Truck Accident Attorneys in Cincinnati, Ohio

1. Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima

Practice Focus: Truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, semi-truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries from trucking collisions

Case Types Handled: Driver fatigue accidents, drug-related accidents, improper maintenance accidents, rollover accidents, jackknife accidents, underride accidents, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, wide turn accidents, unsafe lane change accidents

Legal Services: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, hiring practices investigation, hours of service violation investigation, maintenance records review, insurance claim negotiation, litigation in Ohio and Kentucky, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims

Background: The team has over 200 years of combined experience in accident law and is comfortable litigating in both Ohio and Kentucky, including before the Ohio Supreme Court. Attorneys have been selected for Ohio’s and Kentucky’s Super Lawyers and Rising Stars, certified as members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and named among the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 and Top 100. Charles Rittgers has more than 45 years of legal experience.

Location: 12 East Warren Street, Lebanon, OH 45036

Contact: (513) 496-0134 | https://www.rittgers.com/

Consultation: Free consultation available. The firm serves the greater Cincinnati area.

2. Young, Reverman & Bolotin

Practice Focus: Truck accidents, semi-truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries from trucking collisions

Case Types Handled: Driver fatigue accidents, improper cargo loading accidents, rollover accidents, jackknife accidents, underride accidents, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, wide turn accidents, blind spot accidents, equipment failure accidents

Legal Services: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) compliance investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims, medical expense recovery, lost wage claims, pain and suffering claims

Background: The firm has fought on behalf of injury victims from Cincinnati since 1972. The lawyers have more than 200 years of combined experience. The firm offers free consultations and works on a contingent-fee basis. The firm represents clients from the greater Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, areas, as well as Campbell County, Boone County, and Kenton County in Kentucky, and Dearborn County in Indiana.

Location: 810 Sycamore Street, 2nd Floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Contact: (513) 400-0000 | https://accidentlaw.com/

Consultation: Free consultation. Contingent-fee basis with no payment unless recovery is obtained.

3. Steiden Law Offices

Practice Focus: Commercial truck accidents, semi-truck accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents, catastrophic injuries from trucking collisions

Case Types Handled: Driver fatigue accidents, improper cargo loading accidents, brake failure accidents, rollover accidents, jackknife accidents, underride accidents, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, wide turn accidents, unsafe lane change accidents

Legal Services: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations investigation, trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims, medical expense recovery, lost wage claims

Background: The firm serves clients throughout Hamilton County, Butler County, Clermont County, and Warren County in Ohio, as well as Campbell County, Boone County, and Kenton County in Kentucky. The firm represents clients on a contingency fee basis.

Location: 600 Vine Street, Suite 2600, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Contact: (513) 621-1212 | https://www.steidenlaw.com/

Consultation: Free, no-obligation consultation. Contingency fee arrangement with no payment unless recovery is obtained.

4. The Friedmann Firm

Practice Focus: Truck accidents, commercial vehicle accidents, semi-truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, wrongful death from truck accidents

Case Types Handled: Driver fatigue accidents, equipment failure accidents, rollover accidents, jackknife accidents, underride accidents, rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, wide turn accidents, improper maintenance accidents

Legal Services: Trucking company negligence claims, driver negligence claims, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations investigation, insurance claim negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations, wrongful death claims, medical expense recovery, lost wage claims, pain and suffering claims

Background: The firm handles truck accident cases of all sizes and complexities. The firm provides free and confidential consultations with experienced truck accident attorneys. The team works to prove negligence on the part of the responsible party and hold negligent drivers accountable.

Location: 250 East Fifth Street, Suite 2000, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Contact: (614) 610-9755 | https://www.thefriedmannfirm.com/

Consultation: Free and confidential consultation. The firm serves Cincinnati and throughout Ohio.

5. Treleven & Klingensmith (TK Law)

Legal Services: Accident investigation, evidence gathering and analysis, police report review, trucking company records examination, video evidence review, expert consultation, liability determination, insurance company communication and negotiation, litigation, trial representation, settlement negotiations

Background: Voted Cincinnati’s Best Law Firm for five straight years. The firm has extensive experience handling truck accident cases and understanding the complex regulatory landscape governing the trucking industry. The firm has three office locations in the Cincinnati area.

Location: 120 East 4th Street, Suite 1260, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Contact: (513) 999-5297 | https://www.tkcincinnati.com/

Consultation: Free initial consultation available 24/7. The firm has offices in Downtown Cincinnati, Oxford, and Amelia.

Carrier Coverage, Driving Limits and Punitive Damages in Cincinnati Truck Crash Claims

Whether a Cincinnati crash involved a federally regulated truck, how much coverage its carrier had to carry and whether the driver was past the daily limits are federal questions. Ohio law then sets when punitive damages are allowed and who benefits when a crash is fatal.

Which Trucks the Federal Rules Reach and Their Coverage

Under 49 CFR 390.5, a commercial motor vehicle includes a vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or actual gross weight, of 10,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater. Under 49 CFR 387.9, a for-hire carrier hauling nonhazardous property in interstate or foreign commerce in a vehicle rated 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000, and under 387.7 it may not operate until that coverage is in effect.

The Daily Driving Window and Post-Crash Testing

Except as otherwise provided in 49 CFR 395.1, 49 CFR 395.3(a) requires a property-carrying driver to have 10 consecutive hours off duty before driving, limits driving to 11 hours, bars driving after the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, and bars driving once more than 8 hours of driving time have passed without a consecutive 30-minute interruption. Under 382.303, a fatal crash requires alcohol and drug testing of the surviving driver, and an injury or tow-away crash requires it when the commercial driver is cited for a moving violation arising from the crash within 8 hours (alcohol) or 32 hours (drugs).

Punitive Damages

Under Ohio Revised Code 2315.21(C), punitive damages require conduct showing malice or aggravated or egregious fraud, or a principal such as a carrier that knowingly authorized, participated in or ratified such conduct by its agent, plus a compensatory award. Under (D)(2)(a), judgment for punitive damages may not exceed two times the compensatory damages awarded against that defendant, and under (D)(2)(b) a small employer or individual faces a lower limit tied to net worth.

Who Benefits When a Crash Is Fatal

Under Ohio Revised Code 2125.02(A)(1), the personal representative brings the action for the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse, children and parents, who are rebuttably presumed to have suffered damages, and of the other next of kin. Under (D), damages may include loss of support, services and society, loss of prospective inheritance and the survivors’ mental anguish.

Cincinnati Truck Accident Questions

How long do I have to sue the carrier?

Two years after the cause of action accrues for bodily injury or injury to personal property under Ohio Revised Code 2305.10(A), and two years after the death for wrongful death under 2125.02(F)(1), subject to the listed exceptions in each section. If the truck belonged to the city, Ohio Revised Code 2744.02(B)(1) makes the city liable for its employee’s negligent driving, and 2744.05 limits damages other than actual loss to $250,000 per person outside wrongful death actions.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault?

Yes, if your fault was not greater than the combined tortious conduct of all other persons, under Ohio Revised Code 2315.33. For example, imagine $150,000 in damages and 35 percent of the responsibility on the injured driver: the recovery would be $97,500.

Is pain and suffering capped?

Yes, with exceptions. Under Ohio Revised Code 2315.18(B), noneconomic loss may not exceed the greater of $250,000 or three times economic loss, up to $350,000 per plaintiff or $500,000 per occurrence, with no cap for the permanent and catastrophic injuries listed in (B)(3).