North Huntington, PA Truck Accident Lawyers

As a North Huntington driver, you likely encounter commercial truck drivers multiple times a week while traveling the area’s many highways. In most cases, these encounters are nothing unusual. After all, truck drivers are highly trained and educated in how to handle a wide range of driving scenarios. But when something goes wrong—improperly loaded cargo, a fatigued driver, or unpredictable weather—catastrophe can follow. Truck accidents in North Huntington can result in fatal or severe injuries, not to mention substantial amounts of property damage.

That’s where our team comes in. At Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman, we fight for the compensation our clients deserve. Call us at 412-253-2925 to set up a consultation now.

Pennsylvania Truck Accidents

Truck accidents in Pennsylvania have been following a worrying trend since 2020. While accident rates saw a significant drop in 2020, they immediately began increasing again. From 2020 to 2022, the total number of truck accidents went from 6,344 to 7,522. Fatalities also saw a dramatic increase during this time. There were just 110 fatalities in 2020, but 145 in 2022. This is likely not a surprise, due to the sheer size difference between trucks and passenger vehicles, but only 3.8% of accident fatalities involved occupants of heavy trucks. All other fatalities occurred in the smaller passenger vehicles involved in these accidents.

Most truck accidents were the result of human error, but hundreds of crashes were caused by vehicle failures. Some of the most common types of vehicle errors leading to truck accidents included tire and wheel issues, brake failures, overloaded trailers, power train failures, and steering system failures.

Damage Caused by Truck Accidents

Truck accidents often leave hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage in their wake, between damaged or totaled vehicles, damaged public and private property, and bodily harm. This is why commercial trucks have much larger insurance policies than smaller vehicles; at any speed and in any location, they are capable of doing more harm than a multi-car pileup.

Property damage is a major issue in truck accidents. Some of the most common types of property damage in truck accident claims include:

• Totaled vehicles

• Roads, guardrails, medians, bridges, and other public property
• Damage to homes and buildings

However, the biggest losses in truck accidents come from bodily harm and fatal injuries. Some injuries often reported after truck accidents include:

• Broken bones

• Crush injuries

• Cuts and abrasions

• Traumatic brain injuries

• Soft tissue damage
• Amputations

In the majority of injury-causing crashes, those in the smaller vehicle suffer the worst outcomes. It’s fairly rare for the occupants of the tractor-trailer to have severe or fatal injuries.

There are circumstances in which the damage caused in a crash is even more severe. This is often the case when a truck is carrying hazardous materials. Should a hazmat truck be involved in a crash, all of its cargo is at risk of being released. These materials may start fires, cause explosions, infiltrate the air, or poison the local water supply. That’s before you consider the financial value of those materials and the losses suffered by the cargo owner.

Potential Liable Parties

One of the most complex parts of truck accidents is the wide range of potentially liable parties. In a conventional car accident involving two standard passenger vehicles, liability usually lies with one driver. But in a truck accident claim, liability may rest with:

• Either driver

• The trucking company

• The cargo loaders

• The manufacturer of the truck
• The truck’s repair facility

Ultimately, the trucking company is often at least partially liable for the accident. To start, they are usually liable for their drivers’ accidents. If the driver involved in your crash was an owner-operator, this is the exception to that rule. Not only are they responsible for what their drivers do, they are also responsible for their own unsafe or negligent decisions. 

For example, if they hired a number of drivers without doing thorough background checks, they may have neglected their duty to prevent unsafe truck drivers from endangering others. Truck companies are also often found liable when they force drivers to drive without breaks, ignore hours-of-service regulations, or take oversized loads that put their trucks at risk of breaking down.

Cargo loaders can be held liable for crashes when they overload vehicles or load cargo in an unsafe way. This often occurs when a load is unbalanced or has heavy cargo on top of lighter cargo. These common mistakes can cause the load to shift mid-transit, forcing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and causing an accident.

How Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman Can Help You Pursue Compensation

If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, you likely have substantial physical, mental, and financial losses. You may have a stack of medical bills that gets higher by the day, significant mental trauma from what you’ve experienced, and a loss of income because you are no longer able to work.

But without the help of a truck accident attorney in North Huntington, there’s little chance of the trucking company or their insurance provider offering you a full and fair settlement. These companies do what they can to protect their profits and limit their liability. This means blaming accidents on other parties, downplaying the severity of your injuries, and giving you the runaround when you reach out to them for assistance.

At Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman, we know what it takes to hold negligent trucking companies accountable. We are committed to building the strongest case possible for you, negotiating with the insurance company, and demanding the compensation you are owed. While you focus on your physical recovery, we will tackle the legal aspects of your accident.

Take the First Step in Your Case—Call Us Today

If you’re ready to learn more about your legal options after a truck accident in North Huntington, the team at Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman is here to support you. It all starts with a free consultation. Reach out online or call us at 412-253-2925 to set up a consultation.