Were you injured in a truck accident in Rochester, NY that someone else caused?
At Buttafuoco & Associates, we trace a truck crash to its cause, whether a fatigued driver, an overloaded trailer, or a carrier that put its schedule ahead of safety, and pursue the full compensation a serious injury requires.
If you were hurt in a collision with a commercial truck, our Rochester, NY truck accident lawyer can investigate what caused the crash, identify every party responsible, and pursue the compensation the law allows. A serious truck crash is rarely the driver’s failure alone, because the company that hired, trained, and dispatched that driver often shares responsibility for what happened. At Buttafuoco & Associates, our attorneys move quickly to preserve the truck’s records before they can be overwritten and to build the claim on what the evidence shows. The work starts with understanding how the crash occurred.
Truck Accident Lawyer Rochester, NY
A truck accident claim is a negligence case built around a commercial vehicle and the business that operates it, which makes it different from an ordinary car crash. New York recorded more than 15,000 police-reported large-truck crashes in a recent year, according to the state’s Institute for Traffic Safety, and the freight that moves along Interstate 90 and the New York State Thruway keeps a steady stream of that traffic on the roads through Monroe County and the Rochester region. Because a loaded tractor-trailer can weigh twenty to thirty times as much as a passenger car, the people hurt in these crashes are usually the ones in the smaller vehicle. Proving these cases means looking past the driver to the carrier, the maintenance records, and the load, which is part of what makes commercial vehicle claims more involved than a standard car crash.
Types of Truck Accident Cases We Handle in Rochester
Buttafuoco & Associates represents people injured in the full range of Rochester-area truck collisions, including:
- Jackknife and rollover crashes. When a driver brakes hard or loses control, a trailer can swing out or tip over, striking vehicles across several lanes. These crashes often trace back to speed, weather, or a load that was not secured correctly.
- Underride and override collisions. A smaller vehicle can slide beneath a trailer, or a truck can ride up over a car that stopped ahead of it. The height and weight mismatch makes these among the most severe crashes on the road.
- Blind-spot and unsafe lane-change crashes. Large trucks have wide blind spots on every side, and a driver who changes lanes or merges without confirming the lane is clear can force another vehicle off the road.
- Fatigue and hours-of-service crashes. A driver who has been on the road too long may drift, brake late, or fall asleep. The truck’s logs and electronic records often show whether the driver had exceeded safe hours.
- Cargo, load, and equipment failures. An overloaded or improperly secured trailer, worn brakes, or a bald tire can each cause a crash, and responsibility may reach the loader, the maintenance provider, or a parts manufacturer.
- Car accidents. When the vehicle that caused your crash was a passenger car rather than a commercial truck, the claim follows a different path, and we handle those cases as well.
Why Choose Buttafuoco & Associates as Your Truck Accident Lawyer in Rochester, NY?
Depositions and Proof in Truck Cases
Mark T. Freeley has litigated the firm’s motor vehicle cases for more than twenty years, has taken close to a thousand depositions in accident matters, and prepares every case as though it will be tried. James McCarthy handles serious, multi-defendant injury cases and has served as co-counsel on significant commercial-vehicle litigation. Truck cases reward that kind of preparation, because the carrier’s own witnesses and records often hold the proof of what went wrong. A truck crash can leave lasting pain and limits that bills alone do not capture, and our personal injury lawyer in Rochester, NY documents that human cost alongside the economic losses.
Recoveries in Serious Vehicle Cases
Over four decades, our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for people injured in motor vehicle collisions. Recent results include:
- $1,220,000 for a driver seriously injured when another motorist ignored a red light.
- $900,000 for a pedestrian struck by a commercial vehicle that turned across a crosswalk.
- $102,510 for a driver hit by a commercial truck that failed to yield, with the recovery reduced for the driver’s own share of fault.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
What Is Important to Understand About a Truck Accident Case?
Building Proof Before the Evidence Disappears
The most important evidence in a truck case can be gone within weeks. A commercial truck records data through an onboard control module, and the driver’s logs and the carrier’s dispatch records show the hours worked and the rest taken. Black box data can reveal speed, braking, and whether a driver had exceeded safe hours before the crash. Federal hours-of-service rules limit how long a commercial driver may be behind the wheel, and a violation of those limits points toward fatigue as a cause. Our attorneys send preservation demands early and, where needed, work with accident-reconstruction specialists to document how the crash happened.
Liability, Damages, and the Compensation Available
Liability in a truck case often extends beyond the driver. A trucking company can be responsible for putting an unqualified driver on the road, for a schedule that made adequate rest impossible, or for skipped maintenance, and a cargo loader or a parts manufacturer can share fault as well. New York law allows an injured person to recover for medical care, lost earnings, future treatment, and pain and suffering, and the severe injuries common in truck crashes often make future costs the largest part of a claim. If you are found partly responsible, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault but is not barred. A claim’s value depends on the full medical and economic picture, which is why the extent of an injury should be documented before any settlement. Large trucks are involved in a disproportionate share of fatal crashes nationwide, federal truck-safety data shows, which is one reason commercial policies carry higher limits than ordinary auto coverage.
The Deadline to File a Truck Accident Claim
New York generally gives an injured person three years to sue after a truck crash, though a claim against a public entity can carry a much shorter notice deadline. Because the truck’s records and the physical evidence fade quickly, waiting works against a claim even when the filing date is years away. A case litigated in the Rochester area is generally filed in the Seventh Judicial District, which covers Monroe County. Most truck cases resolve by settlement, but preparing each one for trial is what positions it to settle on fair terms.
What to Bring to Your Consultation
The first meeting is free. A few documents help us evaluate the claim quickly: the police crash report or its report number, photographs of the vehicles and the scene, the name of the trucking company if you have it, your medical records and bills, and the contact information for any witnesses. If the evidence does not support a claim, we will tell you that plainly rather than encourage a case that cannot succeed.
Reach Out to Buttafuoco & Associates to Schedule a Consultation
After a truck crash, you may be facing serious injuries, time away from work, and questions about who was at fault. Our Rochester truck accident lawyer can determine how the crash happened, identify every responsible party, and pursue the recovery you are owed. The attorneys at Buttafuoco & Associates offer a free consultation and an honest assessment of your case, so contact us to get started.