Omaha Truck Accident Attorney

Omaha and its surrounding community are experiencing rapid growth, and so is traffic. Thousands of huge tractor-trailers pass through Omaha daily, and they pose a growing risk to other drivers.

When a truck crashes into your smaller vehicle, you may suffer horrific injuries. Never take on the trucking insurance company without a skilled truck accident attorney.

The truck accident lawyers at Steffens Law Offices, P.C., never back down from a challenge. Our personal injury lawyers are proud to serve Omaha, Lincoln, Grand Island, Kearney, North Platte, Broken Bow, and communities throughout Nebraska.

Speak to our experienced truck accident lawyers in Omaha today for a free legal consultation at (402) 414-4896.

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Why Hire Our Omaha Truck Accident Attorneys? 

Steffens Law Offices, P.C., is dedicated to helping injured individuals in Nebraska through difficult times in their lives. Our skilled truck crash lawyers have over 50 years of combined experience in insurance negotiation and litigation, specifically in personal injury cases.

Our Omaha law office is located at 1299 Farnam St., Suite 319, Omaha, NE 68102. Our office is conveniently located near Gene Leahy Mall at The Riverfront and Omaha Tap House Downtown. Our law office is at the intersection of Farnam and S. 13th streets.

Our skilled truck accident lawyers have obtained millions in compensation for our satisfied personal injury clients. Contact our Omaha truck accident law offices at (402) 414-4896.

What Compensation Can Victims Recover in a Truck Accident Lawsuit?

In Nebraska, the at-fault party, whether the truck driver, trucking company, or another entity, compensates victims for their losses.

Compensation can cover:

• Medical Expenses: Coverage for current and future medical care, including hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, and prescription medication.
• Lost Income: Reimbursement for wages lost while you were unable to work, as well as compensation for diminished future earning capacity if your injuries are permanent.
• Property Damage: Costs to repair or replace your vehicle and any other personal property damaged in the crash.
• Pain and Suffering: Compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and diminished quality of life resulting from the accident.
• Punitive Damages: In rare cases of extreme negligence, Nebraska law may allow punitive damages to punish the at-fault party.

Hire an experienced truck accident attorney from Steffens Law Offices, P.C. to address these challenges, as trucking companies and their insurers often employ aggressive tactics to minimize payouts.

Truck accident claims in Nebraska are often more complex than standard car accident cases due to the involvement of multiple liable parties and federal regulations.

Potential defendants may include the truck driver for negligence, the trucking company for issues like unrealistic schedules or poor maintenance, or even manufacturers if defective truck parts contributed to the crash.

Our Omaha truck accident lawyers will thoroughly investigate evidence, including black box data, driver logs, and maintenance records, to build a strong case. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims is four years from the accident date, but acting quickly preserves evidence and strengthens your claim. Settlements typically aim to avoid trial, but a skilled personal injury lawyer can negotiate for maximum compensation or litigate if necessary.

Compensation amounts depend on factors such as injury severity, economic losses, and the availability of insurance coverage. Commercial trucks carry higher insurance limits than passenger vehicles, often leading to larger settlements, especially for severe injuries like spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injuries.

Documenting injuries, collecting evidence contained in police reports, and avoiding early lowball settlement offers from insurers are vital steps to maximize your recovery. Consulting our Nebraska truck accident lawyer early can protect you.

What Are the Most Common Types of Truck Accidents in Omaha?

Truck accidents in Omaha, Nebraska, vary widely due to the city’s busy highways, like I-80 and I-680, and its role as a regional transportation hub. Common types include rear-end collisions, often caused by fatigued truck drivers or sudden traffic stops, which can lead to severe injuries due to the size disparity between trucks and passenger vehicles.

Jackknife accidents, where a truck’s trailer swings out to form a 90-degree angle, frequently occur on slick roads or during sharp turns, blocking multiple lanes and causing multi-vehicle pileups. Truck Rollover accidents, another prevalent type, are triggered by high speeds, sharp curves, or overloaded cargo, especially on elevated ramps standard in Omaha’s interstate system. These crashes often result in significant property damage and life-threatening injuries.

Other frequent truck accidents in Omaha include underride collisions, where a smaller vehicle slides under a truck’s trailer, often due to poor visibility or missing reflective tape. These are particularly deadly, as the car’s roof can be sheared off. T-bone accidents, which frequently occur at intersections like those along Dodge Street, happen when trucks fail to yield or run red lights, striking vehicles at a perpendicular angle.

Additionally, tire blowouts from improper maintenance cause drivers to lose control, leading to swerving or rollovers. Omaha’s winter weather, with snow and ice, exacerbates these risks, contributing to loss-of-control accidents. Each type involves unique factors, such as driver error, mechanical failure, or road conditions, requiring a thorough investigation to determine liability.

Determining fault in Omaha truck accidents is complex due to the involvement of multiple potential parties, including drivers, trucking companies, and manufacturers. Federal regulations, such as hours-of-service rules, often come into play, especially in fatigue-related crashes.

Victims may face medical bills, lost income, and emotional trauma, making legal representation vital to secure compensation. Local factors, such as heavy traffic near the Union Pacific railyard or construction zones, increase the likelihood of accidents. Documenting the scene, obtaining police reports, and consulting an Omaha truck accident attorney promptly can help victims address the legal process and the specific challenges associated with each type of accident.

Where Truck Accidents Happen In Omaha 

Truck accidents in Omaha, Nebraska, frequently occur in specific areas due to the city’s role as a transportation hub and its network of busy highways and urban streets. Interstate 80 (I-80), a central east-west corridor, is a hotspot for truck crashes, particularly near interchanges such as I-680 and I-480, where heavy traffic, merging vehicles, and high speeds increase the risk of collisions.

Rear-End and Rollover Crashes Are Common 

Rear-end collisions and rollovers are common here, often tied to driver fatigue or sudden slowdowns. Similarly, I-680, which connects northern Omaha to I-80, sees frequent accidents, especially during winter when icy conditions lead to jackknifing or loss-of-control crashes. These highways handle significant truck traffic, which hauls goods through Nebraska’s central location, thereby amplifying the potential for severe accidents.

Urban Areas See Many Truck Crashes

Urban areas in Omaha also contribute to the frequency of truck accidents, particularly along major roads such as Dodge Street and L Street. Dodge Street, a busy arterial road, is prone to T-bone and side-impact crashes at intersections, where trucks may fail to stop at lights or misjudge turns. L Street, near industrial zones and the Union Pacific railyard, experiences accidents involving turning trucks or underride collisions due to heavy truck traffic and congested conditions.

Construction Zone Truck Crashes 

Construction zones like those near the West Dodge Expressway heighten risks with narrow lanes and shifting traffic patterns, often leading to side-swipes or rear-end crashes. With narrow streets and high pedestrian activity, Omaha’s Old Market and downtown areas occasionally witness low-speed but damaging accidents when trucks do deliveries.

Local factors, such as weather, road design, and traffic volume, play significant roles in determining where accidents occur. Omaha’s snowy winters make highways and ramps treacherous, contributing to rollovers and multi-vehicle pileups.

High-traffic areas near warehouses or distribution centers, such as those in South Omaha, increase the likelihood of tire blowouts or crashes related to mechanical failure due to frequent stops and heavy loads.

Victims of these accidents should document the scene, note the road conditions, and consult our Omaha truck accident lawyers at Steffens Law Offices to investigate factors such as driver logs and maintenance records. Understanding these accident-prone locations helps highlight the need for caution and thorough legal action to secure compensation.

How Can a Lawyer Help Me Deal With the Insurance Company? 

A serious truck crash with injuries is enough for anyone’s plate. Unfortunately, a truck crash victim can expect a hassle from the trucking insurance company. The insurer knows you suffered an injury, are stressed, and are possibly struggling to cover your bills. They may take advantage of your situation by slow-walking your case or making a small settlement offer.

We Shield You From Insurance Games 

The Steffens Law Offices truck crash lawyers won’t tolerate the insurance company giving you the runaround. Our Nebraska truck accident lawyer plays a critical role in dealing with insurance companies, which often prioritize minimizing payouts over fairly compensating victims. After a truck crash, insurance adjusters from the trucking company or the driver’s policy may contact victims quickly, offering lowball settlements or pressuring them to provide recorded statements.

These tactics aim to reduce the insurer’s liability, particularly since commercial trucks often carry high insurance limits that can result in substantial claims. A lawyer intervenes by handling all communications with the insurer, ensuring victims don’t inadvertently say something that can weaken their case. By leveraging our knowledge of Nebraska’s fault-based system and federal trucking regulations, our truck accident attorneys protect you from being under-compensated for medical bills, lost income, or pain and suffering.

Building a Strong Case Against Insurer Defenses

Our truck accident lawyers will conduct thorough investigations to counter insurance company defenses. In Nebraska, insurers may argue you were partially at fault, invoking the state’s modified comparative fault rule to reduce or deny compensation.

Our truck accident attorneys will gather evidence, including police reports, black box data, driver logs, and witness statements, to establish the negligence of the truck driver or company, whether due to fatigue, improper maintenance, or violations of hours-of-service rules.

This evidence strengthens the claim and counters attempts to shift blame. Additionally, our lawyers assess the full extent of damages, including future medical costs and long-term impacts, which insurers often undervalue in initial offers. It ensures negotiations reflect the actual cost of the accident.

Maximizing Compensation Through Negotiation and Litigation

Finally, our Omaha truck accident lawyer provides leverage in settlement negotiations and, if necessary, litigation. Insurance companies are more likely to offer fair settlements when faced with an experienced attorney who understands the complexities of trucking cases, such as multiple liable parties or federal compliance issues.

If negotiations stall, our truck accident lawyer can file a lawsuit within Nebraska’s four-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims, preparing a robust case for court. This readiness pressures insurers to settle rather than risk a costly trial.

By managing deadlines, documentation, and legal strategies, the attorney maximizes compensation while allowing victims to focus on recovery and navigating the insurance process with determination and persistence.

8 Things To Do After An Omaha Truck Crash

After a truck accident, the steps you take can significantly impact your health and your legal claim.

1. Prioritize Safety and Medical Care: Move to a safe location if you can and call 911. Get evaluated by a medical professional, even if you feel fine, as some serious injuries have delayed symptoms.
2. Document the Scene: If you can, take photos and videos of the accident scene, including vehicle damage, license plates, road conditions, and any visible injuries.
3. Exchange Information: Get the truck driver's name, contact information, insurance details, and the trucking company's name. Also, collect contact information from any witnesses.
4. Report the Accident: File a police report. This report documents crucial evidence.
5. Avoid Speaking to Insurers: Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurance adjuster. They are trained to use your words against you.
6. Keep a detailed record of all expenses and impacts, including emotional distress, to ensure your compensation reflects the full scope of your losses.
7. Contact an Attorney: Consult with a truck accident lawyer before making any decisions or accepting any offers. We can help you understand your rights and protect the value of your claim. When you meet with our team, try to bring with you medical records, repair estimates, and proof of lost income.
8. Focus on your recovery while we handle the legal process. Follow your doctor’s treatment plan to document injuries and avoid gaps in care that insurers might use to dispute your claim.

Be mindful of Nebraska’s four-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims, but act promptly to preserve evidence and avoid delays.

Frequently Asked Questions About Omaha Truck Accidents

What makes a truck accident claim more complex than a car accident claim?

Truck accident claims are more complex due to several factors. First, they often involve multiple liable parties, including the driver, the trucking company, the cargo loader, and the vehicle manufacturer.

Second, a host of federal and state regulations that don't apply to passenger cars govern the trucking industry (like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules).

Finally, catastrophic injuries and higher property damage in many truck accidents make the financial stakes much higher, leading to more aggressive defense tactics from insurance companies.

What is a truck's black box and why is it important for my case?

A truck's black box, or Electronic Logging Device (ELD) and Event Data Recorder (EDR), records data about the truck's operation, such as speed, braking, engine status, and driver hours of service.

This data can prove negligence, such as speeding, driving while fatigued, or other violations of safety regulations. Act quickly to preserve this data before the trucking company can legally erase it.

Do I have to go to court to get compensation for my truck accident?

Not necessarily. Most personal injury claims, including truck accident cases, settle out of court through negotiations between your attorney and the insurance company.

However, insurance companies are more likely to offer a fair settlement when they know your lawyer is fully prepared to take the case to trial if they refuse a just agreement.

Our firm prepares every case as if it will go to court to place you in the strongest possible negotiating position.

Contact Our Omaha Truck Accident Lawyer Now

Suffering a serious truck accident injury is a nightmare, and it’s worse if you try to handle your own claim. The insurance company will drag out your claim and pay you as little as possible.

To protect your rights and seek the full compensation you are owed, contact the Steffens Law Offices. Our team is committed to tirelessly advocating for your best interests throughout the claims process. Contact our Omaha truck accident law offices at (402) 414-4896.

Schedule a Free Consultation