Louisville Truck Accident Attorneys
Thousands of semi-trucks are on the roads and highways of Louisville and throughout Kentucky. Because of this fact, hundreds of automobile crashes are caused by the negligence of 18-wheeler drivers.
Being in any type of automobile accident can be a horrible experience for all involved. But being in a crash caused by someone driving a big truck can be horrific. Imagine getting struck by a vehicle that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and think about the amount of damage and injury such a crash could cause. Big trucks make for big accidents.
There are varying causes of crashes that involve big trucks, but no matter the cause, these types of accidents are more complicated than crashes that involve regular cars. Why? Well, semi-truck crashes cause more damage and are more prone to involve many vehicles given their size and weight.
Because these types of accidents are more complicated, it is best to hire an experienced Louisville truck accident lawyer to fight for your rights and to get the compensation you deserve. The truck driver, his employer and their insurance company will have a team of attorneys, adjusters and investigators on their side fighting against you to make sure they pay as little as possible for your injuries. Get a team on your side that has successfully handled hundreds of crashes involving semi-trucks.
Mr. Pohl settled my claim when another law firm wasn’t able to…He’s the man for the job!
- TINA
Hiring an experienced Louisville truck accident attorney is the smartest thing to do
What Hessig & Pohl's truck accident lawyers can do for you
When you hire us, we will start working your case immediately in order to best protect your rights to fair and reasonable compensation for your injuries. The trucking company and its insurance provider will do everything in their power to defeat you, including sending their own investigators to the scene of the crash to take pictures, interview witnesses and even possibly destroy or hide evidence of their driver’s negligence. Your team needs to be in place as soon as possible in order to combat the people responsible.
After a crash with a semi-truck there are many things that have to be done as quickly as possible in order to preserve evidence so that the crash can be recreated and the cause determined. We may need to hire our own investigators and accident reconstruction experts to gather evidence, pinpoint the exact cause(s) of the accident and prove that the defendants were at fault.
Things we will immediately do when you hire for your semi-truck accident case include
What should you do at the scene of crash with an 18-wheeler?
If you have been injured in an 18-wheeler crash, then there are certain things that you must do to protect yourself and protect your rights related to the crash.
The most important thing to do is to get yourself out of harm’s way for any possible subsequent injury, by removing yourself from your vehicle, if possible, just in case you get hit by another vehicle. The next thing to do is to call 911 as quickly as possible in order to report the crash and to ensure first responders get to scene as fast as possible. The quicker EMT’s and an ambulance can get to the scene of the accident, the better those injured will fare. Also, the police need to be there to direct traffic to make sure no secondary accidents occur and to begin an investigation of the cause of the crash.

Additional things to do at the scene of a tractor-trailer accident
Note the activity of the driver to see whether they exhibit symptoms of intoxication like slurred speech or stumbling. Also note whether the truck driver is attempting to destroy evidence of being intoxicated by throwing away bottles or cans of alcohol. Police are trained at spotting drivers who are intoxicated and they can perform field sobriety tests and employ a breathalyzer test at the scene of the crash.
Talk to witnesses. Write down the contact information (name, phone number, address and email) of everyone who is a witness and saw the accident so that your attorney can better recreate the scene of the accident and be able to prove the cause of the crash at trial.
Take pictures. If you have a phone or other camera, take pictures to record the scene of the crash right after it happened. Take photos of the entire area so that your lawyer will be able to get a good sense of the circumstances of the crash. Also, make sure to take detailed photos of the damage to the vehicles and any skid marks that you can find. This can help an accident reconstruction expert recreate the crash and determine whether the driver was negligent.
Be cooperative and honest with the investigating police officer when they ask you to provide a statement of what happened. Do not exaggerate anything but also do not leave any facts out, even if you think it might not matter.
Notice whether the driver is writing anything down or changing things in their log book. Drivers have to keep detailed records of when and for how long they are driving. Federal law mandates that drivers are to take rest periods once they drive up to the limit. If the driver goes over these limits, fatigue can set in, which is a major cause of semi-truck accidents.
What can cause a tractor-trailer crash?
Not every truck accident is the same. There are many potential causes for a motor vehicle accident, no matter what type(s) of vehicles are involved. However, crashes caused by big trucks can be more complicated, and may require investigation by your attorney. Because of the way 18-wheelers are used, the amount of time drivers are on the road and the industry-specific regulation that governs them, there are many different ways a driver or trucking company can be negligent.
Common Semi-Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accidents can be uniquely destructive
Due to the mere size of these big trucks, injuries caused by a truck crash can be much more severe than those in regular car accidents. Often, semi-truck accidents cause multi-vehicle collisions, affecting more people.
Here are some common semi-truck injuries:
Damages that can be recovered in a truck accident case
Economic damages
Every person who is seriously injured due to the negligence of a semi-truck driver has the right to be compensated for their injuries. These crashes can be extremely violent, can cause gruesome injuries or death and can rip a family apart. If you have been seriously injured in a tractor-trailer crash, you should contact an truck accident attorney with experience handling large truck accident cases so that, if necessary, a civil lawsuit can be filed against the driver and the trucking company.
Economic damage that can be recovered are:
- Property damage to your car and any items you may have had in the vehicle
- Unpaid medical bills and expenses related to your treatment and recovery
- Lost wages due to an inability to work while healing from your injuries
- Future lost wages due to a long term disability affecting your future earning capacity.
Non-economic damages
The non-economic damages that you may be able to recover are more difficult to discern because your lawyer is not just adding up numbers. Non-economic damages involve changes to your life, including:
- Pain and suffering from your injuries
- Emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder and mental suffering
- Humiliation and damage to your reputation
Unlike semi-truck crashes that involve just mere negligence of the driver, if the driver was intoxicated these types of accidents offer an ability to seek money from the drunk truck driver and the trucking company that are called punitive damages. Punitive damages can be awarded to the injured plaintiff not to compensate the plaintiff for any injuries, but to punish the drunk truck driver and the trucking company for their outrageous and reckless behavior.
You need experienced, effective help from the injury attorneys at Hessig & Pohl
Damages that can be recovered in a truck accident case
The importance of hiring a Louisville truck accident lawyer
This is why contacting an experienced truck accident lawyer is very important in order to protect your rights. If you have been injured in a collision with a large truck, please do not hesitate to contact the lawyers at Hessig & Pohl at (502) 777-1111. We can answer your questions and help you recover the damages to compensate you for your injuries. The initial consultation is free.