than 23 percent of inspected vehicles had serious violations.
- Vehicle defects - Defective vehicle parts are a large cause of truck accidents. The manufacturers of commercial trucks and truck parts have a legal responsibility to produce quality products, and employers have a responsibility to maintain their trucks. The most common defects involve tire tread separation (tire defects and tire blowouts), faulty truck brakes, and improperly loaded trucks.
- Truck driver inexperience - It takes a tremendous amount of training and attentiveness to drive such a heavy and lengthy vehicle, and all truck drivers are supposed to undergo extensive drug and alcohol screening prior to employment. Employers can be held liable for allowing an unlicensed driver to get behind the wheel of a commercial truck, and our Omaha truck accident lawyers have experience in these cases.
To make a difference in court, your story needs to be told well, which requires it to be well researched. That's what the Nebraska truck accident attorneys at Domina Law Group do. Our team utilizes our collective experience, investigators, accident reconstructionists, and medical experts to make sure your story gets told.
Common Trucking Regulation Violations
All trucking companies and truck drivers throughout the United States must abide by a variety of federal motor carrier regulations that were created to ensure the safety of every driver on the road. From the number of consecutive hours that a truck driver can spend behind the wheel to the weight and size limitations on 18-wheelers, these laws provide comprehensive guidelines for truckers to follow.
When a truck accident happens, it may be discovered that the truck driver or the trucking company has failed to adhere to these important regulations. In some cases, trucking companies did not conduct the mandatory drug and alcohol testing before hiring drivers. In other situations, the provided weight limit for the truck was not followed.
Whatever your accident may entail, our legal team at Domina Law Group will thoroughly investigate the possibility of these violations. We have handled hundreds of cases throughout Nebraska, and we know how to build a compelling case on your behalf for the compensation you deserve.
Hours-of-Service (HOS) Regulations
Driver fatigue is one of the most common causes of truck accidents, and therefore drivers are limited by law in the number of daily and weekly hours that they can drive a commercial truck. This is known as hours-of-service (HOS) regulations.
Drivers must have 10 consecutive hours off before they can drive again, and a typical workday cannot consist of more than 11 hours of driving. In order to hold drivers accountable for their hours, every driver is required to document their time in a log.
Weight Limit Regulations
Another violation that leads to many truck accidents is weight limits. The FMCSA limits the maximum gross vehicle weight to 80,000 for trucks on the interstate. When trucks weigh over this limit, they are a danger to other drivers on the road.
If you suspect that your accident was caused because of an overloaded truck, do not hesitate to seek help from a truck accident attorney. Our firm will immediately conduct an investigation to determine if the truck was over the weight limit.
Safety Inspections
The maintenance and repair of commercial trucks is an essential part of avoiding accidents caused by wear and tear. By conducting regular safety inspections, trucking companies can keep their drivers safe and keep their trucks in pristine condition as well. Something as small as the failure of a big-rig's brake lights may cause a passenger car to crash into the back of the rig.
Far too many trucking companies skip out on the routine safety inspections and driver training because they are trying to save time and cut costs. If a truck defect has led to a serious accident that injured you or your family, you must take action to hold the negligent parties accountable.
Different Types of Truck Accidents
Big-rig driver errors cause collisions that often group into these categories:
- Underrides - Passenger vehicles that slide under another vehicle, with the majority of these incidences happening between large trucks and passenger cars.
- "No-zones" or blind spots - These areas exist in the front, back and sides of a big rig truck. Recognizing these "no-zones", the trucking industry has advised that for safety's sake the driver of a passenger car should not be in front, back or in two lanes beside a large truck. Wide turns into passenger cars are risks due to blind spots.
- Squeeze plays - This can occur when trucks make wide right turns. A passenger vehicle caught between a large truck and the curb finds itself in a "squeeze" and huge danger.
- Off-track events - This can happen when a truck turns at high speed into an adjacent lane.
- Following too closely - Trucks take longer to come to a complete stop, and when drivers don't leave enough stopping distance between the vehicle in front of them, they can cause devastating collisions.
- Longer combination vehicles (LCVs) - These types of vehicles are tractor-trailer combinations with two or more trailers that can weigh more than 80,000 pounds. These trucks have a greater risk of jackknifing (the rig jackknifes when the drive axle brakes lock up), roll-over, sway, and loss of control events than other big rigs. Huge vehicle length, height, and weight make these trucks perform and handle differently than others. LCVs are especially dangerous because they sway, move in the wind, and are prone to leave their lane.
- Hazardous materials (hazmat) - Hazardous materials move in more than 800,000 shipments every day. Hazardous materials in trucks are usually flammable liquids, such as gasoline and explosive materials like anhydrous ammonia. Each year about 200 hazmat trucks are involved in fatal and 5,000 nonfatal crashes.
Contact a Nebraska Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you have been injured in a big-rig accident, immediate legal action may be necessary to preserve vital evidence and recover compensation. We offer you a free consultation to discuss your case and the many ways that our team may be able to help. Our Omaha truck accident lawyers provide honest answers to common questions about accident claims, and we are always prepared to take on your case.
If you have been injured in a truck accident, contact an Omaha truck accident lawyerat Domina Law Group today by calling us at (888) 387-4134.
Domina Law Group - Case Stories
Tragedy Strikes in the Early Morning on I-80
Parents juggling multiple jobs and making sacrifices to take care of their children is nothing new and always admirable. This was the case for Domina Law clients who were driving to work in the early morning of a snowy day in 2018.
Our client’s 5-year-old child was appropriately restrained in a car seat in the back seat while the father was driving with the mother in the passenger seat. This was necessary because the family only had one car, and this was their daily routine. The father would begin his day at work, and the mother would return with their son and get him ready for school.
On this day, tragedy struck, and our clients encountered black ice. The vehicle began spinning. Multiple cars that were paying attention were able to safely enter into other lanes and avoid any contact with our clients’ vehicle at all. Unfortunately, an 18-wheeler was driving in the fast lane on eastbound I-80 through Omaha which was behind the other vehicles that took action to avoid a collision collided into the rear of our clients care at a high rate of speed. The force of the semi against the small family sedan was devastating and the young 5-year-old child suffered traumatic injuries and was later pronounced dead. The mother and father also suffered physical injuries as well as obvious devastating emotional and psychological injuries.
Domina Law was able to obtain multiple confidential settlements and is pursuing additional defendants for more recovery. When advising clients on a wrongful death, it is always an empty feeling to tell them they can only request money. While we all know money can never bring back a life or change a catastrophic injury or a life-changing event, it is the only method of compensation in our judicial system allows regardless of how empty and unsatisfying that answer is when it is given to grieving families.
Husband and Wife Die After Being Trapped in Burning Car
Domina Law Group and its lawyer, Brian Jorde, represented a family who lost their mother and stepfather in a terrible accident when their small SUV was T-boned by a semi traveling over 60 mph southbound. Later, the semi and SUV collided into another semi traveling northbound creating a giant fire that engulfed one of the semis and the SUV.
At the time of the accident, a Nebraska Department of Roads crew was changing a stop sign and had failed to put up a temporary stop sign and had a piece of equipment blocking one other stop sign at the intersection.
Domina Law filed suit against the surviving driver of the oncoming truck who struck our clients’ parents’ vehicle as well as the State of Nebraska for allegedly failing to follow procedure and protocol when changing traffic signs at an intersection on a state highway as well as allegedly failing to use the proper warning and traffic control devices to properly notify ongoing traffic of the work taking place. Multiple lawsuits by multiple parties were filed resulting from this tragic accident which also claimed the life of the northbound semi-truck driver.
Domina Law took the lead in handling nearly 20 depositions of parties, witnesses, and experts. After several years, our clients reached a settlement with the State of Nebraska.
Family's Outing to Watch the Solar Eclipse Turns Deadly
On August 21, 2017, millions of people around the United States took time out of their days and traveled hundreds of miles or more to a perfect place to view a very solar rare eclipse. One such family traveled to Iowa with their young daughter to watch the eclipse. While traveling to the location where they intended to watch the eclipse, they noticed a semi truck driver operating his 18-wheeler erratically and weaving in and out of traffic. Our clients were able to avoid contact with the 18-wheeler but thought to themselves that it was an accident waiting to happen and the driver was going to kill somebody.
About ten minutes later traffic began to slow as people were exiting the interstate and otherwise getting ready to prepare for the eclipse. Out of the rear-view mirror of our clients’ family sedan, the father saw a semi bearing down on them. Before he could take any action, the semi collided into our clients’ car pushing it more than 300 feet into the median between the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate I-80 in Iowa.
Although initially unconscious, when the father came to, he realized his daughter had been ejected from her car seat and dramatically injured. She later died. The mother was significantly physically injured as well and suffering traumatic brain injuries.
Domina Law got involved in the case and orchestrated a global mediation with multiple defendants and multiple parties as the semi-truck driver had initially side-swiped another vehicle with six inhabitants prior to fatally colliding into our clients’ car. After extensive negotiations, a resolution was reached with two defendants in confidential settlements. Domina Law is continuing to pursue action against other defendants for this heartbreaking loss.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of another’s careless driving or careless actions of any kind, or if you or someone you know has been tragically injured, please contact us so we may help you get the relief and compensation you or your loved one deserves.
Truck Accident FAQs
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How Common are Truck Accidents?
Trucks move America's cargo. The American Trucking Association (ATA) says over nine billion tons of freight moved around the U.S. in trucks in 2004. Trucking revenues totaled more than $676 billion in 2017 alone, and that figure will likely continue to increase.
Trucking is good for the economy, but it is bad for drivers in cars, vans, and SUVs who share the road with big rigs. Someone is killed or seriously injured every 16 minutes in U.S. accidents involving 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers or semi-trucks. 98 percent of deaths in truck collisions are passengers in smaller vehicles.
Semi-trailer trucks accounted for 17 fatal accidents and 244 injury accidents in 2013, and other heavy trucks contributed to 7 fatal accidents and 286 injury accidents.
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What to Do After a Truck Accident
If a collision occurs:
- Make all decisions in reasonable priority. Do not panic.
- Make quality medical decisions your first priority.
- Fulfill legal reporting requirements in a timely fashion. Get professional help to do so.
- Give no information to persons with no need to know what is going on with you.
- Give no statements except to law enforcement, your attorney, and medical professionals.
- Make a prompt, intelligent search for a quality lawyer and engage counsel.
- Hold off inquiries from the trucking company's insurer until all these steps are done.
Our law firm not only advocates for accident victims and families of those killed in tractor-trailer crashes, but also for effective remedies and action that will accomplish change.
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Should I Contact My Insurance Company After an Accident?Even if you were not to blame for the truck accident, you should contact your attorney as soon as possible. Try to provide as many facts as possible so that your insurance company can conduct an investigation of their own. In the meantime, it is also a good idea to call an Omaha truck accident attorney who can protect your rights.
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Who Is Responsible for Paying My Compensation?
Some truck accidents are extremely complicated and can involve multiple sources of compensation. It is common for more than one party to be involved, and each of these party's insurance carriers will try to place the blame on the other. Whatever your situation may be, a Nebraska truck accident lawyer at our firm will help you identify the various sources of compensation that are available for your personal injury claim.
The insurance adjusters who work for trucking accident companies are notorious for making low-ball settlements to the victims of accidents, and you need a legal advocate who will stand up for the maximum compensation you deserve. Without a truck accident attorney in Omaha, you are at risk of being taken advantage of.
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Why Do I Need a Copy of the Truck Driver’s Log?If you suspect that driver fatigue may have played a role in the reason for your accident, you should ask for a copy of the truck driver's log. According to federal regulations, all commercial truck drivers are required to keep a log of their driving hours in order to prove that they did not drive over the limit. Your attorney can review the log and investigate any inconsistencies or violations that occur, and this may be a critical part of winning your claim.
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Do I Have to Release My Medical Records to the Insurance Adjuster?Absolutely not. Insurance adjusters ask for this information so that they can use it against you to lower your settlement, and you should never volunteer any documents without first consulting your attorney. Adjusters will commonly try to blame your accident injuries on previous surgeries or accidents that you may have had, but our firm will protect your rights and the true story.
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What Should I Do if I Am Partially to Blame for the Accident?Even though you may think that you are to blame for the accident, you must keep in mind that there may be other contributing factors that you are not aware of. Instead of admitting fault, you should contact an attorney who can investigate your case and accurately determine who is to blame. Alcohol, truck defects, road conditions, and other factors may be the real reason why the accident occurred, and you should not risk losing compensation by admitting fault before an investigation is conducted.
