Guard Corporation is owned by Berkshire Hathaway, and it provides commercial insurance for various companies that require coverage for its drivers and anyone involved in potential accidents. The company has been in operation since 1983 and has been headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Commercial insurance is a requirement for any business that has employees who drive for money, especially truck drivers. Truck accidents can happen at any point, and if you are involved in one, you should be able to receive compensation for your damages from the responsible business and insurance company. The best law firm to sue Guard Corporation for a truck accident is Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles. We have negotiated hundreds of worthwhile settlements for our clients after they were involved in truck accidents, and we are no stranger to Guard Corporation Insurance.
How Truck Accidents Happen
While on the road, drivers need to proceed with caution around trucks; it can be difficult for people to safely get around them. Many accidents occur because people are too careless and wind up tailgating a truck or passing it on the right while in the driver’s blind spot. A truck needs to turn wide and if there is a car in the way, it’ll be greatly damaged. It is difficult to maneuver a truck, much more so than a car, and some automobile drivers act as if they are not in the wrong at all if they have been struck by a tractor trailer of some kind.
However, truck drivers can also be at fault in numerous ways. Some of these instances include:
- Reckless driving, like speeding, turning without signaling, ignoring the right of way laws and proceedings, and much more
- Truck defects, like broken parts, inadequate reflectors and lighting, faulty brake lines, faulty tires, and others
- Trailer problems, such as when a trailer is not properly affixed to the truck and can detach in bumpy environments or from impact
- Driver fatigue, as many individuals drive for hours at a time to reach locations to stay on deadline, which can cause exhaustion and will make people fall asleep behind the wheel
- Improper weight distribution of trailers, which happens when loaders put too many materials or contents at the rear of the trailer instead of evenly distributing it throughout the container, which can cause the trailer to sway and tip over
- Overfilled truck beds
- Rough terrain and roads, such as bumpy roads, potholes, narrow streets, sharp turns and curves, steep hills, and more
- Inclement weather, such as fog, snow, rain, and more that can make driving a truck difficult and will make operators lose control of the vehicles
You should strive to be as safe as possible when sharing the road with truck drivers. If you get involved in a crash, contact a Los Angeles truck accident attorney that can sue Guard Corporation.
Injuries from Crashes
Truck accidents can yield much more severe injuries than regular automobile crashes because of the size discrepancy of the vehicles. A truck may do much more damage at the same exact speed as a car because of the larger amount of mass present in the crash. Many times, individuals inside trucks are unharmed, while those in cars must be rushed to the hospital with life-threatening or fatal injuries.
Some of the bodily damages that can be sustained in truck crashes include:
- Broken arms and legs
- Fractures
- Collarbone/clavicle damage
- Neck injuries
- Closed head injuries
- Concussions
- Puncture wounds
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Crushing damages
- Collapsed lungs
- Internal organ damage
- Internal bleeding/hemorrhage
- Sprains
- Strained muscles
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Severed limbs
- Coma
- Death
Many of these injuries are severe, and as such, you could earn a fair settlement from the responsible company. A Los Angeles lawyer for accident injury claim with Guard Corporation can help you take legal action.
Procedure After a Truck Accident
If you have been involved in a truck crash, it is important that you follow these steps to ensure that you have the best chance at winning your case. You can immediately call an attorney in Los Angeles who can sue Guard Corporation for a truck accident if you need more assistance.
Firstly, you should pursue medical treatment, whether from paramedics at the scene or at a hospital. Even if you feel that you haven’t been injured, you should be evaluated; some injuries show up at a later time and manifest days after the crash. Guard Corporation Insurance can claim that you are trying to blame the accident for injuries that happened elsewhere, so it is important that you follow through with medical help as quickly as possible.
You should take down the necessary information of the driver, including his name and company details. This will allow you to file an incident report with the business.
If you have the ability, take as many photos as you can. You can photograph your injuries, the scene of the accident, the damage to your car, the truck driver and his vehicle, and much more.
Any passengers or bystanders who witnessed the event can give you their statements and testimonies as to what happened. These additional pieces of evidence can come in handy when showing fault.
You may request a copy of the police report so you can have additional evidence from an authority.
Importantly, you should contact a skilled lawyer that can sue Guard Corporation for a truck accident injury. If you were injured, you may find it extremely difficult to pursue a claim. Our attorneys are here for you, and we’ll be happy to help you file a lawsuit against the responsible company.
Statute of Limitations on Claims
With the help of a law firm that can file a lawsuit against Guard Corporation for a truck accident, you can be covered for your damages. A lawsuit must be filed within two years of the accident or of the injuries from the accident; if you wait too long, the statute of limitations will expire, and you won’t be able to pursue any compensation at all – your claim will be rejected.
There is the opportunity for your statute to be extended with the help of a lawyer for Guard Corporation truck accident claims. If you were underage or incapacitated, the timeline would shift when you turned 18 or when you returned to full health, for example. Talk to one of our attorneys for more help.
Compensation from a Truck Accident
As a victim of a truck accident, you should have your expenses paid. Our lawyers for Guard Corporation injury claims can help you get the fairest settlement for your injuries. We will strive to bring you compensation for the following:
- Medical expenses, including surgery, hospitalization, medication, physical therapy, and future treatments
- Lost wages from work and future missed income
- Property damage to your vehicle and other personal belongings
- Emotional pain and suffering, PTSD, mental trauma, and more
- Wrongful death damages if a loved one or family member passed away as a result of a trucking accident; these can include funeral expenses, pre-death medical bills and pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and more
To receive the maximum settlement available under the law, contact a lawyer who is experienced with truck accident cases with Guard Corporation. We’ll be happy to help.
Sample Verdicts and Settlements
Our lawyers with experience in truck accident cases against Guard Corporation have provided sample verdicts below for you to consider. These settlements show what you could possibly earn from filing a truck accident lawsuit against Guard Insurance. You can use them as a benchmark if you suffered similar injuries, but you should be aware that many variables determine the value of your case; age and occupation also come into play, as well as the amount of fault that can be assigned to you or the driver.
- $1,500,000 Verdict: A 52-year-old man died from his injuries when he was involved in an accident with a truck. The truck driver stopped in the middle of a busy highway; he did not activate his warning lights, pull over onto the shoulder, or take any other action that would prevent other drivers from crashing into him. The man wound up crashing into the back of the truck and was then struck in the rear by another vehicle. It was revealed that the truck driver had been on the road for over 12 hours and was asleep at the wheel.
- $675,000 Settlement: A woman was killed when she was hit by a truck while inside her own disabled vehicle. She had pulled over to wait for roadside assistance when a truck driver who was allegedly driving while exhausted veered off the road and crashed into her car. She had other individuals in the car with her who also sustained injuries, leading to additional compensation going to those parties.
- $340,000 Verdict: A man was driving his SUV when a tow truck crashed into the rear of his vehicle. The man suffered various neck and back injuries, as well as damage to his shoulder. The tow truck driver ran a stop sign and caused the crash. The towing company alleges that the man had preexisting injuries, but the court rule in the plaintiff’s favor.
- $920,000 Settlement: An older man was on the freeway when traffic began to accumulate and slow down. As she was matching the speed, a tractor trailer rear-ended her. It crushed the read of her car and caused her to suffer head and brain injuries, as well as various bodily damages. The truck driver stated that she pulled out in front of the truck during a lane switch, but bystanders and witnesses refute the statement.
For more information, contact an attorney who can fight Guard Corporation for a truck accident injury lawsuit.
Normandie’s Promise
Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles can provide you with the best attorney for Guard Corporation truck accident lawsuits. We are aggressive lawyers who will stop at nothing to bring you the compensation you deserve. If we need to take your case to court because Guard Insurance is resisting offering a worthwhile deal, we will do so to fight for your rights in front of a judge and jury.
Call our law offices today to speak with a qualified injury lawyer for truck accident claim against Guard Corporation. You can receive a free consultation and ask us anything you want – we’ll give you the best answers and guide you through the legal process. Further, if you hire us to represent you, we’ll give you our zero fee guarantee, which promises that you won’t have to pay any out of pocket expenses for our services; we will only get paid if we win your case, and if we lose, you owe us nothing at all.
Additionally, our lawyers speak Spanish, so if you are in need of a Spanish speaking truck accident attorney, we can provide you with one. We know that many clients are hesitant to pursue claims if they do not speak English and are afraid to risk losing because of a language barrier. We make sure that everything is properly translated and that you are fairly represented against Guard Corporation Insurance.