Our New York City Truck Accident Attorneys at The Orlow Firm are experienced personal injury lawyers who regularly deal with motor vehicle accident cases in New York City involving bicycles, buses, and taxis.

“From the time we started this law firm until today, the watchword is treat
the client with respect.

I am sure there are other firms that do the same as we do, but I know that
the overwhelming number of complaints that we hear about other firms is
that the client wasn’t listened to. The client couldn’t get a hold of the
attorney. The client couldn’t get a response to a question.

I think what’s important for attorneys to understand is that, to each
client, this is an unique experience. The attorney may have handled many
cases, hundreds of cases, thousands of cases, but for the client that
you’re dealing with, this is the first time, maybe the only time that they
have ever dealt with this type of situation.

So the questions that some attorneys might think as bothersome, that should
not be the feeling. The feeling should be you’re here to help the client,
and part of that is answering questions, no matter how routine or how many
times the attorney has heard that question before. And that should hold for
the staff as well. Staff in this office, we feel are fairly competent, very
competent to respond to most of the questions of the clients, but if that’s
not satisfactory, then it’s the attorney who has to be available to respond
to the client.”

“I recommend the most insurance a person can afford. If they cannot afford a
lot, then obviously they cannot get a lot. But if they can afford it, they
should get as much insurance as possible. One, because they protect
themselves from liability, against if they hurt somebody. But two is they
protect themselves if the other person does not have a big auto, bodily
injury policy.”

Our NYC Truck Accident Lawyers at The Orlow Firm are experienced accident lawyers who regularly deal with motor vehicle accident cases in New York City involving cars, motorcycles, trucks and buses.

“My name is Yahira M. Lopez. I’m from Queens, New York. I was making a left
on Broadway onto Marcus Garvey, and I got smashed up by an MTA bus. It just
cut me, and I just smashed my left side of my vehicle. I kind of got out of
my car, and I was limping towards him, because I was worried I had my three-
year-old in the back seat. I said, “What are you doing?” Like, you’re not
thinking, you know, and at that point, I didn’t think of hospital or
anything like that. I was more concerned of my daughter.

So, in fact I didn’t go back. I believe like two to three days later I went
back to the hospital. I had surgery on my knee, torn meniscus,
lateral/medial. At the time, I was a general store manager, and I did a lot
of different duties, you know, climbing up ladders, down, giving excellent
customer service. I was “the girl” basically, teaching, coaching, and
training and taking my workers to the next level. So things kind of, like,
changed up after that. Actually, they let me go, due to the circumstances
that I didn’t perform the same anymore.

A little after my accident, I got referred to The Orlow Firm from a family
member. With the trial, I’ve never been through this before. I would be
lying if I told you I wasn’t nervous. I was a little nervous, not to be on
the oath, just nervous with the whole situation, because now I had to
relive it all over again, and that was what I was mainly afraid of because
I didn’t want to relive that again. Obviously, you know, to get to some
sort of solution, you have to relive it again, and I did.

But overall it was a pleasant, great experience, thanks to my attorneys,
Adam and Brian. But very professional. Made me feel comfortable. Everything
happened very quickly. You know, they didn’t leave me on the side not knowing
anything. Any questions I had I would give them a call. The secretaries
were great. Every time that I called the firm, it was on point. As a matter
of fact, they have a young lady by the name of Loita. She was always
on point with me, never made me feel like they’re putting my case to the
side.

I never want to go through it again, obviously. I don’t think anyone wants
to go through this, but it was something that I felt very comfortable with
the way they treated me. I felt very comfortable with my attorney, and
never once did I even think that he wasn’t going to do a great job just
because I dealt with the firm before the trial. So I knew that if we went
all the way, things would fall where it needs to fall.

I’m still going through changes. You now what I’m saying. Now things are
never going to be the same, obviously. I’m grateful that I’m alive and well
and that I can pull forward with my life and not think of this again. But
overall, I mean, just take it day by day, you know, take it day by day and
just pull forward. I’m not looking back anymore. And I will keep in touch
with them and I’m going to refer them to whoever. Unfortunately, we don’t
want negative things to happen or bad things or whatever, but they’ll be the
first that I’ll refer to.”

Our New York Truck Accident Attorneys at The Orlow Firm are experienced personal injury lawyers who regularly deal with motor vehicle accident cases in New York City involving buses and trucks.

Our New York Truck Accident Lawyers at The Orlow Firm are experienced Personal Injury Lawyers who regularly deal with motor vehicle accident cases involving commercial vehicles.

“As a personal injury attorney, I would choose an insurance company in a few
ways. One, I would definitely go online and see people’s comments about
different insurance companies, because people don’t realize how good or bad
their insurance company is until they need it. That’s when you really know
if it’s a good insurance company or not.

A lot of times you’ll come and you think that you got a great insurance
company because you pay attention to the commercials and you believe each
commercial or you like this commercial better than you like that
commercial. But then, when it comes to it and you get hurt and a doctor
doesn’t want to take your insurance or your car insurance because that
insurance company doesn’t pay his medical bills, then you realize you might
not have the best insurance.”

Trucking Accidents: The Truck Driver’s Perspective (Part 2)

A 2007 report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration identified the following major causes of large-truck accidents:

• Speeding is found in nearly one-quarter of trucking accidents. With each mile of increased speed, the force of impact from an 80,000 pound truck becomes that much more deadly.
• Driver fatigue is problematic but does not occur as often as expected. It continues to play a role in 13 percent of accidents.
• More common than driver fatigue is drug use, illicit, prescription and over-the-counter, accounting for 26 percent of crashes.
• Unfamiliarity with roads and areas traveled is also a factor in accidents.
• In nearly one in ten crashes, truck drivers ignored simple safety measures, like using a turn signal.
• In 14 percent of accidents, truck drivers failed to properly check blind spots.
• Distractions like roadwork or accidents divert driver attention from the road ahead.
• Drivers of big vehicles may underestimate the level of evasive action needed to avoid crashes.
• Road rage and aggressive driving are risky for all motorists. But the sheer size and weight of large vehicles make this behavior especially dangerous in truck drivers.

Trucking accidents play apart in one out of every nine traffic deaths. The majority of these crashes are caused by drivers of non-commercial vehicles. Drivers and occupants of non-commercial vehicles also suffer more than 3 times the rate of fatalities as drivers and passengers in trucks.

by Ruth Stern, Esq. for The ORLOW Firm

Trucking Accidents: The Truck Driver’s Perspective (Part 1)

Preliminary data from the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration shows that 2010 was not a good year for truck drivers. Although deaths from traffic accidents decreased overall by 2.9 percent in 2009, the number of truck drivers killed in crashes rose by 6 percent. In multi-vehicle accidents, truck driver fatalities jumped 16 percent. The number of injuries resulting from large-truck crashes increased by 12 percent.

Experts are at a loss to explain these developments. Although the number of registered large trucks grew by 3 million from 1999-2009, fatalities and injuries actually fell during this period. Most truck drivers are competent but may often feel pressured by unrealistic schedules that cause them to hurry in spite of safety risks. The current 11-hour driving limit and 14-hour daily on-duty limit has been in place since 2003. Adequate training and experience continue to be essential components of truck driver safety. In addition, proper use and maintenance of large commercial vehicles protects all motorists. Trucks that are overloaded and oversized present traffic hazards, as do those with poorly maintained brakes and faulty safety systems like reflectors, lights and other warning devices.

by Ruth Stern, Esq. for The ORLOW Firm

Truck Accidents: The Car Driver’s Perspective (Part 2)

Fewer than 9 percent of all annual U.S. traffic accidents involve commercial vehicles. But the loss of life to truck drivers, all types of passengers and drivers of non-commercial vehicles is of grave concern. Although drivers of commercial and non-commercial vehicles are jointly responsible for traffic safety, the great majority of accidents are caused by non-commercial drivers.

Some of the unsafe acts committed by car drivers in the presence of large trucks include:

• Allowing insufficient time and distance when changing lanes in front of a truck.
• Driving in those areas where truck drivers have limited visibility, generally behind and beside large vehicles.
• Merging abruptly into traffic and causing the truck to have to maneuver or brake too quickly.
• Unsafe passing with insufficient headway.
• Moving to the right of a truck that is making a right turn.
• Making a left turn while misjudging the speed of a truck approaching an intersection.
• Insufficient acceleration while pulling into traffic in front of a truck.
• Driving between large trucks.
• Failure to speed up or slow down when a truck begins to merge or change lanes.
• Being blown off course by air turbulence of cross-wind when passing trucks.

Of those who suffer fatalities in accidents with trucks, 78 percent are occupants of other vehicles, 8 percent are non-occupants and 15 percent are occupants of a large truck. Thus, the vast majority of deaths occur among insured car drivers and their passengers–like many of us.

by Ruth Stern, Esq. for The ORLOW Firm

Truck Accidents: The Car Driver’s Perspective (Part 1)

The U.S. trucking industry employs an estimated 8.9 million people, 3.5 million of whom are truck drivers. Large commercial vehicles are vital to the country’s economy, delivering nearly 70 percent of all freight transported in the U.S. each year. About $671 billion worth of retail and manufactured goods are transported by truck within the U.S. Truck trade with Mexico and Canada adds almost $500 billion more.

Most truck drivers are skilled and reliable. They must be particularly aware of the special needs and circumstances involved in operating very large vehicles. They must also be attentive to the fact that they share the road with smaller passenger vehicles. Car drivers are often unfamiliar with the performance capabilities of trucks. These drivers may not recognize how cars and trucks differ in terms of braking, acceleration and visibility. At higher speeds on major highways, driver errors that may be of little consequence where small vehicles are involved can prove disastrous in the presence of an eighteen-wheeler.

by Ruth Stern, Esq. for The ORLOW Firm

Another vehicle that was heading southbound, also was involved in the crash and both the driver and passenger in that vehicle were hospitalized due to injuries from the collision.

As Car Accident and Truck Accident Attorneys in New York City we have handled many similar cases. It is always important to immediately seek medical attention for any injuries. After your recovery, it’s important you seek the counsel of a New York City Car Accident Attorney to explore what your options might be.