Bloomington Truck Accident Lawyers

Commercial truck accidents often result in serious injuries that require a long recovery and create life-altering financial, physical and emotional damages. If you were injured in a commercial truck accident, you should strongly consider contacting an experienced truck accident attorney to discuss whether you may be eligible for compensation.

The trusted attorneys  at TSR Injury Law have a proven record of helping accident victims recover fair compensation for their injuries, including a $1.7 million settlement recovered by attorney Rich Ruohonen on behalf of a pedestrian who was hit by a semi-truck. Rich was selected for the annual Super Lawyers list by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine each year from 2003 to 2019.

We encourage you to schedule an appointment for a free initial consultation with one of our Bloomington truck accident attorneys to discuss your legal options. There is no obligation to take legal action if we determine you have a case. We work on contingency – we do not get paid unless we are successful in recovering damages for you.

Call our Bloomington legal team today at (612) TSR-TIME. We are here to answer your questions.

How Much is My Case Worth?

Our firm has more than 20 years of experience evaluating accident claims to determine what they may be worth and the damages that may be available.

Some of the damages that could be available include:

• Medical expenses – Truck accidents are often severe, causing life-changing injuries that may require surgery or long hospital stays. Even if your injuries are not permanently life-altering, you may still have costs to travel to and from doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, pay for medical treatments, prescriptions or other medical interventions.
• Lost wages – If your injuries keep you from working after the accident, medical expenses can add up very quickly. Being without your income, even temporarily, can have a devastating effect on your finances and ability to provide for your loved ones.
• Property damage – This covers damage to your vehicle or other property loss.
• Pain and suffering – This refers to the physical pain and mental suffering that can occur after a truck accident injury. Mental suffering could include things like anxiety, depression, loss of sleep and other psychological issues.
• Loss of consortium – Sometimes accident injuries hurt the victim’s relationship with his or her spouse.

Contact us at (612) TSR-TIME to discuss your legal options and the potential value of your claim.

How Much Time Do I Have to File a Claim?

Minnesota accident victims usually have just two years from the date of their accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you do not file before those two years pass, you may lose the right to file a lawsuit.

There are exceptions to this general deadline though, depending on the details of a particular case. If the victim was under the age of 18 at the time of the crash, the deadline is two years from his or her 18th birthday. There is also a much shorter deadline for cases against a government entity.

Our lawyers can review your situation in a free consultation and determine how much time you may have. The sooner you contact us, the more time we will have to help you.

Why Liability for a Truck Accident is Complicated

Statistics show that commercial truck accidents are often related to truck driver negligence, such as drowsy or impaired driving, aggressive driving or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, there can be other liable parties:

• Trucking companies – They could be held liable for the negligence of the driver, if he or she was an employee of the company. Trucking companies could also be held liable for breaking state or federal commercial trucking regulations.
• Owner of the commercial vehicle – These vehicles are often rented or leased to other companies. If the vehicle had a defect that contributed to the accident, the owner of the truck may bear some liability.
• Company responsible for loading the truck – If the cargo moves when it is being transported, or was incorrectly declared before being transported, or there were other problems, the company that loaded the cargo may be at fault in the accident.
• Party responsible for vehicle maintenance – Commercial trucks have a lot of moving parts that need regular maintenance. If a step gets missed or a mechanical issue is not fixed, it can lead to a dangerous accident.
• Tire manufacturer – If a tire blew out because of a design or manufacturing defect, the manufacturer may hold some liability for the crash.
• Truck manufacturer – Flaws in the design or manufacture of a truck could increase the risk of a crash.

If you have a case and hire our firm, we can sort through the liability issues that may be involved.

How Can an Attorney Assist Me After a Truck Accident?

Each case is unique and there are no guarantees, but those who hire an experienced attorney with a history of results often recover more compensation than those who do not.

There are many steps involved in investigating, from visiting the scene and reviewing medical records to preserving evidence. Accident victims are often physically unable to handle all of this and are unsure about where to begin. They also lack the financial resources to launch a comprehensive investigation.

Insurance companies are also working against you. They will be looking for any way to avoid responsibility and pay out the least possible amount of compensation.

Our Bloomington truck accident lawyers know the tricks insurance companies try to use and how to protect accident victims’ claims. Our attorneys have many years of combined experience building strong cases on behalf of injury victims.

Our firm welcomes the chance to assist you.

Insurance Policies for Commercial Truck Accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has liability insurance requirements for trucking companies and vehicle operators. The minimum limit of insurance is based on the type of cargo.

Some of the insurance policies that may apply to a truck accident case include:

Our qualified attorneys can sort through the insurance issues and determine the coverages that may apply to your accident. If you have a case and your hire our attorneys, we can speak to the insurance companies on your behalf.

What Should I Do After a Truck Accident?

There are a few things you can do, if you will not be putting yourself in danger, to begin building a case:

Call 9-1-1

It is important to get first responders on the scene as soon as possible to see to the injuries of any accident victims.

Gather Evidence

If it is safe to walk around – and you are physically able to do so – take pictures of the damage to your vehicle, the condition of the road, any debris or tire tracks from the accident and the damage to the truck. Sometimes damage to the truck can indicate how an accident occurred and help to prove the driver was liable for the accident.

Get a Statement From Witnesses

It is also a good idea to see if there were any witnesses to your accident and try to speak with them to find out what they saw. If they are willing to give you their information, take down their contact details so your attorney can follow up with them later.

Seek Medical Care

Whether or not you are in pain or see any visible signs of injury, it is important for your health and safety that you seek medical attention after an accident. Some injuries, like a traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, a sprained neck or even broken bones may not be initially apparent.

Be Wary of Insurance Adjusters on the Scene

Trucking companies will often get their insurance representatives and other company officials on the scene as quickly as they can.

If they come talk to you, limit what you say. Do not say anything that could sound like an admission of fault, such as apologizing or saying that you feel guilty. Do not say that you are not hurt either, because you do not yet know the extent of your injuries. This is all information that an insurance company for the at-fault party could use to reduce or deny your claim for damages.

After receiving medical treatment, we encourage you to not delay contacting TSR Injury Law to discuss your claim.

Fill out our Free Case Evaluation form or call a Bloomington truck accident attorney now at (612) TSR-TIME.

Laws That Regulate the Trucking Industry

There are both federal and state laws that trucking companies and drivers must follow.

Federal law limits the number of hours drivers can be on the road. Drivers are not allowed to drive for more than 11 hours after being off duty for 10 consecutive hours. Additionally, drivers are not permitted to operate a commercial vehicle after driving 60-70 hours over seven or eight consecutive days.

TSR Injury Law’s Bloomington truck accident attorneys have in-depth understanding and knowledge of trucking industry regulations and how to find evidence to prove regulations were broken in an accident.

Phone: (612) TSR-TIME. We can discuss more of the benefits of working with our experienced law firm.

Common Types of Truck Accidents

Some of the most common truck crashes that lead to injury claims include:

• Jackknife accidents – These may happen if the brakes of a truck lock up, sending the vehicle into a skid. The motion causes the trailer to swing out to form a 90-degree angle to the cab.
• Head-on collisions – Head-on collisions are particularly deadly and often happen when a motorist is driving impaired.
• Rollover crashes – A commercial vehicle may go into a rollover if a truck driver was going too fast and lost control of the vehicle.
• Blind-spot accidents – Trucks have huge blind spots, which is why most commercial vehicles have a notice on the truck to warn other motorists.
• Rear-end accidents – A truck may rear-end a vehicle if the driver was traveling too fast or neglected to leave enough distance between his or her vehicle and those in front.
• T-bone accidents – A severe side-impact accident may happen if a truck fails to come to a complete stop, runs a red light or fails to yield right of way.
• Underride crashes –This happens when a smaller vehicle collides with a truck from behind, causing the smaller vehicle to be forced under the trailer during the crash.

Types of Commercial Vehicles

If you were injured in a crash with any of these vehicles, contact our attorneys today for a free consultation:

Injuries That May Require Long-Term Medical Care

Truck accidents often result in injuries that are serious or life-changing:

If you have suffered severe injuries from a truck accident, our attorneys are prepared to help.

Contact a Bloomington Truck Accident Lawyer

Our legal team has been representing accident victims in Bloomington for more than two decades, recovering $300 million in compensation.

We can answer your legal questions in a free consultation and determine if you may be eligible to pursue compensation for the damages you have suffered. When you set up a consultation at TSR Injury Law, there are no out-of-pocket costs for you. The initial consultation is a free and confidential discussion about your claim.

We accept truck accident injury claims on a contingency basis, and we charge no upfront legal fees if we represent you. We are not paid unless our clients receive compensation.

Our office in Minneapolis is located at 7760 France Ave South, just six minutes from M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital. You can also call us or reach us online 24/7.

Free consultation. Phone: (612) TSR-TIME or complete our Free Case Evaluation form online.