Our Practice - Trucking Accidents

Trucking Accidents

Trucking accidents occur through operator error, speeding or mechanical faults and can also involve cargo issues such as chemical or toxic spills. The reasons for a trucking accident may include tight deadlines, over-loading, stress and fatigue of the driver, inadequate training, ignorance of safety concerns, and traffic violations.

Duffy + Partners has assisted many victims of automobile and trucking accidents (Whittlesey, Kelly, Britt, Mathis), whose lives have been torn apart due to a moment of inattention or a trucking company’s relentless need to push truck drivers as hard as possible. While all potential litigation requires prompt attention, automobile and trucking accidents require immediate attention to preserve relevant (and perishable) evidence and ensure the integrity of the accident scene. If you have been injured during an automobile or trucking accident, contact the law firm of Duffy + Partners immediately so we may ensure your rights are timely and fully protected.

In Whittlesey, Duffy + Partners obtained a $12,000,000 settlement for their client, Mr. Whittlesey, who suffered quadriplegia from a motor vehicle accident caused by a trucking company. The trucking company denied all fault associated with the accident but agreed to the settlement after jury selection. The recovery we obtained for Mr. Whittlesey provided him with the financial resources necessary to move from his trailer to a home specially constructed to accommodate his physical needs. The settlement was reported as one of the largest settlements in the State that year.

In Kelly, Duffy + Partners settled Reverend Kelly’s injury claim for $6,000,000, the full policy limits available in the litigation. Rev. Kelly’s vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer, causing Rev. Kelly’s vehicle to flip and resulting in the traumatic amputation of his arm. The incident occurred in New Jersey, and the settlement was reported as one of the largest settlements in the State that year.

In Schramm, Duffy + Partners won a $3,400,000 settlement for their client, a truck driver who suffered massive leg injuries when his tractor-trailer was hit by another trucker's rig.

In Mathis, Duffy + Partners obtained a $3,750,000 settlement during the fourth day of trial for a man who was injured in a low-speed, low-impact crash. There was only $750 in property damage, and there was no traumatic injury established on any x-ray, MRI or other study. However, during trial, Duffy + Partners, through expert research and testimony, established that the minor accident triggered a genetic condition in Mr. Mathis, then 44, known as Ankylosing Spondylitis, a condition of which Mr. Mathis was even unaware. By the time of trial, Mr. Mathis walked with a cane as his genetic condition had caused a progressive fusing of his spine.

In Staton, Duffy + Partners settled client Stacy Staton’s suit for $1,100,000 against a company who improperly loaded items onto a tractor trailer he was driving, which caused the truck to tip over during a turn and which resulted in his suffering multiple injuries, surgery and ongoing physical limitations and pain.

In Britt, Duffy + Partners obtained a policy limits settlement of $1,000,000 in Lehigh County for an Upper Darby police officer who suffered a back injury following an accident with a lumber truck. While the defense disputed liability, causation and damages, and conducted countless hours of surveillance of Mr. Britt, an inflexible policy limit demand was made, and a tender of those limits ultimately came shortly before trial.