New Haven Truck Accident Lawyers

Detail-Oriented New Haven Attorneys Who Deliver Results

Tractor-trailers, delivery trucks and other large commercials vehicles often cause accidents in New Haven. Whether it's a rear-end accident on Church Street caused by a distracted truck driver or a high-speed collision on I-91 or I-95, truck accidents can result in serious injuries. That why you need an experienced New Haven truck accident lawyer working for you and protecting your rights.

The attorneys at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone & Morelli have years of experience handling all types of truck accidents. That's why we have such a strong track record of success. We understand how the legal system works in New Haven. We know what questions to ask to uncover the truth.

This might be your only opportunity to obtain the compensation you rightfully deserve for your truck accident. Seize it. Contact our New Haven office and schedule your free case evaluation right now. Best of all, you only pay us if we win your case. We work this way because we value your time and your money.

New Haven Office

376 Whalley Avenue
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: 203-498-1985

Tough Cases

Common Causes Of Truck Accidents?

Truck accidents happen in New Haven for many different reasons. The most common causes of truck accidents include:

Speeding truck drivers
Distracted truck drivers
Falling asleep at the wheel
Impaired driving (drugs or alcohol)
Tailgating (driving to close to other vehicles)

In some cases, a truck accident can be traced back to a trucking company's negligence. Whether a trucking company hired a driver without doing a thorough background check or pinched pennies when it was time to service their fleet, the consequences can be tragic. Claims can also be brought against truck drivers, shipping companies and brokers for legal responsibility for an accident.

Frequent ways trucking companies, shipping companies and brokers are negligent include:

Reckless hiring practices - Truckers are supposed to be professional drivers held to a high standard. Some trucking companies don't take the time to see whether or not a potential driver is qualified for the job, however. Too many trucking companies cut corners in the hiring process and put someone with a history of moving violations or substance abuse behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer. They may even hire someone without a valid CDL (Commercial Driver's License).
Lack of training, supervision, and oversight - Trucking companies are responsible for training drivers to be prepared for foul weather or emergency situations. They also should:
- Educate drivers about safety regulations.
- Stay on top of the most recent Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements.
- Have competent supervisors and safety directors in place.
- Assure dispatchers send drivers on safe routes.
- Have an adequate budget dedicated to safety.
- Make sure fatigued truckers stay off the road.
Ignoring weight limits - There are laws in place to limit how heavy a tractor-trailer can be because overloaded 18-wheelers are at an increased risk of crashing. Heavy trucks can damage the structural integrity of roads and bridges. They are also much harder for the trucker to maneuver, which poses a safety risk. So why do trucking companies break the weight limit rules? It's simple. The more cargo they deliver, the more money they make.
Poor truck maintenance - A semi-truck's engine can last up to 1 million miles, but that doesn't mean an 18-wheeler should go without routine maintenance and service. Trucking companies should regularly inspect the tractor-trailer's:
- Tire tread and pressure
- Brakes
- Transmission
- Lights
- Underride guards

In the event you get injured in a collision with an 18-wheeler, you'll need all the help you can get. That's because the trucking company's insurance provider often has a team of attorneys and investigators ready to deploy to the scene of the crash to gather critical pieces of evidence and find witnesses - to dispute your claim or lawsuit.

Our experienced New Haven truck accident lawyers can level the playing field. We know how to fight back against the trucking company and prove the accident wasn't your fault. No matter how your truck accident happened, the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone and Morelli can help you get the compensation you're entitled to.

Different Rules Apply to Truck Accidents

Our New Haven attorneys can sort it out

Accidents involving commercial trucks in New Haven are different that other motor vehicle accidents. Some of the reasons include:

Different regulations – Different state and federal laws apply to commercial truck accidents, including Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Different enforcement – Enforcement of laws governing trucking companies and truck drivers with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) is handled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Multiple investigations – Unlike many car crashes, truck accidents in New Haven might be investigated by the New Haven Police Department, the Connecticut State Police and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates most serious commercial truck accidents.
Multiple at-fault parties – Unlike many other motor vehicle accidents, there might be more than one at-fault party that caused your New Haven truck accident – the truck driver, the trucking company, perhaps even the business that loaded the truck or packaged the materials being transported. All of these possibilities need to be considered when determining who was at fault.
Trucking company evidence – In most cases, the trucking company owns important evidence related to your New Haven truck accident. Such evidence can include truck inspection records, truck driver’s accident history, event data recorder (EDR) information from the truck, and the truck driver’s Hours of Service (HOS) logs, which include when or if the truck driver took a mandatory rest break before the collision.

Another fact people might not know is that trucking companies only have to keep certain records for a short period of time. After that, they can legally destroy HOS records, EDR data and other critical pieces of evidence, unless an attorney intervenes. That’s why it’s important that you contact an experienced New Haven truck accident attorney at our law firm as soon as possible.

Rely On Us

How We Can Help You

Truck accidents in New Haven can be very complicated for several reasons. These reasons include:

Truck drivers deny doing anything wrong
Trucking companies can be hard to reach (especially out-of-state trucking companies)
Obtaining records from trucking companies can be difficult
Trucking companies sometimes change their records after an accident in an attempt to conceal illegal activity
Several different companies may be responsible for the accident (the trucking company, the company that loaded the truck, the company that packaged the products in the truck, etc.)

And then there are the insurance companies. As with most accidents, the insurance companies that represent the truck driver and the trucking company often do everything they can to pay accident victims as little as possible, even when the truck driver clearly caused the accident. In fact, the insurance companies tend to fight harder on truck accident claims because the stakes are so high.

That's not right. That's why we want to meet with you and help you hold the truck driver, the trucking company and anyone else responsible for your accident accountable for their actions. We know how the legal system works in New Haven and we do not rest until justice is served!

Put the power of an experienced New Haven truck accident lawyer to work for you. Contact our law firm and schedule your free case evaluation right now. We can answer your questions, explain your options and get right to work on your truck accident injury claim or lawsuit in New Haven.