The Cochran Firm New York · Truck accident cases · Free case review
Hit by a commercial truck? Talk to a lawyer before you talk to their insurer.
Trucking companies and their insurers start building a defense within hours of a crash. A free case review tells you what evidence has to be preserved now and whether you have a claim.
- No fee unless you win
- We call back within 1 to 3 hours
- New York office at 17 State Street, 14th Floor, Manhattan
The Cochran Firm New York
Who hit you matters
Every kind of commercial truck case
The company that owns the truck, the company that hired the driver and the company that loaded the trailer can each be responsible. The type of truck decides where the evidence is.
18-wheelers and tractor-trailers
Long-haul carriers, driver logs, hours-of-service rules and the truck's electronic data.
Amazon and delivery vans
Contract delivery companies, route pressure and who actually employs the driver.
FedEx and UPS trucks
Corporate fleets with their own insurers, cameras and incident teams.
Garbage and dump trucks
City sanitation and private carters, blind spots, backing crashes and overloaded beds.
Tanker and hazmat trucks
Fuel and chemical loads, fire and burn injuries, federal hazmat rules.
Jackknife, rollover and underride
Crash types where speed, braking, load securement and trailer guards are the questions.
6,235 crashes in the city's police crash data involved a large truck, with 3,219 people injured and 28 killed. See the borough-by-borough numbers and the New York rules that apply.
After the crash
What to do in the first weeks
Truck cases are won or lost on evidence that the trucking company controls. These steps protect it.
Get medical care and keep every record
See a doctor even if you feel fine at first. Keep discharge papers, bills and every follow-up appointment.
Get the police report number
Ask the officer for the report number before you leave, or request the report from the responding agency.
Write down the truck's company name and USDOT number
Both are painted on the cab door. Add the trailer number, license plates and the driver's name if you have them.
Do not give a recorded statement to their insurer
The trucking company's insurer may call within days. You are not required to give a statement before speaking to a lawyer.
Have a lawyer send a preservation letter
Federal rules let a carrier discard a driver's hours-of-service logs after 6 months. A letter puts the carrier on notice to keep them, with dashcam footage and maintenance records.
Photograph your car, your injuries and the scene
Before repairs and before the bruises fade. Keep the originals, not just the copies you send.
How a truck case works
From the first call to the settlement or verdict
Free case review
Your answers go to the firm's New York office, and the right lawyer for your kind of crash calls you back.
Investigation
Preservation letter, the carrier's federal safety record, the truck's electronic data, dashcams, driver logs and maintenance history.
Every responsible party
The driver, the carrier, the broker, the shipper who loaded the trailer and the contractor who maintained the truck.
Settlement or trial
A claim can end in a negotiated settlement or go to trial; the firm explains which path it recommends and why. No fee unless the firm wins your case.
Results
Cases the firm has resolved
Results the firm reports from its own cases, across its practice areas. They are not all truck accident cases.
- $197 million
Jury verdict
- $100 million
Jury verdict
- $2.25 million
Settlement
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.
Talk to a truck accident lawyer
Call now, or send three answers and we call you.
Evidence from the truck can be overwritten or discarded if nobody asks for it. The sooner a lawyer sends the preservation letter, the more of it survives.