Serving clients throughout Indiana
and the United States

Auto and Truck Accidents

Auto and Truck Accidents can be broken down into many different categories; Auto Collisions, Drunk Driving Accidents, Accidents with Uninsured or Underinsured Drivers, Truck Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents or Pedestrian Accidents. If you are the victim in a Car or Truck Accident, you will need someone to fight for your right to a fair settlement. Contact Tom Doehrman for a free consultation regarding one of these Car or Truck Accident.

Car Accidents

A Car accident is a road traffic incident which usually involves at least one auto being in collision with, either another car, another road user, or a stationary roadside object, and which usually results in injury or property damage. Phrases used to describe similar incidents include: auto accident, car crash, car smash, car wreck, fender bender, motor vehicle accident, personal injury collision, road accident, road traffic accident, road traffic collision, road traffic incident, traffic collision.

Auto accidents can result from a number of factors: speeding, cell phone usage, reckless driving, negligence, drugs, alcohol, defective products, poor crashworthiness of a vehicle, and other factors.

According to NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration):

• In 2004, 42,636 people were killed in the estimated 6,181,000 police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes.
• 2,788,000 people were injured and 4,281,000 crashes involved property damage in 2004.
• An average of 117 people died each day in motor vehicle crashes in 2004 – one every 12 minutes.
• Car Accident s are the leading cause of death for persons of every age from 3 through 33 years old.

Each year thousands of drivers are injured in auto collisions but do not receive just compensation. It is standard practice among insurance companies to initially offer victims a small settlement. Tom Doehrman can determine the true value of your case and the amount of compensation to which you are entitled. Tom has obtained million-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients. Victims who try to handle their own legal affairs after a motor vehicle accident are often left bearing the majority of the expenses from an accident that was not their fault.

Trucking Accidents

Due to the immense size and weight of most commercial vehicles, truck accidents are inherently dangerous and commonly result in catastrophic personal injuries, even wrongful death.

According to NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration):

• In 2005, 5,212 people were killed in an estimated 442,000 motor vehicle accidents involving large trucks.
• 114,000 people were injured in truck accidents nationwide.
• Despite accounting for just 3 percent of all registered vehicles, trucking accidents account for 12 percent of all traffic fatalities.
• Of the fatalities that resulted from crashes involving large trucks, 76 percent of those killed were occupants of other vehicles.

Common Truck Accident Causes

Victims of trucking accidents often suffer severe injuries including: spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, loss of limbs, and broken bones. Drivers of smaller vehicles should be aware that trucks have certain speed, turning, visibility, and braking limitations. Many truck accidents occur because of these limitations. Other causes of serious trucking accidents include:

• A truck driver's lack of training
• Dangerous or reckless truck driving
• Overloaded or oversized trucks
• Poor driving conditions (fog, snow, or rain)
• Truck defects (defective tires, safety systems, lights, etc.)
• Speeding or aggressive driving behavior
• A fatigued or sleepy driver
• Failure to install an under-ride protection under-guard
• A truck driver driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol

Special Considerations

Certain unique dangers are characteristic of large commercial trucking accidents. These include:

• Jackknifing — Under certain conditions, including sudden braking and turning, large trucks such as 18-wheelers are prone to jackknifing. Jackknifing is often the result of driver error.
• Turning Accidents — Large commercial vehicles are often difficult to turn. Sometimes the driver uses two lanes to make a right turn. In some instances turning the vehicle in this manner can be sufficient to establish the truck driver’s fault in an accident.

If you have been injured in an accident, you may be eligible to achieve compensation for Medical Expenses, Rehabilitation Costs, Lost Income, Diminished Earning Capacity, Property Damage, Pain and Suffering as a result of your injury. Tom Doehrman can help victims achieve the fair compensation to which they are entitled. Tom has decades of experience and yielded millions of dollars settlements on behalf of his clients.