Last Updated: 4/10/2024
Semi-truck accident lawyers and personal injury lawyers have names which sound similar, but they both are engaged in highly specialized practice areas. Semi-truck accident lawyers are typically more specialized than personal injury lawyers. A personal injury lawyer may handle slip and fall cases, car accident cases, and dog bite cases, for example. A semi-truck accident lawyer, on the other hand, will only work on cases involving semi-truck accidents.
One primary reason for this is that semi-truck accident cases often involve multiple defendants in the same cause of action. Also, governmental entities such as the National Transportation Safety Board may be involved in severe semi-truck accidents. Unfortunately, semi-truck accident victims often suffer serious bodily injury or death. Therefore, sometimes surviving family members will need to bring a wrongful death cause of action if their loved one died during a semi-truck accident.
Semi-Truck Accident Cases and Complex Litigation
Civil litigation is in and of itself a complex endeavor. If you suffer injuries during a semi-truck accident any attorney licensed in the State of California may assert legal claims on your behalf as your legal representative. Therefore, you may or may not choose an attorney who specializes in semi-truck accident cases.
However, semi-truck accident cases often involve multiple defendants. These defendants may be individual, living people or limited liability companies or corporations. It can be difficult for lawyers unfamiliar with semi-truck accident cases to litigate them in an efficient and orderly manner. The greatest benefit that arises from choosing an attorney who specializes in semi-truck accident cases is that it is less likely that a specialist will make mistakes that will have a detrimental effect on your legal rights.
For example, an attorney who specializes in semi-truck accident cases may be more familiar with deposing mechanical engineers and other professionals who are tasked with investigating the potential causes of semi-truck accidents. An attorney who has only handled slip and fall cases may be unfamiliar with the overall strategies that can help attorneys prevail in semi-truck accident cases.
Personal Injury Attorneys and Tort Law
Personal injury attorneys are generally involved in litigating tort claims. Tort law, which comes from tortum, for “wrong, injustice” is simply the collection of statutes, cases, and regulatory mechanisms that concern themselves with compensating victims for the losses they suffer due to the negligent actions of another party.
Some torts are intentional torts, such as battery, assault, and false imprisonment. These often have their counterparts in criminal law, but in criminal cases the state brings the legal claims against the individual defendant accused of a crime. In civil litigation, private parties litigate claims. For example, Person A is injured in a car accident involving another party, Person B. Person A may initiate a civil lawsuit by filing a complaint in state court or federal court and seek damages for their injuries.
Personal injury lawyers often assert negligence claims. The field of negligence is the heart of tort law, and it often adapts to changes in society, such as the proliferation of telecommunication devices. Personal injury lawyers can handle many different types of cases involving the four elements of negligence: (1) duty, (2) breach, (3) causation, and (4) damages. A party will breach their legal duty to uphold a standard or engage in a specific type of conduct, and this breach will cause the victim’s injuries. The plaintiff must prove every element of negligence by a preponderance of the evidence to recover on their tort claims.
Personal Injury Attorneys Often Assert Negligence Claims In Many Different Types of Cases
A negligence claim may apply to slip and fall cases, dog bite injury cases, and pedestrian accident cases. Personal injury attorneys can apply the principles of negligence law to several different types of phenomena. Therefore, a successful and experienced personal injury attorney may have one case involving a car accident and another case involving a dog bite accident. But he will apply the same legal principles to both cases and thereby help the injured party seek monetary compensation for their injuries.
Semi-Truck Accident Cases Often Involve Multiple Injured Parties
Not only do semi-truck accident cases involve multiple defendants, but they also typically involve multiple injured parties. Therefore, the case may need to be litigated by several different attorneys, and each party may plead in other parties and assert third-party liability claims. In short order, semi-truck accident cases can quickly become extremely complex and take years to resolve. If you retain an experienced semi-truck accident lawyer, rather than a general personal injury lawyer, you will have someone on your side who can litigate these cases efficiently.
Third-Party Claims and Semi-Truck Accident Cases
By using an impleader action, a defendant may bring in another party. In most cases, large corporations will assert third-party claims against co-defendants involving indemnity and contribution. It is essential to have an attorney representing you who understands how semi-truck accident cases proceed. Some cases may be more complex than others depending on the number of parties involved and the cause of the semi-truck accident.
Many individuals seeking an attorney often ask why semi-truck accident cases involve so many different parties. “Why can’t one party assert a claim against another single party and resolve their legal dispute quickly?” One reason is the efficient use of judicial resources. Courts, judges, clerks, and attorneys are often all working on many different cases simultaneously. Therefore, grouping claims together, rather than parties, means that multiple parties and multiple defendants may be litigating a small number of claims, but this will take less time, money, and judicial resources.
Personal Injury Lawyers May Refer You To a Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer
Attorneys are guardians of the public interest and officers of the court. Therefore, a personal injury lawyer may tell you that they are inexperienced with semi-truck accident cases. However, this attorney will not let you walk out of their office without providing you with a list of names, telephone numbers, and addresses of other attorneys who specialize in semi-truck accident cases. You can trust that lawyer referrals are intended to help you find the best legal representation possible so you can seek financial compensation for your injuries.
