Truck Accident Attorneys

How To Navigate A Car Accident Involving Commercial Trucks

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Hundreds of people every year suffer personal injuries from traffic accidents involving commercial trucks in Colorado. The sheer size and weight distribution of these massive vehicles leaves the average driver in dire straights, often being catastrophic to passengers in smaller passenger cars. One out of every eight highway-related deaths in the United States involves large commercial trucks.

The Department of Transportation has determined that the leading contributors to commercial truck accidents include:

  • Problems with brakes on commercial trucks
  • Traffic interruption
  • Driver fatigue
  • Excessive speed
  • External distraction
  • Illegal Maneuvers
  • Inadequate surveillance
  • Inattention
  • Misjudgment of other vehicle’s speed
  • Overweight commercial vehicle
  • Tailgating

Obviously, the majority of these lie solely on the responsibility of the commercial truck operator and can lead to terrible results for those in passenger vehicles. The massive size of commercial trucks mean that collisions are likely to result in serious injuries and significant property damage. If you’ve suffered injuries due to a commercial truck accident in Fort Collins, there are some things that you need to do.

Immediately After An Accident With A Commercial Truck

Follow these general guidelines after your accident:

  • Report the accident immediately
  • Provide only the basic details about the accident
  • Do not admit fault
  • Seek medical attention immediately
  • File a police report and make sure you get a copy
  • Contact the experienced commercial truck accident lawyers at AGG law firm.
  • Do not provide tape recordings or written statements until you speak to an experienced commercial truck accident lawyer

Why You Need Representation

Despite the trucking industry being heavily regulated, there are many complicated Colorado state and federal laws that permit commercial truck companies to easily deny your claim based on a technicality. Most commercial trucks in the US are covered by insurance policies that are valued at fifty times the coverage of a passenger vehicle.

Needless to say, there’s a lot at stake.

Insurance companies that provide insurance to commercial trucks have a team of defense attorneys that are ready to respond to any accident to protect their own interests. The same insurance companies also have large teams of investigators who are on call 24 hours a day that respond to the accident before it’s been cleared. These investigators hope to find a technicality that they can use to deny your claim when the time comes.

Before the authorities even leave the scene, the trucking company and their insurance carrier are preparing for the long haul ahead. You need a team of experienced truck accident attorneys to help build your claim.

AGG Law is waiting to be your advocate during this trying time.

Call us

AGG Law Is Here To Help

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident that involves a commercial truck, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries through a legal claim against the responsible parties. AGG Law Firm takes prides in advocating for victims that suffered injuries from  commercial truck accidents and recovering the compensation our clients’ deserve. Contact AGG Law at (720) 708-4050 today for first class legal representation!

car accident

When You’re In a Car Accident With An Uninsured Driver

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Car Accident With An Uninsured Driver

Car accidents are an inconvenient inevitable part of life, which is why Colorado requires drivers to carry car insurance. But with so many drivers on the road, it’s likely that you will eventually come across someone who isn’t following these laws. In the United States alone, 12% of drivers are uninsured.

In Colorado, it’s state law for drivers to have insurance coverage on their car. In fact, since 1997, the state has kept a current database on everyone who has active insurance on their car. Liability insurance is required under state law for motor vehicles with these minimum amounts:

  • $25,000 per person for bodily injury
  • $50,000 per accident for bodily injury
  • $15,000 per accident for property damage

When you’ve been involved in an accident, car insurance offers some sort of peace of mind. Either your policy or the other driver’s policy will cover some of your medical and/or damage expenses. But what happens when the other driver doesn’t have car insurance? What are your rights then?

Accidents with uninsured motorists can get very complicated very quickly. You may face a situation where you’re responsible for all of your medical bills yourself. Protect yourself with these four tips:

  1. Call The Police

After a significant accident in Aurora, you should call the police- but especially if an uninsured driver is involved. The police will ensure that both parties receive adequate medical attention and they will also begin the documentation process. Later on, having a police report will help document and legitimize your claims if you decide to pursue legal action on your injuries.

2.) Exchange Contact Information

Get the other driver’s name, address, and phone number. Ask the other driver to copy the information from their driver’s license so you know everything is accurate. Take photos of the accident before you leave the scene. This includes pictures of skid marks, the location of the car accident and any damage to your vehicle is helpful later on. Don’t forget to get

3.) Contact Your Insurance Company

Once you have a police report and the other driver’s contact information, it’s absolutely crucial to touch base with your insurance company. If it’s the uninsured driver who is at fault, contacting the insurance company won’t raise your rates. Your agent will be able to help advise you through the process and check to see if your policy has uninsured driver coverage.

4.) Contact A Lawyer

If you’ve sustained injuries due to a car accident with an uninsured motorist in Aurora, your insurance may help with some of the costs associated with your recovery or you could be left on your own- responsible for paying for all medical bills yourself. If you find yourself facing this reality, it’s in your best interest to reach out to a car accident attorney. Claims involving an uninsured motorist are difficult to navigate, but our team at AGG Law are experienced car accident attorneys in Aurora and will help you get the justice you deserve.

personal injury

Getting Your Rightful Dues: The Difference Between Personal Injury and Catastrophic Injury

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Nobody wants to deal with the aftermath of a personal injury, especially in the legal sense. But what may seem like a not-so-worthwhile attempt to seek damages for an injury may be substantially worth the injured’s time. This is especially the case if the personal injury is qualified as a catastrophic injury.

But what’s the difference? What makes an injury “catastrophic?”

If one has experienced a personal injury in Aurora, Colorado, one may probably wonder what their legal options are. The first step in seeking wrongful injury compensation is to distinguish whether the injury is personal or catastrophic.

The Difference Between Personal and Catastrophic Injury

The biggest difference between personal and catastrophic injuries is the range of damage and disability.

A personal injury can be defined as an animal bite or a broken ankle from a neglectful accident. A catastrophic injury could be defined as a spinal cord injury that requires lifelong special care.

While a personal injury can be traumatic and costly in the medical or emotional sense, a catastrophic injury is, no matter how one looks at it, substantially worse. A personal injury is a type of trauma that affects health in short term. A catastrophic injury is often lifelong, results in disability, and requires the injured to receive costly medical care for life.

Due to the severity between the two, there is quite a vast difference in legal action that one may take. A personal injury lawsuit can result in damages paid for medical costs accrued for the injury as well as compensation for mental trauma. A catastrophic injury lawsuit can result in damages paid for medical costs accrued, future medical costs for lifelong care, and additional compensation. Catastrophic injury lawsuits are difficult to win, but they are not impossible.

To make it clearer on the lines between personal and catastrophic injuries, let’s look at some of the common differences.

Common Personal Injuries

Car Accidents

This is probably the most common personal injury that people think of, and they are indeed the most common personal injury case in the United States. Since car accidents are often the result of one or more parties not driving carefully, it’s typically easy to hold the careless driver financially responsible for the injured person’s injuries.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor or other health professional fails to provide a patient with adequate, skillful care and results in a patient’s injury.

Medical malpractice is not exclusive to personal injuries and can be the cause of catastrophic injuries as well. These cases are notoriously difficult to win, but certainly not impossible.

“Slip and Fall” Cases

In the case of slipping and falling on a particular property, one can seek damages for an injury caused by the recklessness and safety neglection of a property owner.

Animal Bites

In a vast majority of cases, an animal’s owner is held personally responsible for medical costs accrued for an injury resulting from an attack from said animal. Laws surrounding animal bites vary from state to state.

Common Catastrophic Injuries

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

TBI can be caused by bike or pedestrian accidents, medical malpractice, and many other factors. TBI can result in debilitating cognitive and emotional problems that are lifelong.

Spinal Cord Injuries

This is the most common type of catastrophic injury and usually result from car accidents, falls, and trampoline accidents.

Amputations

This devastating catastrophic injury changes the patient’s physical and emotional life. Damages for such an injury could include proper prosthetics and long-term medical care.

Blindness or Deafness

Blindness and deafness as a catastrophic accident often occur as the result of medical or parental negligence. Loss of income and emotional distressed are just a few damages one could seek for such an injury.

Disfigurement

Disfigurement can be the result of medical malpractice or an intentional attack, and damages will likely include emotional distress.

Severe Burn Injuries

A severe burn injury could require long-term care as well as additional surgeries. Skin graft operations for severe burns often result in disfigurement catastrophic injuries as well. Many burn injuries are caused by the negligence of another party.

Organ Damage

Organ damage often results from physical trauma, either from car accidents or internal bleeding caused by medical malpractice.

Multiple Bone Fractures

A common result of car accidents, multiple bone fractures will often require multiple surgeries and result in loss of income.

Exposure to Toxic or Hazardous Chemicals and Substances

Exposure to dangerous chemical is often the result of workplace negligence in factories.

Personal injury and catastrophic injury are both very serious and undesirable positions to be in. You have the right to seek compensation and justice for the trauma you experienced, and the talented attorneys at Alhasoon, Glidden & Glidden are available to take on your case. You don’t have to go it alone, contact us today!

denver truck accident attorney

Why the Schedule of Truck Drivers is Concerning?

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Many people are drawn to the trucking industry because it pays a decent salary for a job that doesn’t require much in the way of training. Unfortunately, what many people don’t immediately realize is that this attractive pay rate stems from the fact that semi-drivers often have to be away from their families for weeks at a time and work insane hours.

This leads to a multitude of health problems including depression due to their lack of family and social connections, obesity because of eating on-the-go fast food options and fatigue from working long hours with infrequent breaks.

For semi-truck drivers, things like resting and stopping to eat, are often luxuries that they simply cannot afford. They are often under a great deal of pressure from their employers to make their deliveries on time, and that often causes them to make questionable driving decisions.

In 2014, 78% of fatalities involving trucks were from tractor trailers. Drivers in the study cited various reasons for the crashes, and while you could very well die in a car crash as well, there’s one major difference with a semi-truck. They’re enormous, and that makes the risk of multiple people being injured in a crash that much greater.

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What causes semi-truck drivers to become an accident risk?

There are several factors that make semi-truck drivers a serious risk on the road, but the most important one is their scheduling. There are, of course, laws in place which are supposed to protect the general public and the drivers themselves, but even with these laws in place, the reality of the situation is pretty grim.

Trucking companies are allowed to schedule their drivers to work 14-hour days as long as they only spend 11 hours behind the wheel. While this is better than having no legislation at all, that’s still a long time to be driving without a break.

The National Highway Safety Administration estimates that up to 6,000 deaths may occur each year due to drowsy driving. Many truck drivers frequently drive while tired or sick in order to keep their employers happy and to secure their livelihood.

However, many them are also inexperienced. Large truckload carrier turnover rates have jumped to 94% in 2018. This gives the trucking industry an influx of young and inexperienced drivers who may already be at a higher risk for accidents.

Though you also can’t ignore the part that other drivers may play in these collisions. Semi-trucks don’t have the same maneuverability that a car does, and if a sedan decides to cut off a trucker, the ripple effect could cause life-threatening injuries to everyone in the immediate area. Tractor trailers are top heavy, and they can roll over very easily if the driver needs to make sudden evasive maneuvers.

What should you do if you’re involved in a semi-accident?

If you’re involved in an accident with a semi-truck your first step should be to make sure that your passengers are okay. If your vehicle has come to a stop in the middle of the lane, then you may want to consider moving yourself and the passengers to the side of the road for safety. It’s entirely possible that cars behind you might not stop in time and hit you again.

However, if you or your passengers are injured this may not be an option. Anyone who has a spinal injury should not be moved for safety reasons. Instead, move the vehicle to the side if it’s drivable and put on your hazard lights.

Your next step should be to call for the paramedics and the police. They’ll be able to close the road and assist anyone who has been injured in the crash.

Even if your vehicle is drivable, you should never leave the scene of an accident until the police have arrived and have cleared you to go. Even if the accident was not your fault, you’ll need to stay and speak to the police.

Without a proper police report, you could be denied damages for your vehicle or injuries by the trucking company, even if the truck driver was at fault. Trucking companies have very good lawyers, and you’ll need the police to help you collect evidence for your case.

In addition to the police report, you’ll also want to collect drive logs, copies of the equipment inspections, statements from any witness and photos of property damage and injuries which were caused by the wreck.

Once everything has been squared away, you’ll want to find a lawyer to represent your case. It’s easy to do this by using a google search such as “Tractor Trailer Injury Attorney Aurora”. Just insert your town or city and you’ll be able to find the best 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer in Aurora, or whatever city you call home.  If you are located in the Denver Metro Area, contact AGG Law Firm for a no-cost consultation.

denver pedestrian accident attorney

Auto Pedestrian Accidents Continue to Climb: UPDATED 2019

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It’s no secret to Colorado residents that pedestrian fatalities are a significant issue facing the state. In 2017 5,977 auto-pedestrian accidents resulted in death. This number dropped slightly in 2018 with an expected spike to occur in 2019.

We live in a world full of distractions, but as a pedestrian, you should never have to worry about getting hit by a distracted driver. We should be able to walk freely and openly while sharing the road with motorists.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

According to the IIHS, 13% of pedestrian collisions are the result of motorists driving under the influence.

The hardest part about a pedestrian accident case is putting a dollar sign on the life of a loved one — someone injured in an auto-pedestrian accident in Ft. Collins, Colorado or surrounding Denver Metro areas should contact a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer to discuss their case.

Main Causes of Auto-Pedestrian Accidents

The misconception is that drivers are always responsible for pedestrian fatalities, but that is not the case. A lot of the time pedestrian actions trigger an accident. Here are some of the most common causes of auto-pedestrian accidents.

1.   Jaywalking

Urban areas where there are many cars parked on both sides of the street, one of the most dangerous actions pedestrians take is walking out into the road from behind a car. When a motorist is not expecting a pedestrian is when an accident is most likely to take place.

2. Left Turns

Three times more people get hit by cars turning left than right. Experts believe this is due to the need to cross the intersection, so drivers are more distracted when turning left than right. Plus, you can anticipate the right turn as a pedestrian.

3. Electronics

Both pedestrians and motorists are to blame for distractions involving cell phones and infotainment centers in cars. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, cell phone use resulted in 32,755 emergency room visits in 2016.

4. Alcohol

Drinking and driving is an obvious problem in the country and one we will likely not escape anytime soon. Alcohol is responsible for one drunk driving accident every 48 minutes in the US.

5.  Dark Clothing

Fifty percent of all auto-pedestrian accidents occur on the weekend with 70 percent of those happening at night. Pedestrians wearing dark clothing leave themselves wide open to an accident because they are much more difficult to spot. The risk of fatality increases dramatically in rural areas where there are fewer street lights and lower traffic. When there are fewer distractions on the road, the motorist is more likely to ignore obstructions.

How to Stay Safe as a Pedestrian

There are many ways to stay safe when walking on the streets and sidewalks. It’s not difficult to prevent an auto-pedestrian accident if we deploy some smart thinking and a bit of common sense.

Avoid Distractions – It sounds obvious, but distractions are everywhere, and they can occur when you least expect it. Someone can yell to a pedestrian from across the street, and they can instantly become distracted even if they’re doing their best to prevent it. The best way to stay safe as a pedestrian is to avoid cell phone use and do not wear headphones when walking on the sidewalks.

Follow the rules – Understanding and following traffic rules and signals can be the difference between life and death. Pedestrians need to anticipate everything a motorist might do before they do it. Follow the rules and never rush through traffic.

Stay Visible – As previously mentioned, a large percentage of pedestrian accidents occur at night, so it’s important always to remain visible. Wear light-colored clothing and walk in well-lit areas whenever possible.

Pedestrian Accident Lawyers in Ft. Collins, Colorado

Are you in need of a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Colorado? If you have been injured in an auto-pedestrian accident, you need someone experienced in this type of law to help get you the justice you deserve.  Contact Alhasoon, Glidden & Glidden today for a free consultation.