Truck accident
Truck Accident Attorneys in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The firms in this guide
- Kline & Specter, P.C. Call Kline & Specter, P.C.: (215) 772-1000
- Raynes & Lawn Call Raynes & Lawn: (215) 568-6190
- The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP Call The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP: (800) 624-8888
- Anapol Weiss Call Anapol Weiss: (215) 735-0364
- Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky P.C. Call Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky P.C.: 215.496.8282
1. Kline & Specter, P.C.
Practice Focus: Truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, semi-truck collisions, commercial vehicle accidents, delivery truck accidents, tanker truck accidents, bus accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries from trucking collisions, product liability.
Case Types Handled: Jackknife accidents, rollover accidents, underride accidents, override accidents, wide turn accidents, blind spot accidents, rear-end collisions with trucks, head-on truck collisions, cargo spill accidents, hazardous material truck accidents, brake failure accidents, tire blowout accidents, driver fatigue accidents, overloaded truck accidents.
Legal Services: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) compliance investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, hours of service violation investigation, electronic logging device (ELD) data analysis, black box data retrieval, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, medical lien resolution, property damage claims, lost wage recovery, pain and suffering claims, punitive damage claims, wrongful death claims.
Background: Philadelphia personal injury firm with over 40 lawyers. The firm has achieved numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. Tom Kline has been named to various legal rankings. The firm handles complex trucking accident litigation throughout Pennsylvania.
Location: 1525 Locust Street, 19th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Contact: (215) 772-1000 | https://www.klinespecter.com
Consultation: Free consultation, contingency fee arrangement (no fee unless recovery is obtained).
2. Raynes & Lawn
Practice Focus: Truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, semi-truck collisions, commercial vehicle accidents, delivery truck accidents, construction vehicle accidents, bus accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries, medical malpractice.
Case Types Handled: Jackknife accidents, rollover accidents, underride accidents, wide turn accidents, blind spot accidents, rear-end collisions with trucks, head-on collisions, brake failure accidents, tire blowout accidents, driver fatigue accidents, overloaded truck accidents.
Legal Services: FMCSR compliance investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, vicarious liability claims, hours of service violation investigation, ELD data analysis, black box data retrieval, accident reconstruction, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims, punitive damage claims.
Background: Philadelphia personal injury law firm established in 1953. The firm has achieved significant verdicts and settlements in trucking accident cases. Attorneys are admitted to practice in Pennsylvania state and federal courts.
Location: 1845 Walnut Street, 20th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Contact: (215) 568-6190 | https://www.rayneslaw.com
Consultation: Free consultation available, contingency fee basis.
3. The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP
Practice Focus: Truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, semi-truck collisions, commercial vehicle accidents, delivery truck accidents, bus accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries, construction accidents.
Case Types Handled: Jackknife accidents, rollover accidents, underride accidents, wide turn accidents, rear-end collisions with trucks, head-on collisions, brake failure accidents, driver fatigue accidents, overloaded truck accidents, cargo spill accidents.
Legal Services: FMCSR compliance investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, hours of service violation investigation, ELD data analysis, black box data retrieval, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims, property damage claims.
Background: Personal injury firm with offices in Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey. The firm has recovered over $1 billion for clients since 1969. The firm handles trucking accident cases throughout the region.
Location: 150 S. Independence Mall W, Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Contact: (800) 624-8888 | https://www.injurylawyer.com
Consultation: Free consultation, no fee unless recovery.
4. Anapol Weiss
Practice Focus: Truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, semi-truck collisions, commercial vehicle accidents, delivery truck accidents, tanker truck accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries from trucking collisions, product liability.
Case Types Handled: Jackknife accidents, rollover accidents, underride accidents, override accidents, wide turn accidents, blind spot accidents, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, brake failure accidents, tire blowout accidents, driver fatigue accidents, hazardous material accidents.
Legal Services: FMCSR compliance investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, vicarious liability claims, hours of service violation investigation, ELD data analysis, black box data retrieval, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims, punitive damage claims.
Background: Philadelphia personal injury firm handling complex trucking accident litigation. The firm has achieved substantial verdicts and settlements in catastrophic injury cases. Attorneys have significant trial experience.
Location: One Logan Square, 130 N. 18th Street, Suite 1600, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Contact: (215) 735-0364 | https://www.anapolweiss.com
Consultation: Free consultation, contingency fee arrangement.
5. Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky P.C.
Practice Focus: Trucking accidents, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, construction accidents, products liability, wrongful death.
Case Types Handled: Truck crashes caused by driver error, substance abuse, fatigue and distraction; truck design defects and brake or tire failures; carrier violations such as overloading, breaching driver hour limits and poor maintenance; crashes linked to poorly designed or maintained roads.
Legal Services: Truck accident litigation against drivers, carriers and manufacturers, verdicts and settlements in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, attorney referral.
Background: Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky is a Philadelphia personal injury firm founded by Robert J. Mongeluzzi. Its trucking page lists multimillion verdicts and settlements for clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including a $13 million settlement from a national trucking company.
Location: One Liberty Place, 1650 Market Street, 52nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Contact: 215.496.8282 | https://www.smbb.com/
Consultation: Free case evaluation.
What Federal Carrier Rules and Pennsylvania Law Mean for a Philadelphia Truck Claim
The federal motor carrier regulations decide who was allowed to drive the truck, how long the driver could stay behind the wheel and how the vehicle had to be inspected. Pennsylvania law then decides how long an injured person has to sue in Philadelphia and how fault is divided.
Who May Drive a Commercial Truck
49 CFR § 391.11 bars a carrier from letting anyone drive a commercial motor vehicle unless the driver is qualified. Except as provided in subpart G, a qualified driver is at least 21 years old, can read and speak English well enough for traffic signs, official inquiries and records, can safely operate the type of vehicle by experience or training, is physically qualified, holds one valid commercial license, is not disqualified under § 391.15 and has completed a road test or an accepted equivalent.
Weekly Hour Limits and Electronic Logs
Beyond the daily limits, 49 CFR § 395.3(b) stops a property-carrying driver from driving after 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days when the carrier operates every day of the week, and a period can restart only after 34 or more consecutive hours off duty. Section 395.8(a) requires carriers to have drivers record duty status with an electronic logging device, with manual records allowed only in listed situations, such as a vehicle manufactured before model year 2000.
Annual Inspection
Under 49 CFR § 396.17, a carrier may not use a commercial motor vehicle unless each listed component passed an inspection at least once during the preceding 12 months and documentation of that inspection is on the vehicle. In a tractor-semitrailer combination, the tractor and each trailer must each be inspected.
Pennsylvania Deadline and Fault Rules
An action for injury or death caused by negligence must be commenced within two years under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2). Section 7102(a) allows recovery when the injured person’s negligence was not greater than the causal negligence of the defendants sued, reducing the award by that share. For example, imagine a Philadelphia driver whose damages are $250,000 and whose share of fault is 20 percent: the award would be $200,000.
Philadelphia Truck Accident Questions
Does every truck crash count as an “accident” under the federal rules?
No. 49 CFR § 390.5 defines an accident as an occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle on a highway in interstate or intrastate commerce that results in a death, an injury treated immediately away from the scene, or disabling damage requiring a vehicle to be towed away. Occurrences involving only boarding or leaving a stationary vehicle, or only loading or unloading cargo, are excluded.
What information must a carrier keep about a crash?
49 CFR § 390.15 requires a carrier to keep an accident register for three years after each accident, listing the date, the city or town and state, the driver’s name, the number of injuries and deaths and whether hazardous materials were released, together with copies of accident reports required by government entities or insurers.
Is there a cap on damages against a local government agency?
Yes. For a local agency, 42 Pa.C.S. § 8553 limits damages from the same occurrence to $500,000 in the aggregate and allows pain and suffering only for death or for permanent loss of a bodily function, permanent disfigurement or permanent dismemberment with medical and dental expenses above $1,500. A written notice under § 5522 is also due within six months of the injury.
Who can file if a family member was killed?
Under 42 Pa.C.S. § 8301, the wrongful death action exists for the spouse, children or parents of the person who died, and the damages are divided as they would share the estate without a will. If none of them survives, the personal representative may recover hospital, nursing, medical, funeral and administration expenses.