Semi Truck Accident Lawyer

Semi truck accident lawyers at Pritzker Hageman, led by attorney Eric Hageman, can help you get money and justice. They have won multimillion-dollar settlements, including some over $10 million. You can contact them for a free consultation using the form below.

We are a national law firm helping people all over the United States get the money they deserve. Contact us using the form above to find out if we can help you and your family.

Who Can Sue After a Truck Crash?

Injured people, families,and others can all have standing to sue for compensation, depending on the circumstances.

When someone reaches out to us for help, one of the first questions they often ask is if they have the right to sue. This is a very important question. Most of the time, you can file a lawsuit if you were injured in an accident and that accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. Similarly, if negligence is involved in an accident that kills a loved one, you can often file a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent party that caused their death.

Determining negligence after an accident can be a very complex process. Even if the police report cites you as the at-fault driver that caused the accident, it doesn’t mean that the other drivers negligent did not contribute to the accident, and it is possible that the police officer did not have all the facts of the accident and is wrong. If you have been in an accident, contacting a lawyer is the best first step to seeing if you can sue.

How Can a Tractor-Trailer Driver Be at Fault for a Crash?

The primary issue in a commercial vehicle collision case is generally determining who is at fault. Specific ways that a commercial tractor-trailer driver can be at fault include the following:

1. Driving distracted.  A distracted driver is usually reading, talking on a cell phone, eating, or simply not paying attention. This can cause big rig drivers to veer into oncoming traffic, roll over, or push other cars off the road.
2. Ignoring a stop sign, light or other traffic sign.  This is usually caused by carelessness, or distracted driving.  These lawsuits often involve serious injury as the driver often t-bones or loses control of their 18-wheeler. When this happens the tractor-trailer often broadsides another vehicle or hits a pedestrian. Eric Hageman recently won 2.4 million for a husband whose wife was killed by a 18-wheeler while on a bike.
3. Merging improperly into traffic.  A semitrailer’s length can make it difficult to maneuver. When truckers are careless or merge aggressively, their vehicles can cause serious harm and death. We have represented families whose loved ones have been the victims of careless driving.
4. Speeding.  This is a contributory factor in many accidents. If an 18-wheeler crashes into a car while going over the speed limit, the results can be tragic. Speeding can mean driving too fast for the conditions, for example if there is road construction or the roads are wet.
5. Tailgating.  When an 18 wheeler tailgates and has to stop fast, the results can be devastating. Our firm has seen extreme cases where the passengers inside sedans get run over while in their seats by tractor-trailers.
6. Drunk Driving or Prescription Drug Abuse.  When a commercial vehicle crash is caused by a drunk driver, the bar or restaurant that served the driver is held responsible for the crash along with the driver and others.
7. Parking illegally.  Commercial-18 wheelers need to be properly parked. If a big rig is illegally parked and another vehicle runs into it, the result can be the death of a family member. We recently settled a case involving a trailer being parked in a snowmobile lane, which resulted in the death of a young man.

How Much Money Can I Get in a Truck Accident Settlement?

When a lawsuit involves severe, permanent injuries or wrongful death, a settlement can be in the millions. Fred and Eric have won $10 million for a man who was burned, $5.1 million for a man who lost a leg, and $6 million for a family with a wrongful death claim.

What should I look for in a law firm, and how do I know if I have the right attorney for my case?

The right attorney has to have a long history of successful truck litigation, but equally as important is the law firm’s mission.  The law firm’s mission has to evolve around going the extra mile to take care of not only their clients, but also their clients spouses and families. You need to know that the person representing you cares about and respects your needs.

It is also critically important that your lawyer works for a law firm that has the resources to handle your case. These are expensive cases, and it takes a lot of manpower to build a winning case. Lawyers, forensic engineers, reconstruction specialists and others need to work together to uncover and analyze evidence.

If you hire Fred, Eric or another attorney on our team, you will not have to pay us anything unless we win your case. This is called a contingency fee, and it is how most personal injury law firms do business.

Eric Hageman Help Clients Win Millions and Get Justice

“In many of these cases the strategy of the trucking company is to deny that its driver was at fault,” said attorney Eric Hageman. “Our attorneys recently won a case that illustrates this point. Our client suffered multiple fractured bones and a traumatic brain injury when his car was hit from behind by a semi-trailer.  As he lay in the hospital, the trucking company claimed that his wife, who had been driving the car, was at fault. We hired an accident reconstruction expert to produce a video showing what the evidence proved—that the semi driver was at fault. Once trucking company and insurance company representatives saw the video, we settled the case for $2.56 million.”

Semi Truck Accident Topics

Understanding the Value of Your Case

There are many factors that need to be considered to determine what your case is worth, including whether it is a personal injury or wrongful death claim, the injuries suffered and the physical pain associated with them, any loss of quality of life, your job and if you are able to keep it, the insurance limits of the driver and all companies legally responsible, your medical expenses, etc.

See What Your Case is Worth
See Past Truck Accident Settlement Amounts

Getting Help After Your Husband Was Killed

Our deepest sympathies to you and your family. We are here to help you find out why the driver was driving illegally or carelessly and if the transportation company and others can also be held legally responsible.

Filing A Lawsuit After Being Rear Ended?

Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman have won millions for clients whose cases involved a car or other vehicle being rear ended by a commercial vehicle. In one case, the husband had severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and multiple fractures. Fred and Eric won over $2 million for him and his wife.

Filing A Lawsuit After Being Hit By A Drunk Driver

You may have claims against the driver, his employer, a bar or restaurant, and others. If the driver was served alcohol at a bar or restaurant while obviously intoxicated, the bar or restaurant can be sued. This is called a dram shop claim.

News

• A semi crash in Eyota, MN killed a motorcyclist and injured his passenger on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The semi-truck collided with the motorcycle on Highway 42 between 2nd Street Southwest and 19th Street Southeast. Lori Ann Jean Danielson (48) was riding as a passenger on the motorcycle when she was injured in the crash. She was taken to St. Marys with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the semi was not injured.
• Eli R. DeChamps (21) was injured when a cargo truck rear-ended him in a Wisconsin construction zone. The crash happened on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at Highway 14 and Cut-Across Road near Westby. DeChamps was stopped in traffic when a 40-foot cargo truck slammed into the back of his vehicle. The truck driver, Kennedy Nyangena (45), failed to slow down for stopped traffic. DeChamps was taken to Vernon Memorial Hospital. The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office released a statement warning the public of the dangers of driving while fatigued and using electronic devices.
• A driver died in a fiery semi-crash in Iowa on Friday, May 6, 2022. The fatal crash happened when a Freightliner semi collided with a Peterbilt semi after failing to yield at the intersection of 70th Avenue and 160th Street near Algona. Sadly the driver of the Peterbilt semi, Alan Schuler (48), died in the crash. The Freightliner driver, Chad Bjork (49), was taken to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center with serious injuries.
• One person died in a head-on crash with a semi-truck on Highway 14 in Spring Green, Wisc. The fatal crash happened on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, shortly before 8 a.m. when a semi crossed the centerline. Highway 14 was closed for several hours while the Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office investigated the crash.
• A semi-truck struck and killed 27-year-old Wayne Barnes as he was walking from his vehicle that broke down on I-95 in Hopkinton, R.I. The fatal crash happened around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2022, on I-95 southbound between exits 2 and 3. Sadly, Barnes died at the scene. Police say the tractor-trailer driver is not facing charges.
• Two people were critically injured after a semi-truck crash in northeast Minneapolis. Police say an Audi was trapped underneath a semi-tractor trailer in a truck yard off Northeast 27th Avenue and Northeast 2nd Street. The car’s driver was able to get out on his own, but three other people needed to be extricated through the trunk.
• A delivery truck struck and killed a man in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. Locals say the man was known for picking up litter in the area where he was struck.
• Three people died in a semi-truck crash in western Wisconsin. Leonard R. Hopinka (34), Tyler E. Decorah (36), and Jorden L. Vidana (35) died at the scene when their vehicle collided with a semi-truck attempting to enter a Kwik Trip parking lot on Hwy 54 near Black River Falls.
• Arlys Hendrickson (83) died after crashing into a semi-truck that was blocking both lanes of traffic on W 34th St. in Alexandria, MN.
• A Minnesota crash on I-94 involving an 18-wheeler box truck tragically killed one and injured others. The truck crossed the median hit a pickup head-on and then broadsided a car.
• Two semi-truck drivers were injured in a crash on I-94 in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. A semi hit another truck that was parked on the shoulder of I-94 at exit 115.
• A semitrailer crashed into several vehicles that were stopped or preparing to stop for a red light on Michigan 53 in Macomb County. Three people suffered critical injuries.
• Pinned by a Semi-Truck in Hudson, WI: A 37-year-old man from Menomonie, Wisconsin, suffered life-threatening injuries in a frightful freeway crash reportedly caused by a semitrailer that moved abruptly into his lane and slammed his car against the cement median barrier on Interstate 94 in Hudson, Wisconsin.
• Landon Peatross, 41, of Duchesne, was tragically killed and a woman critically injured after being rear-ended by a semi-truck after midnight on U.S. 40 in Park City, Utah
• Three people were killed in a head-on collision involving 3 big rigs on Highway 287 in Colorado, near Campo, at about 2:30 a.m. on May 24, 2017. The first semitractor was traveling southbound when it moved into the northbound lane and collided head-on with a tractor-flatbed combination. A third tractor-trailer that was traveling northbound went off of the road and hit a fence.
• Two workers on an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) mowing crew were injured when a semi-truck crashed into an INDOT pickup that then hit an INDOT tractor. Injured in the crash were a 22-year-old man from Dillsboro who was driving the tractor and a 34-year-old man from Versailles who was driving the pickup. According to the state patrol, the driver of the big rig did not slow down or move to the other lane to take evasive action.
• A man from Roseau, Minnesota died when his van crashed into a semi on Monday, May 22, 2017. He was driving a Dodge Caravan eastbound on Highway 11 when he crossed the centerline and collided with a westbound Kenworth semitrailer, injuring the driver.
• On May 22, two semi-tractors and a passenger vehicle crashed on Interstate 10 west of Tucson. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a driver of a westbound commercial rig lost control when a tire failed. The semitrailer rolled as it hit the dirt median and slid into the eastbound lanes. It hit another a tanker head-on, and a fire erupted. The driver of the tanker suffered severe head injuries and was transported to the hospital via medical helicopter. Two people in the passenger vehicle were also injured. They were transported by ambulance.
• A semi driver involved in a crash on March 4 has been cited for driving too fast for the conditions. Four people were injured, including Angela Pearson, the driver of a Toyota Corolla, and four of her passengers, who were seriously injured, two with life-threatening injuries.  Ms. Pearson and the passengers were taken to the hospital, two of them to a regional trauma center. The crash happened on I-20 at mile marker 21, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
• A collision involving a minivan and a tractor-trailer rig resulted in the death of Corrina Brown, a 16-year-old girl. She was a passenger in the minivan. The driver and another passenger in that vehicle were seriously injured. The crash happened on March 3 in the evening.