Aggressive Legal Help For Victims Of Truck Accidents

The impact of a tractor-trailer accident is extreme — in both the physical force and the human aftermath. The Manassas truck accident lawyers of The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, offer aggressive representation for the victims of truck crashes, including those who suffered serious injury and family members left behind when a collision takes a life.

The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, is an established personal injury firm, serving clients across Northern Virginia from our offices in Manassas, Fairfax and Warrenton. Through jury verdicts and settlements, we have helped clients obtain the compensation needed for physical recovery, economic losses and the emotional toll.

For a free consultation with one of our Fairfax truck wreck lawyers, please call toll-free at 703-214-1688 or email us today.

Holding Truck Drivers and Trucking Companies Accountable

An 18-wheeler is sometimes called “40 tons of death” for good reason. More than 5,000 Americans die each year in tractor-trailer wrecks or collisions with other large commercial vehicles. Because of their sheer size and limited maneuverability, the federal Department of Transportation strictly regulates trucks and the trucking industry.

We hold trucking companies accountable for the negligence that led to the crash. Our investigation response team includes retired law enforcement officers and truck experts known throughout Virginia for their ability to pinpoint the cause of trucking accidents:

Truck driver fatigue (exceeding the legal number of hours behind the wheel)
Speeding
DUI/DWI
Overloaded truck
Improperly balanced load
Poor truck maintenance

We are passionate advocates for those who have suffered serious injuries in truck crashes. We have handled claims involving traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, lost limbs, herniated disks, compound fractures and disfigurement, as well as wrongful death. We work with medical professionals and economists to calculate the monetary damages for catastrophic injuries: medical bills; ongoing care and permanent disabilities; lost wages and future earnings; pain and suffering; and lost enjoyment of life.

Legal Advocacy After Fatal Truck Accidents

When a loved one has died in an accident involving a tractor-trailer, semitruck or other commercial vehicle, you can trust in the experience, dedication and compassion that you will find with The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, in Manassas. Practicing law in Virginia since 1982, we bring a wealth of knowledge and real world experience to the families of fatal truck accident victims.

Overcoming the Aftermath of a Fatal Commercial Vehicle Accident

While most people will never understand what your family will endure physically, emotionally and financially following the loss of a loved one in a fatal accident, our law firm will make every effort possible to that end. We make your concerns our concerns. We spend time with you getting to know the accident victim. Our personalized approach enables us to illustrate to a jury the life that was lost and the catastrophic impact to your family when a loved one is killed in a trucking accident.

We understand how difficult it can be to proceed with a wrongful death lawsuit and how painful the process can be for your family. However, this process of seeking answers and pursuing justice is often a critical component to moving forward after the tragic loss.

Our fatal accident attorneys work with leading experts, accident reconstruction specialists, investigators and other resources to identify the cause of the truck crash, and expose negligence that contributed to preventable death:

Was a truck driver being motivated to speed or drive excessive hours without rest?
Did the commercial truck company utilize negligent maintenance practices, resulting in an unsafe 18-wheeler?
Did the manufacturer of truck components cut corners, resulting in defective brakes or tires?
Was the semi-truck improperly loaded, resulting in an unbalanced load and promoting a semi-rollover

We aggressively pursue wrongful death litigation against negligent truck drivers, truck companies, contract companies, manufacturers and other parties responsible for the fatal accident.

Did Truck Driver Error Cause the Crash?

Our attorneys use professional investigators (retired law enforcement officials) and experts in truck accident reconstruction. We document skid marks and debris, gather witness accounts, examine the vehicles, obtain the driver’s log books and analyze the truck’s “black box” data recorder to determine what happened.

Some accidents are caused by poor maintenance of the truck, road conditions or error of other drivers. But a large percentage of truck accidents are due to truck driver negligence:

Fatigue from driving more hours than DOT regulations allow
Inattentive driving (failure to stop, pulling out into traffic)
Judgment error (lane changes, failure to gauge stopping distance)
Traffic violations (speeding, illegal turns, running stoplights/stop signs)
Failure to maintain the lane (crossing the center line, sideswiping cars)
Drug or alcohol impairment

Commercial hauling companies are liable for driver errors. They are also liable for falsified logbooks, inadequate training of drivers, and negligent hiring of drivers with criminal histories, numerous traffic violations or substance abuse problems.

The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, is dedicated to getting to the root cause, and committed to getting full compensation for our clients who suffered devastating injuries or wrongful death. If we cannot convince the trucking company and their insurance carrier to offer a fair settlement, we are trial lawyers and fully prepared to bring evidence to a jury.

How Does Improper Truck Maintenance Causes Crashes?

Directly or indirectly, human negligence is at the root of all truck crashes. Sometimes the truck driver or auto driver are at fault. In many cases, a poorly maintained or improperly loaded tractor-trailer was an accident waiting to happen.

Truck Maintenance

Any truck is a potential threat to other drivers because of its size and limited maneuverability. The danger is magnified when a trucking company puts a truck in bad condition on the road. Many truck accidents result from:

Bad brakes (increased stopping distance, veering)
Worn tires (blowout debris, abrupt swerving)
Inadequate lights or reflective tape on the cab or trailer
Malfunctioning hitches or rear doors

Freight Loading

Failure to secure loads per DOT regulations also contributes to crashes:

Shifting loads (causing swerving, jackknifes or tipping)
Falling debris (tarps, restraints, merchandise)
Overweight loads (making it harder to stop)

In most cases, a simple safety check would have revealed that the rig was unsafe.

The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, sends trucking experts and retired law enforcement officers to the scene, experienced professionals who can reconstruct the accident and determine if truck maintenance was a cause. We obtain driver logbooks, inspection reports, and maintenance and repair records, and have the truck inspected by a mechanic or engineer who can discern clues from the wreckage.

Contact a Fairfax Truck Crash Lawyer for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you love was injured in a truck wreck in Northern Virginia , The Law Offices of Locklin & Coleman, PLLC, is here to help. We offer a free initial consultation at our Manassas office, or we can visit injury victims at home or in the hospital. To arrange your meeting, please call at 703-214-1688 or email us. We work on a contingency basis — no attorney fees unless we secure compensation.