Cincinnati Tow Truck Accident Lawyers
If you have been an accident involving a tow truck, you may have sustained serious injuries and extensive property damage. Because of the losses you’ve suffered in this truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation.
Tow truck accidents can be significantly worse than passenger vehicle accidents for many reasons. Tow trucks are much heavier than passenger vehicles and have slower braking times, which makes them incapable of stopping quickly to avoid a collision.
Additionally, tow trucks are almost always subject to many state and federal rules and regulations. If any of these were ignored or broken, and this played a role in your accident, you may be entitled to more compensation than you realize.
The Cincinnati tow truck accident lawyers at Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC know that you have a lot on your plate right now as you try to heal from your accident. Hiring a personal injury lawyer may be the last thing on your mind.
But legal action needs to be taken quickly to hold the tow truck driver and the towing company accountable for their negligent actions and to get the compensation you’re entitled to. Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC has the knowledge and experience to skillfully handle all the legal details of your tow truck accident case while you focus on your recovery.
Contact us today at (513) 351-5997 to schedule a free consultation about your case.
Why Do I Need a Tow Truck Accident Lawyer?
Because tow truck accidents often result in severe injuries and vehicle damage, you have likely spent a significant amount of money on medical bills and property damage. You may have future medical bills to pay if your injuries require continued care, and you may have lost wages if your injuries have prevented you from working.
An experienced tow truck accident lawyer can help get you the compensation you deserve, so you can rest and recover without having to worry about how you will pay your bills.
Tow truck accident attorneys have specialized knowledge of the complicated rules and regulations that govern tow trucks and will be able to investigate whether any laws or regulations were violated.
A tow truck accident lawyer also knows how much compensation you can expect to receive based on your damages, and will advise you on when you should accept a settlement from the tow truck’s insurance company, and when you should fight your case in a court.
Why Choose Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC?
Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC is an experienced personal injury firm dedicated to getting injured people the compensation they deserve. We see our clients as people and not as numbers. We treat every case with the personalized detail and care. We consistently receive five-star reviews from our clients.
We strive to make your experience at Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC as seamless and straightforward as possible, which is why we incorporate modern technology into all aspects of our practice.
You can request a free, confidential consultation with one of our attorneys via video conference, chat, phone, email, or in-person — whatever is more comfortable for you. While you can always make an in-person office visit, we find this kind of technology helps our clients have quick and easy access to their attorney to address any questions or concerns during their case.
Many people worry about how they will pay for a lawyer. At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC, we offer a free initial consultation, so you can decide whether or not you would like us to take your case without any financial pressure.
We also work on a contingency-fee basis, which means that we take a small percentage of the final compensation you receive. You don’t pay anything for our legal services until we win your case, which lets you work with an attorney without any financial risk or burden.
Call us today at (513) 351-5997 so we can begin working on getting you the compensation you deserve.
Tow Truck Accidents
While we often think of tow trucks as being there to help us after an accident, tow trucks actually cause accidents quite frequently. Accidents with tow trucks are more severe because of their size, weight, and attached towing equipment.
To account for this increased risk, state and federal governments heavily regulate the tow trucking industry. Tow truck companies are required by law to conduct regular safety inspections of their trucks to ensure all mechanical operations are working correctly, such as the brakes, headlights, and towing mechanisms. Tow truck drivers also need to have special licenses and training.
Many factors can lead to a tow truck accident. Things like driver fatigue, impaired driving, and having an improperly maintained vehicle are some of the most common causes of tow truck accidents.
It’s important to understand that true “accidents” where no party is at fault are infrequent. Insurance companies and judges nearly always place the blame on at least one party.
Consider this example: a tow truck was driving at a safe speed on a highway during normal traffic. The driver suddenly hits a section of packed snow, loses control, and rear-ends you. It may appear that there was nothing the driver could have done to avoid the accident.
However, upon further inspection, your lawyers determine that the company had failed to put chains on the tow truck, making it more difficult for the driver to slow down on the ice. In this situation, a judge would likely determine that the tow truck company was entirely at fault.
One factor that can impact the severity of a tow truck crash is the kind of tow truck involved. There are four different types of tow trucks:
Flatbed tow trucks – This is the most common type of tow truck, and it is generally considered to be one of the safest. This tow truck has a long, flat, and empty bed that the vehicle to be towed is driven directly onto. The bed is then raised using a hydraulic system.
Integrated tow trucks – These trucks are used to tow large vehicles, such as buses and other trucks. This truck is much larger than other tow trucks and has more axles to support the additional weight.
Hook and chain tow trucks – This towing method used to be quite common, but has fallen out of general use because of the damage it can do to a vehicle. This kind of tow truck uses a crane-like arm to hoist the front or back of the car off the ground. Because it can cause damage to the bumper of the vehicle, these tow trucks are generally used only to tow totaled cars to a junkyard.
Wheel-lift tow truck – Wheel-lift tow trucks are similar to hook and chain trucks, but use a metal yoke to lift the front or back wheels of a car off the ground instead of a hook and chain. These kinds of tow trucks are generally less expensive than others but are also less safe.
Common Injuries in Tow Truck Accidents
In an accident involving a larger vehicle, such as a tow truck, and a smaller vehicle, such as a passenger car, the person in the smaller vehicle nearly always sustains more severe injuries and vehicle damage. Some common injuries are:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), such as concussions
- Broken bones, such as spine, wrists, legs, ankles, and skull
- Burns/bruises from the seatbelt or airbags
- Nerve damage
- Mental, such as PTSD
- Paralysis
- Death
How Much Compensation Might I Receive?
Your total compensation will depend on the kind of damages you suffered as a result of the accident. At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC, we have an excellent track record for winning significant settlements for our clients. We recently won a $3.5 million settlement for a man who was seriously injured after being hit by a truck.
If the tow truck driver or company was at fault for the accident, there are generally two types of damages that you will be eligible to receive compensation for: economic and non-economic.
Economic damages
Economic damages are those for which money can directly replace. Compensation for these kinds of damages is supposed to cover your present and future medical bills, cost of vehicle repairs/replacement, and any wages you lost if your injuries prevented you from working.
It’s crucial to get medical attention as soon as you can following an accident. Doing this is not just for your well-being, but also because it’s critical to have medical documentation of your injuries.
Medical documentation will help prove that you indeed suffered injuries, and the accident caused these injuries. If you wait too long to seek medical attention, the tow truck’s insurance company may try to argue that your injuries are not severe enough to warrant compensation, or that you were injured before or after the accident.
Non-economic damages
Non-economic damages, sometimes called “general damages,” are those for which money is an approximate substitution. You have likely heard of compensation for “pain and suffering” — these are non-economic damages. If your injuries have severely impacted your quality of life, you may be entitled to compensation for non-economic damages.
There is no exact formula for determining how much money non-economic damages are worth, although they are usually between one and a half and five times the amount of your economic damages. One way to prove that you deserve non-economic damage compensation is to keep a daily written record that details how your injuries and emotional trauma are impacting your everyday life.
Contact Us
Tow truck accidents are terrifying and can cause devastating injuries and property damage. If you have been in an accident involving a tow truck, you have your hands full with healing and recovery.
We understand that you need help and support in seeking justice for all that you’ve suffered from this accident. Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC is here to do just that. We are committed to making sure that the negligent parties who caused your accident are held responsible and made to pay for their actions.
At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC, we are here to fight for your fair settlement while you rest and recover. We’d like to hear about your case. Call us today at (513) 351-5997 to schedule a free consultation about your tow truck accident case.
