Reasons to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer

Nearly 15.5 million trucks travel annually on the United States roads, and about 2 million of them are tractor-trailers.

According to federal and South Carolina law and regulations, 18 wheelers may be 53 feet long and can weigh around 80,000 pounds. This makes them a lot heavier and longer than passenger cars sharing the road. The mass and size of these trucks may increase the chances of accidents as they are harder to maneuver and stop.

In other words, their weight, size, and limited maneuverability increase the risk of accidents on the road. And often, they carry toxic materials, massive freight, and flammable liquids,. Hence, over 95% of the truck crashes in the state of South Carolina prove to be fatal, while the remaining percentage result in serious injuries that require costly surgeries and prolonged recovery time.

If you’ve sustained severe injuries in a truck accident, then by law, you have the right to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for all the injuries and damages incurred. However, pursuing a claim on your own can be too much to ask, especially when you are in pain, undergoing medical treatment, and hospitalized. Fortunately, you can hire an experienced truck accident lawyer for case representation.

A knowledgeable and experienced attorney to represent your case is perhaps your best bet to pursue a fair settlement as things can get complicated very quickly in trucking accidents. With that said, here are some more crucial reasons why everyone should hire a lawyer instead of filing a truck accident claim on their own:

It’s Hard to Prove Liability

It is pretty straightforward to determine liability in an average car accident, but not so much in a truck accident. In a truck accident, liability is often shared with multiple parties, such as the driver, the individuals responsible for truck maintenance, the trucking company, and the manufacturer of the trucking parts. Thus, it can be challenging to determine who’s at fault, and things can get messy and complicated when liability has to be apportioned to different parties.

In such a situation, you need expert advice and someone who can understand legal complexities and help you deal with potential issues effectively. So, when you have a skilled truck accident lawyer by your side handling your case, they will investigate the case in-depth to determine the parties liable and will seek to hold them accountable too.

Understands Trucking Laws and Regulations

The trucking industry is ruled by specific federal and state regulations, which most average passenger vehicle drivers don’t know. Truck drivers and trucking companies must conform to strict standards and regulations set forth by the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) regarding different things such as:

  • Weight of the truck
  • Cargo loaded
  • Hours on the road

So, if you have to walk into the court to represent your case without legal knowledge, you can hurt your chances of getting a fair settlement because of your lack of knowledge. Therefore, it makes sense to work with a lawyer who has a good know-how of the legal rules and regulations of the trucking industry. Such a lawyer can defend and represent your case skillfully and help you fight for the compensation you’re entitled to.

Negotiate a Fair Settlement

Unless it is a multiple car collision case, you only have to deal with one party on the other side and their insurance company in most automobile accident cases. This perhaps makes it easier to negotiate and come to a settlement quickly.

However, negotiating for a fair settlement is practically impossible after a truck accident because multiple parties can be involved. Therefore, it isn’t very easy to speak to everyone and get them agreed. But if you have a skilled truck accident lawyer on your side, they can honestly act as an invaluable resource. They can leverage their negotiation skills and wealth of experience to negotiate with the insurer and other parties involved and work toward a settlement that you deserve.

Determine the Appropriate Legal Strategy in Your Case

No two truck accidents are the same.

Every case is different and must be handled skillfully for the best results. This is why it is vital to determine the right course of legal action or strategy specific to the case. For example, we can negotiate some truck accident cases while others need to be resolved in the courthouse. In some situations, an arbitration or mediation process may be suitable.

An experienced truck accident lawyer is familiar with all these options. They know the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Such a lawyer can evaluate your case in detail and determine the best legal strategy for your situation.

Contact us today

If you or a loved one has been in a truck accident, get in touch with our experienced truck accident lawyer today. Let our lawyer handle the case and protect your rights. At the Law Office of Jason E. Taylor, our lawyers have the experience and profound knowledge of the trucking industry and laws in South and North Carolina. We are well aware of the various challenges that may apply to these types of cases.

Our lawyers will assist you at every stage of the legal process while you focus on getting better.

At the Law Office of Jason E. Taylor, our goal is a smooth and stress-free legal process to help you pursue a fair settlement so that you can move forward in life with financial security and stability.

Give us a chance to help you. Contact us for a free case evaluation.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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