Indiana Spilled Cargo Truck Accident Lawyers

There are almost 16,000 registered trucking companies in Indiana transporting over 417,000 tons of freight each day. Hoosiers clearly rely on commercial trucks and semi-trailers to provide them with essential goods, but these goods can inflict serious harm when they spill out onto the road.

The consequences can be dire if a truck loses control of its cargo. Motorists may sustain traumatic injuries both from hitting the spilled cargo directly and from hitting other vehicles and obstacles while swerving to avoid the spilled cargo.

While you may be eligible to pursue a personal injury case if you have been hurt in a spilled cargo truck accident, full recovery can be difficult, particularly when dealing with obstinate insurers seeking to minimize their fiscal exposure. To tip the odds in your favor, turn to the truck accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, who have been standing up for the everyday people of Indiana for more than 25 years.

You can schedule a free consultation with a dedicated Indiana spilled cargo truck accident lawyer by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form today.

Common Types of Spilled Cargo Truck Accidents

Spilled cargo truck accidents can be broadly categorized by the kind of cargo that gets spilled. Common types of spilled cargo truck accidents may include:

· Merchandise spills – Most trucks and semi-trailers transport merchandise that will eventually be sold to consumers. While the individual items may be innocuous, they can turn into deadly projectiles when flying from the back of a truck at high velocity.

· Toxic spills – A cargo spill can be even more dangerous if that cargo is toxic. When toxic chemicals spill out onto the street or escape into the atmosphere, anyone in the vicinity could be instantaneously sickened, while area residents may develop life-threatening illnesses from long-term exposure. And if a truck’s goods are flammable, they could catch fire or explode, subjecting bystanders to major burns or even death.

· Heavy equipment spills – A piece of heavy equipment that is being moved on top of a flatbed truck could fall off and strike or even roll over anything in its path if it has not been firmly strapped in place.

Whether you have been injured by spilled consumer products, toxic materials, or massive machines, your finances may be stretched to the breaking point without the assistance of a knowledgeable Indiana spilled cargo accident attorney.

How Do Spilled Cargo Truck Accidents Happen?

In the United States, shipments by truck are closely regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which requires transporters to satisfy stringent guidelines and verify that their drivers and trucks are up to the task.

Yet despite the best efforts of government agencies and inspectors, spilled cargo and other forms of road debris continue to put the public at risk, resulting in approximately 39,000 injuries and more than 500 casualties nationwide over the span of four years, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

How exactly do spilled cargo truck accidents happen? While no two truck accidents are completely alike, certain factors are often associated with spilled cargo truck accidents, some of which may increase the chances of any sort of collision, during which a truck’s cargo might be set loose, while others may leave a truck’s contents uniquely vulnerable to spilling out. These factors include:

· Drowsy driving – Fatigue can be as detrimental to driving as drunkenness, with one report noting that staying awake for more than 20 hours straight can induce the same level of impairment as a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, the threshold for intoxication in the State of Indiana. Their grueling schedules may make truckers especially prone to drowsy driving, which is linked to an average of 100,000 motor vehicle accidents annually.

· Speeding – Driving too fast is the number one contributor to traffic accidents, including more than 15,000 crashes per year in Indiana. Speeding can make a collision more probable and more severe, possibly generating enough force to unleash a truck’s cargo.

· Reckless turning – Turning too abruptly or too quickly could throw a fully loaded semi-trailer so off balance that it tumbles over and spills the contents of the trailer onto the street.

· Distraction – Distracted driving has become the second most frequent cause of American auto accidents, and the problem has only gotten worse with the advent of cellphones, which are involved in 12 percent of all crashes throughout the country.

· Inadequate training – Though professional truck drivers need to carry Commercial Driver’s Licenses, for which they must go through extensive training, they may be unable to safely operate their trucks if this training proves to be inadequate.

· Overloading – Semi-trailers are only able to haul so much freight. If a truck is loaded beyond its capacity, it could be more likely to malfunction when it is in motion, while the cargo itself could press against the trailer until it bursts out of its confines.

· Improper fastening – Cargo that has not been properly fastened could shift around during transit, which could upset a truck’s center of gravity or propel the cargo against the doors during critical junctures. Freight always needs to be appropriately distributed and secured with restraints, dunnage, and/or inflatable bags to fill up any excess space.

· Poor maintenance – A truck that does not undergo routine maintenance may end up experiencing a mechanical breakdown, which could bring about a spilled cargo truck accident.

No matter how your accident happened, Hensley’s Indiana spilled cargo truck accident lawyers can advise you of the next steps to take if you are contemplating a case.

What an Indiana Spilled Cargo Truck Accident Attorney Can Do for You

A spilled cargo truck accident can turn your world upside down, making it much harder to make ends meet, much less acquire the resources necessary to stave off ruin.

You need attorneys with the compassion to support you through your struggles and the skills to overcome them. You need the Indiana spilled cargo truck accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group. No feat is too daunting or adversary too intimidating to keep us from getting justice for our clients.

If you choose to hire Hensley, we will launch a comprehensive investigation into your accident and everyone who may be liable for it, which may include the truck’s driver, its owner, any company making use of the truck, and any parties responsible for the loading and maintenance of the truck prior to the incident, among others.

If evidence of wrongdoing exists, our Indiana spilled cargo truck accident lawyers will work tirelessly to find it, acting swiftly to amass:

• Police reports
• Citations and dispositions
• Crash scene photos
• Streetlight, dash cam, and surveillance footage
• Black box data
• Eyewitness accounts
• Phone records
• Hours of Service (HOS) and vehicular inspection logs
• Accident reconstruction and forensic analysis

Once we have assembled an airtight case against every defendant, we will endeavor to negotiate a settlement that compensates you for the totality of your losses, such as:

• Past, present, and future medical bills
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning potential
• Pain and suffering
• Mental and emotional anguish
• Diminished quality of living
• Restricted mobility
• Loss of consortium
• Punitive and wrongful death damages (if applicable)

And unlike many of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, venture inside a courtroom, we are not afraid to go to trial if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your claim.

You Won’t Pay Until We Win

If you are reluctant to agree to more expenditures when you can least afford them, you should know that our firm works on a contingency basis, so you won’t have to pay us anything until our Indiana spilled cargo truck accident attorneys win your case.

You have been walking around with a burden since the day of your accident, but Hensley will lift that burden from you so you can breathe easily again.

Reach Out to Our Indiana Spilled Cargo Truck Accident Lawyers

Since 1998, Hensley Legal Group has devoted its practice to the innocent victims of negligence. If you have been injured through no fault of your own, reach out to our Indiana spilled cargo truck accident lawyers to explore the remedies available to you.

Please call or text us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form now for a no-cost case review with an accomplished Indiana spilled cargo truck accident attorney.