Abilene KS Truck Accident Lawyer
Abilene Truck Accident Lawyer Helping Fight Trucking Companies with Negligent Semi-Truck Drivers to Get Financial Compensation for Injury Victims.
Our Abilene truck accident lawyers help fight trucking companies with negligent semi-truck drivers by getting financial compensation for truck injury victims that have had a collision with a car, pickup, van, motorcycle and a semi-truck. Our experienced Abilene personal injury attorneys have won millions of dollars for our Kansas injury clients since 1983.
Truck Accident Lawyers Group (TALG) is associated with Bull Attorneys® with a semi-truck or heavy/large business truck to get you the maximum financial compensation for severe injuries. TALG is associated with Bull Attorneys®. We know how to prove that the truck driver was negligent while simultaneously proving the trucking company negligently hired an unsafe driver.
Our Abilene semi-truck injury attorneys build your case so you can receive the maximum financial compensation for pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical bills, lost wages, disability ad disfigurement and all types of economic and noneconomic damages that result from a severe injury with a tractor-trailer including wrongful death where your family member died because of a negligent truck driver.
The 2021 Kansas Traffic Crash Book reports that the Abilene, Kansas, had 123 motor vehicle crashes with 29 injuries and 1 death. Dickinson County had 349 vehicle crashes resulting in 91 injuries and 7 deaths in 2021 alone.
Abilene is known for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and the Greyhound Hall of Fame. Abilene has three grain coops with ADM Milling Co. being one of the biggest grain operations causing frequent tractor-trailer and farm truck traffic. Flint Hills Grain Co. and MKC both draw heavy semi-truck traffic making Abilene a dangerous area for motorists to drive.
Our experienced Abilene personal injury trucking attorneys study the FMCSR which are federal regulations designed to minimize traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths. We use the CSA BASICs to prove the motor carrier has an unsafe safety compliance record.
Our Abilene truck accident attorneys have helped injury victims and Kansans since 1983. We use a proprietary case development system that enables our trucking attorneys to work together with your truck crash team using experienced trucking lawyers, case managers and legal assistants who work together to get you the maximum financial compensation. You always get your lawyer’s personal cell phone.
Our Abilene truck crash injury lawyers work for free until you win. Our results on semi-truck injury cases are excellent. This is because we are immediately investigating the cause of your accident to prove fault of the other driver. We investigate the scene of the accident, hire experts, find you the best medical doctors, file insurance claims and negotiate your case to a settlement.
Our knowledge of truck driver school teaching methods is one of our weapons we use to fight the trucking company. They are supposed to teach the truck drivers the FMCSR, test them over their comprehension of the federal rules, road test them, and make them follow a safety plan.
Most motor carriers fail to comply with their OP-1 oath. The oath requires a Safety Certification requiring the motor carrier to have a safety plan complying with federal regulations under the FMCSR. When they violate that oath, they act recklessly and can be sued for punitive damages to punish the trucking company.
Our knowledge of how the federal regulations apply to both the truck driver and trucking company and safety officers, hiring officers, dispatch officers and other managers running the motor carrier allows our unique trucking crash attorneys to bring legal claims that increase your financial compensation for severe injuries.
We help start your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits with your car insurance to help get wage loss and medical bills for treatment like ambulance rides, emergency room treatment, medication and other urgent car needed for severe injuries. Kansas no-fault law requires every car and motor vehicle in Kansas except motorcycles to carry PIP coverage.
To get immediate help call TALG for a free consultation at 785-708-0800. You can write to us on our contact page.
What are The Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Abilene?
Major highways connecting with intersections where semi-trucks and heavy/large trucks regularly travel present unique dangers to motorists and pedestrians.
The most dangerous roads and intersections in Abilene and Dickinson County are:
- I-70 is a major trucking route for east-west truck drivers and has a dangerous intersection with K-15.
- Old 40 Highway becomes NW 14th Street and intersects with K-15 where truck drivers are heading east-west and north-south.
- Fair Road has two truck stops including Loves Travel Stop and CAT Scale where tractor-trailers stop to refuel and rest making it an unsafe road for motorists.
What Types of Trucks Must Follow Federal Regulations?
The FMCSA is the administrative arm of the DOT and helps issue rules and standards which ensure the safety of other motorists on federal highways. The primary rules are the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) and the CSA BASICs.
The type of trucks that must follow federal rules and regulations are:
- Large Trucks (Class 7 and 8)
This class of trucks includes tractor-trailers, semi-trucks and other heavy/large freight carrying vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) above 26,000 pounds. - Buses.
Commercial buses carrying passengers in interstate transport must follow the FMCSR. - Hazardous Materials Vehicles.
Any truck which carriers Hazardous Materials must comply with the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). Those regulations are part of the FMCSR and are issued by the FMCSA. - Vehicles engaged in Intestate Commerce.
Any truck that crosses state lines carrying goods or passengers must comply with the FMCSR. - Delivery vehicles used by Amazon and UPS or similar delivery companies. Delivery trucks are required to comply with the safety rules and minimum standards of care set forth in the FMCSR.
How Many Deliveries Does Amazon Make Annually?
Amazon delivered 4.8 billion packages before Thanksgiving in 2023 and delivered 5.2 billion packages in 2022. Amazon delivers more packages than UPS but not as much as the US Postal Service.
This makes Amazon a major danger to motorists across the United States because Amazon continues to increase the number of packages annually. In turn, this requires Amazon to place more drivers and delivery trucks on the nation’s streets, roads and highways.
What are the Most Common Types of Injuries with Tractor-trailers.
Tractor-trailers are large, massive and heavy which means that upon impact they have great force.
For minor collisions, the common types of injuries arising from a tractor-trailer crash are:
- Whiplash, strains and sprains.
Injury to the neck and back is common in car crashes with tractor-trailers because the human body is thrown back and forth and causes damages to the lordotic curve in the spine and strains and sprains tendons, ligaments and muscles. - Broken Bones.
Broken bones can occur upon impact from striking objects in the car including side windows, windshields, dashes and steering wheels. - Concussions and Head Injuries.
Concussions and head injuries can happen easily when you have rear end collisions or front-end collisions because the brain is thrown back and forth hitting the inside of the skull which can damage axons in the brain which are small nerves.
For moderate and severe collisions, the common types of injuries arising from a tractor trailer crash are:
- Broken bones.
Broken bones in the neck and back, arms, legs and hips occur frequently with semi-truck accidents. The more serious injuries are comminuted fractures and severe injuries where the bones sticks through your skin requiring surgery and external fixation devices to stabilize your fractured bones. - Spinal Cord injuries.
Spinal cord injuries often arise from severe bone fractures to the spine with require surgery to stabilize you while healing and many require rigid neck and back braces be worn for months following your accident. - Traumatic Brain Injuries.
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur frequently due to the great force and impact that an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer causes when it strikes your vehicle causing your brain to be thrown about where you can hit windows, windshields, steering wheels and other objects in your vehicle. - Paralysis.
Paralysis arises from fractured bones and severed nerves. This can lead to quadriplegia and tetraplegia which is close to complete paralysis or only lower body level paralysis. All these conditions change your life forever and result in substantial medical bills that sometimes exceed one million dollars. - Amputations.
Amputations occur when a limb is ripped off or you develop cuts and abrasions which become infected and develop into gangrene where the doctors slowly debride you by removing sections of your limb at a time to prevent gangrene and sepsis from leading to death. - Wrongful death.
Semi-truck accidents annually kill thousands of drivers and passengers. In 2021, 5,788 people were killed in trucking crashes which was a 17 percent increase from 2020 according to CrashStats NHTSA .
What are Driver Qualification Standards?
Motor carriers, trucking companies and delivery companies should follow minimum hiring standards to ensure that the drivers they hire have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). This includes performing background checks on new hires, properly training them in the safe operation of the types of trucks or motor vehicles they drive for the company and monitoring maximum hours-of-service rules.
Driver qualification standards require that the hiring employer ensure the drivers are medically qualified to drive and are not using alcohol or other illegal substances.
Part 391 of the FMCSR requires that CMV drivers meet the minimum requirements in Part 391.
Part 391.11 of the FMCSR requires that the driver must:
- Be at least 21 years of age.
- Speak and read English satisfactorily.
- Understand traffic signals.
- Be able to respond to official questions.
- Be able to make legible entries in reports and records.
- Be able to drive safely.
- Be physically qualified to perform the duties of the job.
- Have only one CDL.
- Pass a driver’s road tests on safe driving skills.
Who is Liable for a Semi-truck Accident?
Semi-truck accidents make the truck driver and employer of the truck driver liable where they can be legally responsible for your injuries. This is because a trucking company or other employer of a truck or delivery driver is typically vicariously liable for the negligence of their truck driver when driving in the course and scope of employment.
Other parties can be at fault for a semi-truck accident like:
- Dispatch service companies help monitor hours-of-service for truck drivers.
- Loading companies who improperly load trailers causing them to shift or rollover due to weight transfer and overloading.
- Brokers and shippers who negligently select unsafe truck drivers and motor carriers.
- Outside maintenance companies who negligently repair and maintain tractor-trailers.
- Manufacturers of tires, braking systems and other mechanical parts of tractor-trailers.
How Do I Find the Best Truck Accident Lawyer in Kansas?
To find the best truck accident lawyer in Kansas there are several things to look for:
- Settlement History Results.
Ask the trucking attorney about actual settlements for truck accident victims. The lawyer should be able to recite several million dollar plus settlements and provide general facts about each case. - Courtroom experience.
Inquire about deposition and trial history of the lawyer. - Knowledge of federal regulations.
Ask the lawyer to explain the FMCSR and the purpose of the CSA BASICs to you. If they cannot recite this off the top of their head then walk out of the office quickly. - Familiar with Kansas rules, regulations and statutes related to large trucks and semi-trucks.
Ask the attorney what legal rules and laws apply to large truck accidents in Kansas to see if they have a true understanding of how to apply laws and regulations to a truck accident case. - Client online reviews.
Look at online reviews for satisfied clients to see if past clients gave the law firm 5-star reviews. - Library of books and training manuals for the trucking industry.
Ask the lawyer to show you their library for trucking cases. This should include copies of the FMCSR, Driver training manuals, CDL Manuals, Fleet safety manuals, JJ Keller & Company manuals for the trucking industry and other authoritative books and manuals regularly used by motor carriers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a safe truck driver?
A safe truck driver should have a CLD with a safe driving history. The person should have experience driving large trucks and tractor-trailers. They should understand the FMCSR. They must know how to do regular inspections and maintenance. They should understand defensive driver techniques. They must understand load securement. They must understand time management and crisis management skills.
What is a Safety Director of a motor carrier?
A safety director is the key person responsible for overseeing the safety plan of the motor carrier. They should understand the FMCSR, regulatory compliance, risk management to help prevent accidents and understand driver qualification. They must be able to conduct post-accident investigations to determine the root cause of an accident and be proficient in evaluating and reporting incidents and accidents.
What are the duties of a dispatch officer in a motor carrier?
A dispatch officer plays a critical role in transportation of goods to ensure timely delivery of the trucks and goods. They schedule routes, communicate with drivers, ensure legal weight compliance of loads, and understand vehicle tracking systems. Be able to reroute drivers in bad weather conditions. Ensure dispatch complies with federal, state and local laws including maximum driving time limits.