A Chicopee truck accident lawyer with Trantolo & Trantolo, LLC can help you seek compensation for your crash injury. We are a dedicated team of lawyers with over 85 years of experience fighting for victims’ rights. If someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions harmed you or someone you love, we will help you get justice.
We have the resources, reputation, and experience to take on the most complex and challenging cases. Our team will NOT settle for less than you deserve. Call now for a free consultation. Let our firm’s Chicopee personal injury attorneys help you fight back against commercial truck companies.
Trantolo and Trantolo, Let Our Family, Help Your Family After a Truck Accident
Trantolo & Trantolo, LLC was founded in 1938 to protect and serve injured victims. To this day, we remain committed to helping everyday people stand up to insurance companies and large corporations.
We are proud of our heritage and continue to be a family-run law firm. When you seek our help, you become a part of our family. We assign a dedicated team to your case, and our Chicopee, MA, personal injury lawyers will provide you with personalized attention and support.
We offer 24/7 award-winning client service, an A+ rating from 97.8 percent of clients, and a no-fee guarantee unless we win your case. While you focus on recovering from your truck accident, our attorneys will:
- Investigate your commercial motor vehicle accident and build a case proving a liable party should pay your damages
- Identify and pursue all available compensation, including future expenses and intangible losses
- Handle phone calls, emails, and meetings with involved parties and advocate for your rights and best interests during every interaction
- Prepare and file insurance claims and legal documents according to deadlines
- Aggressively negotiate for the maximum settlement possible
- Represent you at trial if necessary
We Handle Severe and Catastrophic Injury Claims
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that in 2022, nearly 5,000 people died in truck accidents. Two-thirds of those fatally injured were in passenger vehicles, 17 percent were truck occupants, and 16 percent were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcycle riders. When trucks are involved in crashes, those inside smaller vehicles often bear the brunt of the collision, resulting in severe and fatal injuries.
Our law firm has experience with catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims, and we know the toll it takes on victims and surviving family members. In our time practicing personal injury law, we’ve helped people with injuries including:
- Amputation
- Back, neck, and shoulder injuries
- Bone fractures
- Organ damage
- Paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
Our Chicopee Truck Accident Attorneys Will Fight for Your Damages
Our mission is to help injured victims get full and fair compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Our team is united in this goal and will do everything possible to secure every cent owed. In general, truck accident damages may include:
- Emergency transportation and treatment
- Doctor and hospital fees
- Medical devices and equipment
- Physical therapy
- Long-term nursing
- Lost wages and lost future earning capacity
- Vehicle and personal property damages
- Household services
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish and emotional distress
- Lost quality of life
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Our Commercial Motor Vehicle Accident Case Results
Our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for accident victims, including the following truck accident case results:
- $3 million – We secured this settlement for a fatal motorcycle accident. The rider was struck by a large truck after the driver made a left-hand turn into the biker’s lane.
- $2.5 million – This settlement was for a motorcyclist who passed away after a truck collision. Delays in ambulance dispatch caused the victim to pass away enroute to the hospital.
- $840,000 – We achieved this settlement in a T-bone accident case involving a utility truck. The utility truck driver ran a stop sign, causing our client neck injuries, lower back injuries, and torn tendons in the foot. The injuries required surgery and extensive physical therapy.
- $834,000 – We recovered this settlement for a client who suffered a severe concussion and serious back, neck, and leg injuries after their vehicle was struck head-on by a truck.
To learn more about how our Chicopee truck accident lawyers can help you pursue your losses, call Trantolo & Trantolo, LLC today for a free consultation.
How Will Massachusetts Insurance Laws Affect Your Truck Accident Claim?
Massachusetts is a no-fault insurance state. According to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, drivers must carry at least $8,000 in first-party personal injury protection (PIP). PIP pays for medical expenses, 75 percent of lost wages, and replacement services up to the policy limit, regardless of who was at fault for the crash.
If you have a severe truck accident injury and your losses exceed your PIP coverage, you can file a third-party claim against a liable driver. Massachusetts requires all motorists to have a minimum of $20,000/$40,000 in bodily injury liability per person/accident, but commercial drivers and trucking companies often have policies with much higher limits.
Our Chicopee truck accident attorneys can help establish your right to step outside the no-fault system and pursue maximum awards from all those responsible for the crash.
Who Is Liable for a Chicopee Truck Accident?
One aspect of truck accident cases that can make them challenging is the involvement of multiple parties. Usually, a claim will involve a negligent truck driver and the trucking company they work for. The trucking company may have acted negligently or may be responsible for its employees’ actions under a legal principle known as vicarious liability.
Commercial accident cases can also include cargo companies, truck mechanics, vehicle manufacturers, and roadway owners. The cause of the collision will determine the at-fault parties. Common causes of truck accidents include:
- Driver error: This includes speeding, driving drunk or under the influence of drugs, driving fatigued, disobeying traffic laws, and disobeying Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations and Hours of Service mandates
- Trucking company negligence: This negligence includes failing to conduct alcohol/drug screenings on drivers, failing to train drivers, failing to maintain vehicles, and setting unreasonable delivery schedules
- Cargo problems: Unsecured, overloaded, shifting, or falling cargo can fall off a truck or make it difficult for the driver to maintain control of the truck.
- Vehicle problems: Defective parts, lack of maintenance and service, negligent repairs, and lack of safety features and equipment can result in catastrophic crashes.
- Roadway issues: Negligent road maintenance, poor design, lack of lighting, and broken or obstructed signs and signals could cause drivers to crash.
Our Chicopee Truck Accident Lawyers Will Establish Liability With Evidence
Proving negligence requires establishing four basic elements:
- Duty of care. This duty is the legal obligation we all have to act reasonably and avoid injuring hurting others.
- Breach of duty. A breach occurs when a liable party’s actions are not what most others consider reasonable or necessary. For example, any violation of traffic laws or other laws constitutes a breach of duty.
- Caution. Causation demonstrates that the breach of duty was a direct cause of your injuries, which would not have occurred otherwise.
- Damages. Damages prove that you suffered losses due to your accident and injury.
Our Chicopee truck accident lawyer will use evidence to build your case and support our claims of negligence. Evidence that we may draw on includes:
- Photographs, video, and debris from the accident scene
- The truck’s “black box” data recorder
- Truck driver’s logs
- Shipping logs
- Truck repair and maintenance records
- Dashcam, traffic cam, surveillance, or cell phone video of the collision
- Eyewitness statements
- Police reports
- Medical records
- Testimony from medical professionals, crash reconstructionists, and other experts
What Is the Truck Accident Statute of Limitations for Chicopee Accidents?
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260 § 2A allows three years to file a personal injury lawsuit. You also have three years to file a wrongful death lawsuit under Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 229, § 2. If you do not pursue your truck accident case before the statute of limitations runs out, you likely cannot seek recovery in civil court.
What to Do After a Truck Accident in Chicopee, MA
There are several things you can do to protect your health and claim for compensation after a truck accident, including:
- Report the accident. If an officer was called to this scene, they will make a report. If not, report the crash immediately to the authorities where it occurred. This may be the Massachusetts State Police, Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, or Chicopee Police Department.
- Get medical treatment immediately if you did not receive medical care at the time of the accident.
- Save records, including medical bills and proof of any other accident-related expenses.
- File insurance claims promptly to make sure your insurer is aware of the situation.
- Be careful what you say to insurance adjusters. Do not admit fault, agree to give a recorded statement, or accept their initial offer.
- Consider enlisting legal help from our Chicopee truck accident attorneys.
Contact Trantolo & Trantolo, LLC for Truck Accident Legal Assistance
Trantolo & Trantolo, LLC can pursue the money you need to care for yourself or your injured loved one after a truck accident. Our Chicopee truck accident lawyers can take your case on contingency, meaning you pay nothing upfront or out of pocket.
Call 24/7 for a free consultation.