Great Bend Truck Accident Lawyer
Great Bend Car and Truck Accident Lawyer Helping Fight Trucking Companies with Negligent Semi-Truck Drivers to Get Financial Compensation for Injury Victims.
Our Great Bend car and truck accident lawyers help fight trucking companies with negligent semi-truck drivers by getting financial compensation for truck injury victims that have had a truck accident involving a car, pickup, van or motorcycle. Our experienced injury attorneys have won millions of dollars for our Kansas injury clients since 1983. We work in a number of states across the Midwest.
Truck Accident Lawyers Group (TALG) is associated with Bull Attorneys®. We concentrate our law practice in helping injury victims who have had a car-truck crash or a motorcycle-truck crash. Our focus is to bring legal claims for injuries against the truck driver and motor carrier. Our mission is to help restore the lives of truck accident victims.
Our Great Bend car and truck accident injury attorneys help with everything. We get financial compensation for any car or truck accident with an injury victim that has a claim for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, medical bills, future medical treatment, wage loss, future economic losses, scarring, disfigurement, disability, and wrongful death.
In the unfortunate event that you lost a loved one, we help the spouse and family get financial compensation for the loss of their loved one, including bringing wrongful death claims, claims for survival and conscious pain and suffering, funeral bills, Wentling damages and other losses.
The 2021 Kansas Traffic Crash Book reported that Great Bend, Kansas had 299 motor vehicle crashes resulting in 75 injuries. Barton County had 621 motor vehicle crashes resulting in 156 injuries and 2 fatalities. Kansas had 90,045 motor vehicle crashes in 2021 causing extreme pain and suffering, property damage and some fatalities.
Great Bend is known for wheat processing and oil refining. The agricultural and farming industry in Great Bend and Barton County has many large trucks moving back and forth from farms to grain elevators. This includes the Bartlett grain elevator, Great Bend Co-Op Association, Pawnee County Co-Op, American Plains Co-Op and several others. The wheat processing brings danger from substantial tractor-trailer traffic. The oil industry brings danger with the oil industry trucks.
Barton County has many oil industry trucks moving across the county. Very few of them understand appropriate hiring, training and supervision protocols to comply with industry standards of care for truck drivers and farming. Many truck drivers have not been trained on defensive driving techniques and the companies have no existent safety plans making the area dangerous to all motorists.
Our experienced Great Bend truck crash injury attorneys understand and apply the FMCSR to large truck crashes with smaller motor vehicles. Our skilled trucking lawyers help truck injury victims because of our knowledge of the CSA BASICs to prove the motor carrier has unsafe violations of federal regulations.
Our skilled Barton County trucking lawyers follow a proprietary case development method that maximizes your financial recovery. This stems from a developed technique over the past 40 years that enables our personal injury attorneys to understand accident investigation and reconstruction. Critical evidence is found at the scene of the accident, from witnesses and law enforcement.
We have a network of the best medical doctors across Kansas that will give you specialized medical care so we can get you excellent medical treatment and prove how bad your injuries are. Our law firm team performs background checks of the truck drivers and obtains the motor carrier DOT file and safety history.
Our team uses sophisticated manuals and textbooks solely related to the commercial motor vehicle carrier industry that helps take depositions of trucking company managers from Human Resources, Safety Directors, Dispatch Officers, Operations Directors and other necessary company employees. This allows us to bring additional claims against the employer of the truck driver for negligent hiring, supervision and training.
We obtain the black boxes from the truck or large motor vehicle to establish speed, braking, and other critical factors related to the truck driver’s driving leading up to the moment of your car accident. This essential data can be destroyed or erased if not obtained immediately after your car and truck accident.
Our Great Bend trucking attorneys provide their personal cell phone to every client so that you can focus on medical treatment and getting better. We focus on your case development. Truck injury victims always have ongoing questions during a case. You can call our personal injury lawyers with your questions day or night.
To hire a Barton County trucking lawyer call TALG for a free consultation at 620-690-0600. You can write to us on our contact page. You never pay us unless you win and your initial call for legal advice is free. We have a track record of superb client settlement results.
What Makes a Car and Truck Accident So Complicated?
Car/Truck accidents with semis and large business trucks are more complicated than normal car accidents because they present problems identifying all the parties at fault in order to increase the number of insurance policies to pay for your injuries and financial losses.
When a regular personal injury attorney brings a claim, they usually only claim negligence of the driver. Our trucking attorneys bring additional claims for negligence against the employer. There are multiple types of negligence claims that can be made to prove the motor carrier or employer of the truck driver violated safety standards in hiring, selecting, supervising and monitoring their truck driver and management staff.
Commercial insurance policies are normally much larger than a normal car insurance policy which might be as small as $25,000 in coverage. Commercial motor vehicles policies are usually $750,000 or one million dollars in coverage and higher. Insurance companies fight much more on higher coverage insurance policies.
Commercial motor vehicles (CMV) are subject to state and federal regulations and laws. This requires an attorney who has studied and understands the application of the regulations to your case. The CSA BASICs help the FMCSA monitor the safety and crash history of the motor carrier. Knowledge of these 7 categories is essential to proving a trucking company has violated the federal regulations.
Our usual trucking claim will include negligence allegations against the motor carrier for negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent supervision, unsafe business practices, failing to follow the OP-1 oath to have a safety plan that meets the standards of the FMCSR and other very specific legal allegations.
Semi-truck injury claims require very specific requests to the DOT and FMCSA to obtain the complete file on the motor carrier history including its safety record and crash history which can be difficult to obtain. This requires the issuance of FOIA requests to the FMCSA and a tremendous amount of labor goes into getting the complete motor carrier file.
The maintenance and repair records of the motor carrier must be obtained through discovery which can only be done when a lawsuit has been filed. Maintenance and repair claims are common parts of a lawsuit against a motor carrier because the failure to maintain the tractor-trailer in safe working order can cause catastrophic accidents with smaller motor vehicles.
What is the Statute of Limitations in Kansas for a Personal Injury?
When you have been involved in a car or truck accident in Kansas and have personal injuries, Kansas statute 60-513 places a time limit for filing a lawsuit which is two years from the date of your car-truck accident. Minors have a longer period of time that varies from case to case.
Truck accident victims that wait to bring a legal claim or lawsuit for injuries arising from a semi-truck crash are harming there case. Critical evidence is lost quickly in the first 24 hours that can change your chance of winning from good to bad.
What are The Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Great Bend and Barton County, Kansas?
Great Bend is in a location of Kansas that has several highways connecting both north-south and east-west trucking traffic that are major routes for farm and grain trucks, semi-trucks and oil tankers and well service trucks. All of these types of heavy/large trucks poses a great danger to residents of Great Bend and Barton County in smaller motor vehicles.
The most dangerous roads and intersections in Great Bend and Barton County are:
- K-96 highway. K-96 runs from eastern Kansas through Wichita, then Hutchinson and Great Bend and is a major trucking route for transportation of freight, cargo and oil.
- US-56 highway. US-56 runs east west on the eastern side of Great Bend and then takes a downward turn diagonally to the southwest across western Kansas running through Larned, Kinsley, Spearville and then to the edge of Dodge City making this an extremely dangerous road for semi-truck traffic.
- US-281 Highway. US-281 runs north-south going through Great Bend at the intersection of 10th Street and US-56 ultimately connecting major trucking traffic to I-70 and on into Nebraska going through Hastings and Grand Island. This route is a major cattle hauling route to take cattle to beef packing plants. Cattle-hauling trucks provides great danger to all motorists.
- Main Street and 10th Street. Main Street and 10th Street intersect in the middle of Great Bend which is a dangerous trucking intersection. Main Street is also known as US-281 and has a substantial amount of truck stops in the area for semi-trucks to refuel which makes the area dangerous to all motorists.
What are the 7 Reasons to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?
When you have an accident with a car or pickup and a Semi-truck it is very important that hire only an experienced truck accident lawyer.
The 7 reasons why you should hire a truck accident lawyer are:
- Insurance companies do not treat unrepresented truck accident victims fairly so you need legal representation.
- Insurance carriers for semi-trucks have their attorneys, adjusters and investigators drive immediately to the scene of an accident to find critical evidence to defend the case with and you need to have a truck accident injury attorney the same day.
- Truck accident attorneys have a very different knowledge base than regular personal injury lawyers because it requires the study of federal regulations and laws. This includes the FMCSR and interpreting guidelines that all commercial motor vehicles and motor carries must follow.
- They can find all necessary parties and defendants to bring liability claims against them, which helps finding a larger amount of insurance coverage to pay for your injuries. If one is not a party to your lawsuit, the other defendants will point the finger at the missing party and you lose a portion of your damages. Unrepresented victims are not normally capable of understanding comparative fault laws and how they can cause a case to be lost or a verdict reduced by the comparative of fault of the injured driver.
- Experienced truck crash lawyers will increase the value of your injury and wage loss claims. The legal fees you pay are offset by the increased settlement value of your case.
- Truck crash attorneys will be able to find excellent medical care for the injured person even when there is no health insurance to pay for it.
- Trucking injury attorneys will bring Personal Injury Protection (PIP) claims for medical and wage loss, negotiate with the insurance companies and increase the amount of your settlement. They file necessary claims to get all insurance companies in a position to pay for your medical bills and wage loss.
What are the Most Common Types of Injuries caused from semi-trucks?
Semi-trucks, grain trucks, oil industry trucks and other heavy/large motor vehicles will have such a great force upon impact that the occupants of the smaller motor vehicles will have serious injuries.
The common types of injuries from tractor-trailer accidents with smaller motor vehicles are:
- Back and neck injuries. The force of the larger tractor-trailer will usually cause injury to the back or neck and spine causing damage to vertebrae, discs, ligaments and the lordotic curve of the spine.
- Head injuries and concussions. Head injuries resulting in concussions, traumatic brain injury, brain bleeds and fractured skulls are common. It is not necessary to have a brain bleed or fractured skull to have a traumatic brain injury.
- Broken Bones. Broken bones can occur upon impact from striking objects in the car including side windows, windshields, dashes and steering wheels. The substantial force of the impact with a semi-truck can cause multiple fractures and compression to vertebrae in the spine.
- Shoulder and knee injuries. Shoulder and knee injuries include fractured bones in the shoulder, clavicle and humerus and a fractured patella (kneecap) as well as tears to the rotator cuff or brachial plexus nerve bundle.
- Hip, femur and pelvis injuries. The likelihood of injury to your hip, pelvis and upper leg and femur being fractured is a common injury of large truck crashes with cars and pickups.
- Wrongful death. Tractor-trailer crashes with cars, pickups and motorcycles often result in wrongful death. There are multiple claims that can be brought including a wrongful death claim, survival and conscious pain and suffering claim and a claim for Wentling damages for certain types of damages that can be additionally added in wrongful death claims in Kansas.
- Loss of limbs. Semi-truck accidents with cars and pickups can easily lead to the loss of a limb and the patient has a resulting amputation. These are extremely disabling and require prosthetics to carry out the normal tasks of living.
- Sprain, strain and whiplash. Whiplash injuries are where the body has a strain or sprain to the back, spine or neck and can include extremities like shoulders and hips. These types of injuries can take an extremely long time to heal. Older people are at a greater risk of permanent disability when they have whiplash injuries.
Who is Liable to Pay for Injuries and Damages After a Semi-Truck Accident?
There are many potential people and businesses that can be liable for your injuries and damages after a semi-truck accident. For the most part, the truck driver and their employer are usually liable under the legal doctrine of Vicarious Liability.
Other businesses that may be liable are:
- Maintenance and repair companies.
- Brake and tire manufacturers.
- Loading companies who load the trailer improperly or load them where they are overweight. Improper loading can cause the semi-truck to shift and roll over or have a jackknife accident where most motor vehicle occupants in the smaller motor vehicle are likely to die or become severely paralyzed.
- Brokers and shippers who hire unsafe motor carriers and have some degree of control over the motor carrier like pickup and delivery times or on-time deliveries.
- Leasing companies who provide tractors and trailers to unsafe motor carriers and truck drivers.
How Do I Find the Best Car-truck Accident Attorney in Great Bend, Kansas?
To find the best truck accident lawyer in Great Bend, you should seek out a lawyer with expertise in federal regulations and trucking cases. This requires that you speak to the potential lawyer about the following:
- Their knowledge of FMCSR and CSA BASICs. Ask them to explain both to you.
- Past settlement history and track record for winning million-dollar cases.
- Ask to see their specific trucking industry training and supervision books and manuals in their office. If they do not have these types of training materials, the lawyer does not understand the law regarding the trucking industry and how semi-truck crashes are caused.
- Find a courteous experienced truck crash lawyer who will give you their private cell phone.
- Inquire about whether they can afford to litigate a semi-truck accident case that can easily cost $50,000 or more for hiring experts and taking depositions. Be sure to inquire whether you owe them for the litigation expenses if they do not win your case.
What are The Common Causes of Car and Truck Accidents in Great Bend?
Car and truck accidents with semi-trucks, farm trucks and heavy/large commercial motor vehicles (CMV) and oil industry trucks happen frequently in Great Bend and across Barton County and Western Kansas.
The common causes of car and truck accidents in Great Bend are:
- Inattentive driving.
A majority of truck drivers causing car accidents are performing an activity that is unrelated to the task of safe driving and are inattentive drivers. This can include talking or texting on a cell phone, looking at computer screens for delivery instructions, paying attention to a pet or many other types of driver inattention. - Fatigued driving over legal hours.
Part 395 of the FMCSR requires that both the truck driver and the motor carrier must comply with the hours-of-service regulations. Fatigued truck drivers cause catastrophic accidents. Most truck drivers become fatigued from tight schedules requiring on-time delivery. - Speeding.
Speeding is one of the most frequent contributors to commercial motor vehicle crashes. According to the FMCSA, 7.3% of large truck crashes causing fatality are due to speeding. - Following too closely.
Following too closely is a common violation of drivers of commercial motor vehicles. - Improper lane change.
Part 383.51 of the FMCSR requires disqualification of drivers for a period of 60 days when they commit a serious violation like making improper lane changes or erratic traffic lane changes. Many fatigued truck drivers will drift back and forth between lanes where they can cross the center line killing the people in the oncoming vehicle. - Drunk driving.
Part 383.51 of the FMCSR requires that motor carriers disqualify truck drivers for drunk driving for a period of one year. Truck drivers are held to a higher standard and lower limits of alcohol concentration than regular motorists because of the high risk of causing an accident and fatality. - Tight schedules.
Tight driving schedules cause major heavy/large truck crashes by pushing the driver to exceed the maximum driving limits under fear of suspension and termination. Trucking companies are more concerned with on-time delivery and profit than with saving human lives. - Overloading.
Overloading of semi-trucks violates the FMCSR which has different weight limits based upon the number of axles in the semi-truck. Overloading results in rollovers and jackknife accidents. Jackknife accidents usually lead to the death of people in the smaller motor vehicles.
There are other causes of large truck and tractor-trailers accidents.
To review the Top 20 Causes of semi-truck accidents, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes most semi-truck accidents?
According to the FMCSA and the Large Truck Crash Causation Study driver recognition and decision errors were the type of cause cited by law enforcement most often and can be for both truck drivers and the drivers of other motor vehicles.
How often do bad brakes cause a semi-truck accident?
30% of semi-trucks had bad brakes at the moment of the accident with a smaller motor vehicle according to the FMCSA and the Large Truck Crash Causation Study.
What is the Purpose of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999?
The purpose of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 was to determine the causes of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV).