Fort Mill Truck Accident Lawyer
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, you’re probably in terrible pain, facing life-altering injuries, and your quality of life might never be the same. If there was ever a moment to ask for help, it’s now.
The Fort Mill truck accident lawyers at Stewart Law Offices can fight for your future. We’ve represented injured people for over 25 years and recovered millions for our clients, including a recent case where our client received $3.5 million after a tractor trailer accident*. You don’t pay us attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you**, so call now or complete our contact form for a free case evaluation.
How Stewart Law Offices’ Fort Mill Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help
Our legal team is here to help truck accident victims regain control after a truck accident in Fort Mill, SC. Commercial truck accidents often involve severe injuries and complex legal issues. We can step in to protect your rights and fight for fair compensation.
We’ll start with a comprehensive crash investigation. That means gathering evidence, such as the truck driver’s logs, maintenance records, information from the truck’s Electronic Logging Device, and crash reports. Furthermore, we work with accident reconstruction experts to help show exactly what went wrong and who caused the collision.
We also handle all communication with the trucking company and its insurance providers. These companies have teams of lawyers working to protect their bottom line—our job is to make sure your voice is heard and your injuries are taken seriously.
To maximize your claim amount, we’ll calculate the full extent of your losses, including your medical bills, lost income, loss of future earning capacity, physical pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and future medical needs. Whether we’re negotiating a settlement or taking your case to court, we focus on pursuing the best possible outcome.
Proving Liability in a Fort Mill Truck Accident Claim
Proving liability in truck accident cases means showing who caused the crash and holding them responsible. Most of these cases are based on negligence, which means someone failed to act with reasonable care and their actions—or lack of action—led to your injuries. In truck accidents, that negligence could come from a driver who was speeding, distracted, or driving under the influence. But liability doesn’t always stop with the driver.
Large truck accidents often involve multiple parties. Along with the driver, the trucking company might be liable if it failed to train the driver properly, pressured the driver to meet unrealistic deadlines, or skipped safety checks. In some cases, a third party, like a cargo loader or maintenance contractor, may have played a role in the crash.
If a defective part caused the crash, the manufacturer could be liable. Our job is to investigate every angle and identify all responsible parties so you have the best chance at a full financial recovery.
Remember, the trucker’s insurance company will likely try to deny liability for serious accidents. The insurance company’s goal is to deny or minimize the value of your claim. Insurance adjusters may try to blame other parties or you for the accident. Our experienced Fort Mill personal injury attorneys can anticipate these tactics and prepare for them.
We can gather a wide range of evidence to determine who is legally responsible for accidents involving commercial truck operators. Witness statements might reveal that the truck driver was distracted or made an unsafe lane change. Similarly, surveillance footage might show that the semi-truck driver ran a red light or was tailgating the vehicle in front of them. Professional accident investigators can examine skid marks, debris patterns, vehicle damage, and other evidence to recreate the crash conditions in precise detail. We can also demand evidence during the discovery phase of your case, such as electronic driver logs, black box data, inspection reports, and onboard cameras, that can reveal if the trucking company or driver violated safety regulations or neglected vehicle maintenance.
Compensation Available in Fort Mill, South Carolina Truck Accidents
The legal term for compensation for your losses in a truck crash is damages.
In most cases, your damages fall into two main categories: economic and non-economic.
- Economic damages cover your direct financial costs from the collision. This category includes your medical expenses—both current and future—such as hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, and medications. If your injuries force you to miss work, you can also recover compensation for your lost wages. You may be able to seek compensation for reduced earning capacity if you can’t return to your previous job due to your serious injuries. Property damage, like the cost to repair or replace your vehicle, also falls under economic damages.
- Non-economic damages are harder to measure in dollars but are just as important. This category covers the pain and suffering you’ve experienced—both physical and emotional—as a result of the crash. That can include chronic pain, emotional distress, anxiety, and the overall impact the accident has had on your daily life. You could also recover compensation for your loss of enjoyment of life or the impact your injuries have on your relationships.
Time Limits for Filing a Truck Accident Claim
South Carolina law gives you three years after a truck crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. You shouldn’t wait to call a lawyer, though. Critical evidence can fade shortly after an accident, and contacting a truck accident lawyer right away can help you recover compensation more quickly if your personal injury case is successful.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents happen for many reasons, but most occur due to driver error, poor maintenance, or unsafe company practices. One of the most common causes is driver fatigue. Truck drivers often work long hours, and even with federal rules in place to limit driving time, some push past those limits to meet deadlines. Drowsy driving slows reaction time and increases the risk of serious mistakes and fatal crashes.
Distracted driving is another major issue for truck drivers—just a few seconds of looking at a phone or GPS can lead to a deadly crash.
Speeding and aggressive driving also play a significant role in tractor-trailer accidents, especially when a large truck needs more time and space to come to a stop. Mechanical problems, such as brake failure or worn tires, can cause accidents if the truck hasn’t been properly inspected and maintained. In some cases, cargo loaders don’t balance or distribute a truck’s payload properly, which can make the truck unstable or harder to control.
Sometimes, a trucking company contributes to the accident by cutting corners on safety training or pushing drivers to meet unrealistic delivery schedules. Each of these factors can lead to a crash, and in many cases, more than one issue is involved.
Call Our Fort Mill Truck Accident Attorneys
Stewart Law Offices knows what it takes to win a truck accident case so you can rebuild your life. Call our personal injury law firm now or complete our online contact form for a free consultation.