Boston Truck Accident Lawyer

Commercial Motor Vehicle and Truck Accidents in Boston, MA

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is defined as any vehicle used to transport passengers or property that has a gross weight over 10,000 pounds, is designed to transport more than 15 people at a time, or is used to transport a certain amount of hazardous materials.

Examples of commercial motor vehicles include:  

• City buses
• Coach buses
• Delivery vans (Amazon, FedEx, UPS, etc.)
• Dump trucks
• Plow trucks
• School buses
• Semi-trucks (also referred to as tractor-trailers)
• Straight trucks (also referred to as box trucks)

There are thousands of commercial motor vehicles on the road each day. In the state of Massachusetts, there are over 16,500 trucking companies and 129,360 trucking industry jobs.

When a passenger vehicle is involved in an accident with a truck or other CMV, those in the passenger vehicle are 6 to 10 times more likely to suffer injuries and fatalities than passengers of the truck. This is due to the sheer size and weight of most CMVs.

Also known as tractor-trailers or 18-wheelers, semi-trucks crash and injure, or kill someone, every 15 minutes in the U.S. Annually, this adds up to about 555,000 truck accidents and accounts for nearly 5,000 fatalities, according to the FMCSA. Collisions with trucks kill more people than accidents involving planes, trains, ships, and interstate buses combined.

Trucking Accidents vs. Passenger Vehicle Crashes

Several factors differentiate commercial trucking accidents from passenger vehicle crashes in Boston.

Some of these factors include: 

• Higher likelihood of serious, catastrophic, or fatal injuries
• Increased vehicle and/or personal property damage
• The size of the company (or companies) involved and their insurance provider(s)

The severe injuries and property damage that may result from a trucking accident are often downplayed or minimized by trucking companies and insurance providers as a way to lower their liability and overall costs.

A Boston commercial truck accident lawyer with Sokolove Law may be able to help you pursue justice if you or a loved one was injured in a trucking accident.

Where Do Boston Tractor-Trailer Accidents Occur?

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, accidents involving large trucks in 2020 resulted in 4,965 fatalities and approximately 146,930 injuries.

While many tractor-trailer accidents occur on interstate highways like I-90, I-93, and I-95, the Boston Globe also found that a large portion of truck accidents in Boston occur on Storrow Drive. Storrow Drive runs alongside the Charles River and passes beneath many bridges, some with clearance as low as 10 feet.

Despite a number of signs warning drivers of the low bridges, multiple trucks find themselves “storrowing” — a local term for getting stuck beneath these overpasses — each year.

Truck accidents on Storrow Drive can create a sudden, unexpected block in traffic and fill the road with dangerous debris. These accidents often involve box trucks and commonly occur when people from out of town are moving into Boston, like when starting college or a new job.

If you or a loved one was injured in a trucking accident, get a free case review to see if a Boston truck accident attorney can help you pursue compensation.

What Causes Truck Accidents in Boston, MA?

There are many factors that may cause a truck accident to occur. Commercial trucks differ from cars due to their size, weight, and mechanics.

In addition to this, some trucking companies encourage drivers to cut corners as a way of maximizing their profit, even though it can put those sharing the road in danger.

Common Causes of Commercial Vehicle Accidents

• Distracted driving: According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 71% of large-truck crashes happened when the trucker was doing something else while driving, like eating, using a cell phone, or checking the map.
• Driver fatigue or drowsiness: Driver drowsiness can impair a driver’s response time to on-the-road hazards, which increases the risk of accidents.
• Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol: 17% of CMV drivers were using over-the-counter drugs at the time of a crash, some of which (like cold pills, allergy medicines, and sleeping pills) can induce drowsiness, according to the FMCSA.
• Failure to maintain tires, brakes, and other parts
• Following too closely: 5% of truck crashes happened when the driver followed the vehicle ahead of them too closely, not giving themselves adequate time to brake in the event of an emergency.
• Inadequate surveillance: 14% of large-truck crashes occurred due to the CMV driver’s inadequate surveillance or failure to see approaching traffic, like during a lane change.
• Overloading trucks
• Pay structures that encourage dangerous driving, like speeding and exceeding the maximum driving hours
• Speeding: 23% of large-truck wrecks involved the truck driver traveling too fast for weather or road conditions, according to the LTCSS.
• Unfamiliar roadways: 22% of large-truck crashes occur when the driver is unfamiliar with the roadway.
• Unqualified or untrained drivers: Most truck drivers are required to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). However, many companies send new drivers onto the road with little to no experience.

Trucking accidents can happen unexpectedly, and the results can be devastating. Seeking legal representation may help the injured party level the playing field between them and the drivers or companies at fault.

Common Boston Truck Accident Injuries

The average semi-truck weighs nearly 20 times more than a typical passenger vehicle. In an accident between a CMV and a passenger vehicle, passengers in the car are far more likely to sustain significant injuries than those in the truck.

Injuries resulting from trucking accidents can include:

• Broken bones
• Burns
• Disfigurement
• Hearing or vision loss
• Lacerations
• Loss of limb(s)
• Paralysis
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Death

If you or a loved one was injured in a Boston truck accident, you may be able to pursue compensation to help cover your medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and more.

With our Boston truck accident lawyers, there are no upfront or out-of-pocket costs — we only get paid if you do, so there’s no financial risk to taking legal action. Contact us today for a free legal case review.

How a Truck Accident Lawyer in Boston, MA Can Help

A truck accident is one of the most complex personal injury cases for several reasons. Since the injuries tend to be much worse, the compensation paid to victims is usually much more than the average car wreck.

Because the stakes are so high, many trucking companies — as well as their insurance providers — fight extremely hard to avoid liability.

Insurers and trucking companies will have attorneys that strive to save their employers as much money as possible — even if it means trying to pin blame on an accident victim.

If you become our client, one of our experienced truck accident lawyers in Boston can work on your behalf to set the record straight and fight for the compensation you deserve.

You may be able to file a commercial vehicle accident lawsuit if you or a loved one were: 

• Involved in a commercial motor vehicle accident (like a truck, bus, or van)
• Suffered injuries as a result of the accident

After filing a lawsuit, truck accident compensation can generally be secured in one of two ways:

• Truck accident lawsuit settlements: This refers to when your legal team and the defendant can agree on an amount of compensation for your injuries, usually before the case proceeds to trial.
• Truck accident trial verdicts: If a truck accident settlement isn’t reached, your case may proceed to trial, where a judge and jury can hear your case and give a verdict that decides the outcome.

Maximizing Commercial Truck Accident Settlement Amounts

If you or a loved one was in an accident with a commercial motor vehicle, you may have already been contacted by a trucking company’s insurance adjuster. These professionals will typically make a settlement offer so that they don’t have to go to court.

In many cases, that offer doesn’t come anywhere close to the true costs of the victim’s injuries. However, an experienced trucking accident attorney can compile evidence and fight for a higher payout.

Many different factors go into truck accident settlement amounts, like:

• The severity of your injury
• Medical costs, both current and future
• Lost wages if the wreck left you unable to work
• Any pain, suffering, or emotional trauma you have experienced
• Out-of-pocket expenses relating to the accident

To ensure you get the compensation you deserve, contact our team today.

Get Help From Our Truck Accident Lawyers in Boston

If you or a loved one has been a victim in a truck or commercial vehicle accident, the Boston truck accident attorneys at Sokolove Law may be able to help you fight for justice and financial compensation.

Sokolove Law started in Boston more than 40 years ago. Since then, our firm has expanded across the country. We have decades of experience and a long track record of success, recovering over $9.1 Billion for injured clients nationwide.

Your initial consultation will be free, and our attorneys only get paid if you do.

Call (800) 995-1212 or fill out our contact form to find out more about how we may be able to help.

Sokolove Law Has Served Boston & New England as a Truck Accident Law Firm

In 1979, Jim Sokolove founded Sokolove Law in Boston. One of his goals was to help the families of people injured in auto accidents get the justice and compensation they deserve. Sokolove Law has become a nationwide firm because of Jim’s determination and vision.

We help people from all walks of life — including those of different races, genders, and economic statuses — file truck accident legal claims. We provide free legal case evaluations to our clients and will dedicate a team of legal professionals to your case, including an experienced truck accident attorney, paralegal, and nurse case manager.

You and your family matter to us. Let us fight for you.