Fayetteville Truck Accident Lawyer

Fayetteville and Cumberland County offer the beauty of rivers and foothills, yet these same attractions result in twisting roads you must share with commercial trucks. When a careless driver or other individual causes a collision, you may be left with life-altering injuries and a mountain of medical debt. Getting the justice you deserve from those at fault requires guidance from a Fayetteville truck accident lawyer who knows the law, the area, and the worries you have.

At Ricci Law Firm, P.A., we offer over six decades of combined experience to manage your big rig collision case. Starting with a free consultation, you can ask questions while we assess the strength of your claim and suggest a tailored approach. We are dedicated to serving the hurt and vulnerable in North Carolina, so contact us today to speak with our Fayetteville personal injury lawyers and learn more.

Why Ricci Law Firm Should Be Your Choice for a Fayetteville Truck Accident Claim

At Ricci Law Firm, we understand the worry and confusion you may have as you begin recovering from serious injuries after a truck crash in Fayetteville, NC. If you lost a loved one, you need a legal advocate who can help you seek justice for a wrongful death. Our focus is on helping our neighbors during the worst times of their lives, fighting back against those whose wrongdoing has caused you pain.

Our team of attorneys relies on superior resources to investigate your claim and collect robust evidence to show what happened. We also ensure all paperwork is completed properly and filed on time. If other parties played a part in the accident, your semi-truck accident lawyer can identify them and hold them accountable for their portion of the fault.

We will keep you updated on your case’s progress, and we will be working while you heal. Our attorneys also stand by your side at every hearing and legal proceeding and negotiate for an appropriate settlement that covers your expenses. If the other side won’t agree to pay what you demand, we will prepare your case for trial and fairly litigate for what you deserve.

Worried About the Cost? We Put Those Fears to Rest

You might be concerned about adding to your bills after a truck accident and wonder how you will afford a lawyer. Fortunately, we not only offer free case reviews, but we also provide a contingency payment structure. Paying our fees is contingent, or depends on, our securing a settlement for you.

Put simply, if we do not obtain compensation for you, you do not have to pay us. We take cases that we are confident we can win, so everyone benefits when you put us to work for you. At the beginning of your case, we discuss what percentage of your settlement will cover our fees, so there are no surprises.

Dangerous Trucks Are Common on Cumberland County Roads

With vital industries such as logging, construction, and chemical transport, the roads surrounding Fayetteville and throughout Cumberland County see heavy use by commercial tractor-trailers both day and night. Data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for 2023 shows that large commercial trucks were involved in a total of 7,195 accidents. These crashes included tractor trailers, double-pup trucks, and those with three or more axles.

When traveling in a smaller vehicle, you should be a defensive driver around these large trucks, taking care to avoid their blind spots. Yet, in many truck accident cases, it is the driver, their trucking company employer, or other parties who are to blame for your injuries. When a big rig weighs an average of 80,000 pounds and measures up to 80 feet in length, you are definitely at higher risk of catastrophic injury or even death.

You can even be injured during your normal commute or while running errands in town. According to MoneyGeek.com, Fayetteville is home to the deadliest section of road in North Carolina, between Cliffdale Road and Beverly Drive, and continuing to Lansdowne Road. As many as 10 fatal accidents happened on that stretch during a recent two-year period.

What Causes Truck Accidents?

Unfortunately, most truck accidents are caused by human error or negligence. Whether it’s the driver, maintenance team, inspectors, mechanics, cargo loaders, or parts manufacturers, someone somewhere made a mistake or was careless. Their failure to consider the safety of others led to your injuries, and it is your truck accident lawyer’s job to find out how.

Some of the common reasons we see at Ricci Law Firm for tractor-trailer crashes in Cumberland County are:

The truck driver was driving while drowsy, losing focus on the road and traffic.
The driver was under the influence of alcohol or illegal substances.
Cargo loaders failed to properly balance or secure the freight, allowing it to shift during transport.
Mechanics neglected to locate and correct problems with the truck’s brakes, steering, or other systems.
The trucking company did not train the driver adequately.
Road maintenance or repair companies did not post clear signage, remove debris, or clear roads of ice, snow, or other slippery substances.
Another motorist recklessly caused a hazardous situation, causing the truck driver to take evasive action and crash into you.

In many instances, the answer to “Who is at fault?” is not as simple as blaming the truck driver. That is why it is so critical to work with a reputable and diligent attorney who will explore all possibilities and identify all liable parties. By doing so, your personal injury lawyer can ensure those at fault pay what they owe to those they hurt.

What Should You Do After a Truck Accident?

You may wonder what you should do after getting injured in a tractor-trailer wreck. If you are not severely injured, you can follow our recommendations below, or ask someone to help you if you need emergency medical care. Here is how you can protect your health and the strength of your claim against those to blame:

Call 911 to get first responders on the scene.
Move yourself and your vehicle out of traffic to safety.
Exchange information with everyone involved in the crash, as required under NC law.
Ask for a medical evaluation, even if you think you are not hurt.
Take photos of the accident scene, property damage, your injuries, the weather, and road conditions.
Write down or make a voice note about what happened.
Do not admit fault or say anyone is to blame.

After you leave the scene of the accident, contact your insurance company to report the basic details of the accident, then speak with a truck accident attorney to find out what to do next. If you are taken to the hospital, you can speak with our team after you are stable. If you can leave the accident on your own, be sure to see your doctor within 72 hours in case you have any injuries that did not show up right away.

We Use Robust Evidence to Build the Strongest Case Possible for You

As soon as you partner with our truck accident attorneys in Fayetteville, NC, we begin a complete investigation to find what happened. There are five valuable pieces of evidence we examine, including the following:

Medical reports detailing the extent of your injuries
Photos of your vehicle damage and other debris on the road
Police accident reports indicating who was at fault
Witness statements describing what caused the crash
Statements from the truck driver and any other potentially liable parties

We also review footage from traffic cameras and dashcams, revisit the scene, and take more photographs. We may also file legal requests for the truck driver’s hours-of-service logs, cell phone records, and event data recorder (EDR) data from the tractor-trailer.

Understanding Compensation in a Fayetteville Truck Accident Claim

A big question you may have about your case when you speak with us is, “How much is my claim worth?” If you have serious injuires and a long recovery, you naturally want those bills covered, yet you can seek many more kinds of damages from those at fault. In North Carolina, the law allows you to seek both economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages may include:

The cost of your medical treatments, including surgery, ICU, ER, and ongoing therapy
Your medications, travel expenses for appointments, and in-home nursing care
Renovations to your home to accommodate your recovery
The loss of income while you recuperate and any lost earning potential if you are severely disabled
The cost of home services, such as cooking, cleaning, maintenance, and yard care
Anything related to your injuries with a defined price

Your non-economic losses are harder to put a value on, but your truck accident lawyers will use special calculations to address how your life has been involuntarily affected. You can ask for compensation regarding your pain and suffering, diminished quality of life, permanent disability, and loss of consortium with your partner or spouse. Every case is unique, but your attorney can help you calculate the value of your compensatory damages and prepare evidence to support your demands.

Catastrophic Injuries Are Common in Truck Accidents

Because trucks are so much larger and heavier, victims often suffer what are known as catastrophic injuries. There is no specific legal description of these in North Carolina, but they are generally understood as the following:

Quadriplegia: The permanent loss of use of all four limbs
Paraplegia: The permanent loss of use of two limbs
Traumatic brain injury: Damage that results in permanent cognitive or functional limitations, so the person cannot live or care for themselves independently
Organ damage: Injury that causes irreversible failure of an organ or organ system
Vision or hearing loss: Loss of vision or hearing that causes the person to be fully or functionally blind or deaf

In catastrophic injury cases, your truck accident attorney may try to present clear and convincing evidence of how the defendant should pay punitive damages. These may be available when the liable party, such as a trucking company, acted willfully, wantonly, or fraudulently disregarded the safety of others. Under NC law, these damages are limited to the greater of $250,000 or three times the compensatory damage award.

Act Right Away After Your Fayetteville Truck Accident

Although insurance companies will claim their filing process is simple, the opposite is often true. You will need to provide lots of evidence that the other party is to blame, and they may try to deny or reduce your settlement. Your Ricci Law Firm truck accident attorneys will negotiate forcefully for what you deserve, but we may need to file a personal injury lawsuit to get a fair settlement.

Their delays may cost you valuable time to initiate legal action, because the North Carolina statute of limitations only allows you three years to file a lawsuit after your injury. We may file the paperwork during negotiations so we do not run out of time and encourage the insurer to make a better offer. However, if you wait too long to contact us, it could affect our ability to build the case you deserve for your compensation.

Remember, there is no cost to speak with us and ask questions before you choose us for legal representation. By contacting us as soon as possible after your semi-truck crash, you help us help you. Otherwise, you could lose your chance to hold the at-fault parties accountable for hurting you.

Our Ricci Law Firm Fayetteville Truck Accident Lawyer Will Fight for You

Even when you are careful, there are many causes of 18-wheeler accidents that are out of your control. Our Fayetteville truck accident lawyer at Ricci Law Firm will investigate to determine who is at fault, what compensation you are owed, and how best to pursue justice. We manage the insurance and legal processes against the big trucking companies so you can recover in peace.

Put your truck accident case in our hands and focus on getting better. We will work tirelessly to secure the maximum settlement possible as quickly as we can. Schedule a free case review with no risk and no obligation when you contact us today.