Fatal Truck Accident Attorney in New York City

Common Fatal Truck Accident Causes

Common causes of deadly truck crashes in New York City include:

• Aggressive driving and road rage
• Disregarding traffic signs and signals
• Distracted driving, including using a cell phone while driving
• Driver inexperience
• Driver’s lack of familiarity with travel routes or local roads
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Drowsy or fatigued driving
• Failing to yield the right of way
• Failure to conduct pre-trip inspections
• Illegal turns or lane changes
• Improper backing up
• Improper loading of truck cargo, including overloading the truck, not balancing the load, or not securing cargo from shifting during travel
• Inadequate truck or trailer maintenance
• Making wide right turns
• Poor road conditions, including potholes, debris on the roadway, or slick road surfaces from rain, snow, or ice
• Poor visibility due to low lighting or heavy rain, snow, or fog
• Reckless driving, including excessive speeding or swerving through traffic
• Running red lights and stop signs
• Speeding
• Tailgating, or following too closely
• Truck and trailer defects
• Unsafe turns or lane changes, including failing to signal or check mirrors or blind spots

How to Determine Fault in a Wrongful Death Claim for a NYC Truck Accident

In addition to the truck driver who hit your loved one, other parties who may have responsibility for the fatal truck accident in NYC include:

• The freight company responsible for loading the truck or trailer
• The mechanic company responsible for maintaining the truck or trailer
• The trucking company
• The truck’s manufacturer
• The truck’s owner
• Third-party manufacturers of a defective part used on the truck or trailer, such as a tire or brake manufacturer
• New York State, New York City, or the Municipality that designed and owned the road where the accident occurred

However, proving fault for a fatal truck accident can become complicated since gathering evidence may require combing through trucking company records. Some of the evidence we might secure from the trucking company includes:

• In-cab camera footage of the truck driver
• Logs from the truck’s event data recorder (“black box”)
• Results of any drug or alcohol testing performed on the truck driver after the accident
• The cargo/load manifest
• The truck driver’s cell phone records
• The truck driver’s employment and driving records
• The truck driver’s hours-of-service logs, which record their on-duty and driving hours
• The truck driver’s pre-trip inspection records
• The trucking company’s dispatch logs
• The trucking company’s vehicle inspection and maintenance records

Other evidence used to build your claim may include the following:

• Accident scene photos and videos
• Accident reconstruction expert reports
• Eyewitness testimony
• Police accident reports
• Post-accident vehicle inspection and repair records
• Surveillance, traffic camera, or dashcam footage

What Damages Can You Sue for After a Wrongful Death Truck Accident?

If your loved one died in a truck accident,  you can demand compensation from the at-fault parties through a wrongful death suit. While no amount of money can bring your loved one back, your family deserves to be compensated for the financial and personal losses caused by your loved one’s passing, including for the:

• Loss of inheritance
• Loss of parental care and guidance for surviving children
• Loss of your loved one’s financial support and contributions to the household or family
• Value of the support and services your loved one provided to the household, such as childcare or home maintenance

With a wrongful death claim, your family can also recover compensation for your loved one’s:

• Conscious pain and suffering experienced before their death
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Healthcare expenses incurred to treat their fatal truck accident injuries

However, you have limited time to act. New York’s statute of limitations gives you two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. If your case involves a municipaity, you have ninety (90) days to file a notice of claim.  While there are exceptions to these rules, it is best to contact a lawyer as soon as possible so they can get started on your case and secure the available evidence. If you do not file your claim in time, you could lose the right to pursue compensation for your family’s losses.

How Can Finz & Finz, P.C. Help You with a Fatal Truck Accident Claim?

You and your family deserve to focus your time and energy on grieving your loved one, settling their affairs, and moving forward with your lives. However, your family also deserves to pursue financial compensation and accountability from those parties responsible for your loved one’s death. Instead of trying to balance these competing needs, let the nationally recognized New York City truck accident lawyers of Finz & Finz, P.C. take care of the details of your legal claims.

We can help you by:

• Thoroughly investigating the crash to secure all available evidence for your case, including trucking company records, accident scene photos, video footage of the crash, and witness testimony
• Identifying at-fault parties and applicable insurance coverages
• Calculating your family’s losses resulting from your loved one’s death to determine the full value of your claim
• Working with industry-leading accident reconstruction and financial experts to build a strong, persuasive case for your family’s right to financial recovery
• Communicating with trucking company representatives, insurance adjusters, and defense lawyers on your family’s behalf so you have space to heal after your loved one’s passing
• Drafting and timely filing your family’s insurance and legal claims
• Vigorously negotiating with the trucking companies and their insurers to reach a fair settlement that provides your family with the compensation and justice you deserve
• Going to trial if it becomes necessary to hold the defendants accountable