Truck Accident Lawyers | Harrisburg, PA

Have you or someone that you love suffered a serious injury in a Pennsylvania truck accident? Did you know that you or that victim may be eligible to recover financial compensation for property damage, medical expenses, lost wages and more?

They’re not your average lawyers; they treat you like family, not clients.
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The Harrisburg truck accident lawyers at Schmidt Kramer have decades of experience and recovered millions in compensation on behalf of our clients including a $2,200,000 verdict for the family of a man that was fatally injured after being hit by an inexperienced truck driver and a $475,000 settlement for a client that was seriously injured after being hit by a tractor trailer.

It’s free to talk to a lawyer at our firm and there are no upfront fees if you choose to hire us.

Free Consultation. Call us today at (717) 888-8888.

How a Lawyer Can Help

Truck crash injury victims that have legal representation recover more financial compensation compared to those that do not hire a lawyer. We also have a full support team to help obtain the information that we may need to build strong argument for your lawsuit.

Truck crash victims that have legal representation recover more financial compensation compared to those that do not hire a lawyer.

In most truck accident lawsuits, insurance companies are often involved. Our lawyers have a comprehensive knowledge of the automotive laws that are applicable in truck accident cases in Pennsylvania and we understand the tactics that insurance companies often use in the cases that they handle.

For example, a defense lawyer may argue that even though their client (the truck driver) was involved in the collision, he/she was not negligent in their actions. They may also argue that other circumstances contributed to the accident. This is important as proving negligence is often the basis of an injury lawsuit. Every argument that cannot be countered can have a significant effect on the amount of compensation that may be recovered for the person(s) that was injured.

We use our experience to help protect the rights of our clients and work towards our goal of holding negligent parties responsible for their actions, while also helping our customers to recover financial compensation to assist with the recovery – and post-recovery – process.

With more than 30 years of legal experience, our truck accident lawyers can assist you through the entire litigation process and answer all your questions. To have your case evaluated by one of our attorneys, fill out a Free Case Evaluation form – it’s strictly confidential.

Free Consultation. Ph: (717) 888-8888

How Much is My Case Worth?

There can be many different people and companies that contribute to the cause of a truck crash. For example, if a trucking company has not trained a driver correctly, and the driver causes a serious collision, the trucking company may be liable for some of the damages that were sustained in the crash.

As every case is unique, it can be difficult to provide an exact value of your claim without looking at the details of your specific incident. However, some of the following that may be included in the damages calculation:

Emergency medical care
Overnight hospital stays
Surgeries
Anesthesia
Prescription medication
Lost wages
Loss of your future earning capacity
Calculated cost of future medical care
Physical pain

Costs associated with any follow-up appointments that may be needed
Costs related to physical therapy or rehabilitation care
Diagnostic testing
Personal property damages
Emotional distress
Lost enjoyment of life
Loss of companionship

If you have questions about your potential lawsuit, it’s free to contact a lawyer at our firm and discuss the merits of your claim. If we determine that you have a case and you choose to hire us, there are no upfront fees and we only get paid when we obtain a recovery on your behalf.

Have Questions? We Can Help. Ph: (717) 888-8888.

Who Can Be Liable?

While some truck drivers are “owner-operators” where the driver of the truck also owns it, most commercially-operated vehicles are owned by haulage companies. These haulage companies often use other companies to assist with the servicing and maintenance of their vehicle fleet.

As we begin to build a truck accident case, we may research some of these details including:

The truck driver
The owner of the truck
The person/company responsible for training the driver
The owner of the trailer
The company that services the truck
Any leasing companies that may be involved
The manufacturer of the truck/trailer
Any companies that may have loaded the trailer

Our support staff can also help to obtain certain documents that may be used to support your damages claim including the information of any witnesses to the incident, the insurance and license information of the driver, the Police report (if available) and any other pieces of evidence that may be helpful to your case.

Is There a Time Limit To File a Case?

Yes. In the state of Pennsylvania, there is a two year statute of limitations for personal injury cases. This means that if you have been injured in a crash, you have two years from the date of the incident to file your lawsuit (Pennsylvania Statutes Section 42-5524).

However, in certain circumstances, that time frame may be brought forward or extended. If you are unsure or need some help to clarify information for your specific incident, we recommend you reach out to a lawyer at our firm today.

Free Consultation. Ph: (717) 888-8888.

How Do Truck Crashes Differ from Other Motor Vehicle Accidents?

The likelihood of suffering a severe, life-altering injury from a truck accident is significantly higher because of the size and weight of a commercial vehicle. Other differences that contribute to the complexity of a semi-trailer truck, prime mover, 18-wheeler or big rig accident claim stem from the many federal regulations that govern the trucking industry.

Additionally, there are potentially several liable parties and multiple types of evidence that can benefit your claim, if you know how to get it. That is why we recommend trusting your claim to one of our experienced truck accident lawyers.

Federal Regulations in the Trucking Industry

While truck drivers must adhere to state laws, like all other motorists, there are additional regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) they must also follow. These regulations are intended to increase safety and to reduce the number of accidents. Our attorneys are well-versed in these regulations and how they may apply to your accident claim.

Gathering Evidence from the Truck Accident Scene

After a collision involving a commercial vehicle, insurance investigators will rush to get to the scene of the accident to gather important evidence. Preserving this evidence is crucial to insurers, because it may help them to reduce their policyholders’ liability and what they must pay out to any accident victim.

However, the opposite is also true. Your attorney will need to act quickly to obtain important crash scene evidence, such as the truck’s black box, before it is lost or destroyed.

Additional supporting evidence could include:

Pictures taken at the scene of the crash, including road debris, vehicle damage, weather conditions and more
Eyewitness statements from others who witnessed the crash
Police reports, including citations for traffic violations
Insurance crash report (which contains more detailed information from a trained investigator)
The driver’s daily logs, which include recorded on and off-duty time, inspection reports, service and repairs, and more.

Federal Truck Regulations to Reduce Drowsy Driving Crashes

Federal hours-on-duty rules are intended to regulate the number of hours a commercial driver can continue to operate his or her vehicle during a 24-hour time period. These regulations were implemented to help reduce the risk of a truck driver falling asleep at the wheel due to fatigue, and include:

Maximum of 11 hours behind the wheel in a 24-hour time period.
10 consecutive off-duty hours in a 24-hour time frame.
No more than 14 hours of being on duty (driving or not driving) per day.
Drivers may not spend off-duty hours in the truck unless he or she is in a sleeper birth.
Drivers must take a 30-minute rest break after driving eight consecutive hours.
Drivers are restricted to no more than 60 hours during any 7-day period and 70 hours over an eight-day period. After reaching the limit, drivers must go off duty for a minimum of 34 consecutive hours.
Truck drivers must also adhere to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) and log their status in 24-hour intervals. Logbooks may provide critical evidence in a truck accident case.

Following a Harrisburg truck accident, your attorney may subpoena the truck drivers daily log entries to determine whether any FMCSA regulation was violated, and whether that violation contributed to your crash.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Due to the large size of commercial vehicles, most vehicles on the road can be seriously damaged when they are involved in a collision with a truck. Vehicle occupants and pedestrians can sustain life changing injuries that they may never fully recover from.

Some common injuries a victim may sustain in a truck crash include:

Bruises
Cuts & lacerations
Broken bones
Spinal cord damage

Traumatic brain injuries
Facial injuries
Eyesight damage

Having experienced, competent legal counsel to help protect your rights while you are recovering can be an important part of the recovery process. We welcome you or your family to contact our team of legal professionals today, to help determine if you have grounds to file a damages claim.

Contact a Harrisburg Truck Accident Lawyer

If you or someone that you love has been injured in a truck accident and you believe that the other driver was at fault, we welcome the opportunity to review the details of the incident.

It’s free to talk to a lawyer at our firm about your potential lawsuit and if you choose to hire us, we only get paid when we obtain a recovery on your behalf.

No Upfront Fees. Ph: (717) 888-8888.

Free Case Review

No Upfront Fees

Recent Results

$10,043,952.13 Personal Injury
Schmidt Kramer, P.C.partner Gerard C. Kramer won a personal injury action for $10,043,952.13 in Northumberland County on behalf of a volunteer firefighter who was the victim of Intentional Tort. The 50-year-old volunteer firefighter was seriously injured when a barn collapsed, causing a spinal injury which left him a paraplegic. The claim was brought against the arsonist who intentionally started the fire. It is believed that the verdict is the highest ever in Northumberland County.
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$4,034,000.00 Personal Injury
Yesterday a Judge in Union County (Lewisburg, PA) awarded a couple from New Berlin, Pennsylvania, over $4,000,000 because the husband was shot while turkey hunting.You might ask yourself, how does a turkey hunting accident end up with that type of verdict? In order to understand the verdict you would have to know our clients. They are good people who had their life wrecked. Plus, you would have to know the defendant, who should not have been hunting with a gun because he was prohibited after a previous criminal conviction.It is a good verdict, because the Judge was able to do two things with his decision. First, he communicated to two very good people that their losses were something that those of us on the outside could appreciate and value. Mike Hobbins (our client) is a 51 year old guy who lost his sight because a convicted felon --who should not have even possessed a gun-- went hunting illegally, and broke with impunity the most fundamental rule in hunting: identify your target before you pull the trigger. The Judge accepted the financial loss Mr. Hobbins' suffered, but listened closely to the evidence of less tangible losses. When Mike broke down on the stand, because his daughter would end up walking him down the aisle at her wedding, as opposed to how it was supposed to go, the Judge was listening. When Mike could not keep it together, because of how emasculating it was for him not to be able to provide financially for his family, the Judge was listening. It was facts like these that the Judge cited to support the $2,000,000 award for non-economic damages. Second, the Judge wanted to send a message. Union County is a hunting county. Many of the residents hunt there, and people from outside the area come to Union County to hunt. It was my impression, from the Judge's statements as he rendered his decision, that he wanted to send a message to the people in Union County to protect them in their sport. The rules in place to restrict people convicted of crimes not to have a gun are not to be broken. Hunting is serious and you have to identify your target before you shoot. When you turn your back on the rules that are set to provide safety in a sport, you risk being an example. Here, the $1,000,000 punitive damage award sends that message loud and clear.When it really comes down to brass tacks, the right action was taken against a Defendant who may never truly appreciate what kind of impact his reckless choices caused.At Schmidt Kramer, we are injury lawyers. That means we work with people who were hurt in car accidents, who were hurt by the neglect of nursing homes, or those that were seriously injured because of the reckless, thoughtless acts of others. If you or a loved one have been injured in Pennsylvania, we may be able to help. While the verdict yesterday is not one that is representative of every case we do, it does show that serious and dedicated representation can bring good results.Joe ChapmanJanuary 18, 2013
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$2,200,000.00 Auto Accidents
On Monday, January 6, 2014, Schmidt Kramer accident lawyer Scott Cooper obtained a verdict on behalf of his client who is the widow of a man who died in a fiery crash on Interstate 78 in Lebanon County. The awarded verdict of $2.2 million was in a nonjury proceeding before a federal judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. That verdict includes $100,000 in punitive damages assessed against the owner of the trucking company.Kamilah Claxton won summary judgment in November after the defendants, Sukhwinder Singh and the trucking company for which he worked, failed to file a brief in opposition to Claxton's motion, which was made in September. The verdict in Claxton v. Singh was issued after the court held a non-jury assessment of damages earlier this month."Mr. Sukhchan Singh, the employer, is liable on the basis of respondent superior, but was also grossly negligent in failing to maintain his vehicle in compliance with state and federal law, particularly with regard to having required safety inspections and correcting defects in its braking equipment," said U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell of the Middle District of Pennsylvania in his opinion accompanying the verdict."He was also grossly negligent in entrusting his vehicle to Sukhwinder Singh, an inexperienced truck driver who had failed the written test and driving test multiple times before finally earning his commercial driving license," Caldwell said.
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$1,200,000.00 Personal Injury
A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy.2012-06-26 10:00:00 AMDate of Verdict: June 19. 2012Court and Case No.: C.P. Dauphin County No. 2009-CV-14003-MMJudge: Scott EvansType of Action: Medical malpracticeInjuries: Anoxic brain injuryPlaintiffs Counsel: Terry S. Hyman, Schmidt Kramer, HarrisburgPlaintiffs Experts: Dr. Anna H. Messner, liability; Lucille Packer, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Palo Alto, Calif.; Terry P. Leslie, vocations and earning capacity, Lancaster; Dr. Hilary B. Berlin, pediatric psychiatry, Great Neck, N.Y.Defense Counsel: Andrew H. Foulkrod, Darlene K. King, Foulkrod Ellis, Camp Hill, PADefense Experts: James C. Reilly, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Wilmington, DEComment: A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy.The entire verdict came against Dr. Andrew M. Shapiro, the doctor who plaintiffs Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Metz alleged chose to have the boy monitored at a pediatric ward. The plaintiffs argued Shapiro failed to tell nurses caring for the baby about, and how to care for, the boy's enhanced risk for respiratory failure.The jury came back on June 19 and awarded Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Mets $500,000 in non-economic damages and $686,170 in loss of future earning capacity, according to the plaintiffs counsel.According to the statement, the baby's mother brought him to Shapiro because she was "'afraid that he might stop breathing during his sleep,'" the plaintiffs' pretrial statement said. Shapiro performed a sleep study and observed the baby's Apnea Hypopnea Index to be 43 — four times higher than what's considered severe. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were performed.According to the plaintiffs, the baby's sleep study results put him at an increased risk for post-operative respiratory complications. Despite this, they argued in the statement, Shapiro ordered the pediatric nurses at the Harrisburg Hospital general pediatric ward to observe the boy as they would any other patients — about once every four hours.The pretrial statement said that one in four children who have an AHI in the 40s and oxygen desaturation below 80 have some type of respiratory problem. The younger the child, the greater the risk of a respiratory problem, the statement said.According to the statement, Shapiro took off the child's pulse oximeter, the finger-mounted device used to measure blood oxygen, and ordered a heart and respiratory rate monitor. The child was 11 months old at the time.The plaintiffs pled that the baby was last seen at 4 a.m. There was no record of his oxygen saturation for the next hour and 45 minutes. He stopped breathing a 6:40 a.m., and his brain was without oxygen long enough to cause demonstrable injury on an MRI."Immediately prior to his surgery, [the child] was a normal child, who could say mama, eat finger foods, and was just on the verge of walking," the statement said. "After his code, [he] was like a newborn. He could not lift his head or sit up. He could not talk. He could not move."In his pretrial statement, Shapiro argued that he recognized the child's pre-operative sleep study showed he was driven to breath by decreased blood oxygen saturation, which he said was typical in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.He argued the American Academy of Otolaryngology dictates that admission to the intensive care unit is not the standard of care. In the statement, he said nurses did not observe signs of respiratory distress. No alarms sounded until the child arrested, the statement said.He said the baby likely arrested as a result of hypoglycemia and/or an acute aspiration, which he argued would not have been identified by blood oxygen saturation.— Ben Present, of the Law Weekly
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$1,024,040.80 Auto Accidents
Scott Cooper settled a wrongful death case on behalf of the widow of a police office who was killed in a car accident in the line of duty for $1,024,040.80. The claim against the other driver was amicably resolved before suit was filed for the entire available policy limits for the other driver. The case took place in Adams County, PA.
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Testimonials

Dear Scott,
Hello there! I’m a little late to the game here, but I wanted to be certain I wrote to you. Oops—sorry for the typo! As you’ve probably gathered, I am writing you from a typewriter. Do you still use these in the office? Back on topic, I wanted to take a moment to express my deep gratitude for your guidance and support throughout the entire legal process for my accident. Can you believe it’s been five years?? Your attention to detail, professionalism, and delicate handling of my case made an incredibly difficult time more manageable for me and my family. We’re forever grateful.
From the moment you stepped foot in that hospital room with me, I felt relieved to have someone in my corner like you and your team. You took the time not only to explain each legal step in a way that made sense but also to acknowledge the emotional weight of what I was going through. That delicate balance—handling the intricacies of my case with precision while also being sensitive to my well-being—is something I will always be grateful for. In many ways, the outcome of the case reflected your dedication, but what has stayed with me even more is how you treated me throughout the process—with patience, respect, and compassion. You listened to my concerns and reassured me in moments of uncertainty. And even now, I feel your compassion each year on my birthday when I receive a text from you!
Thank you, not just for the outcome, but for the way you handled each moment. You are an incredible lawyer, but more importantly, an incredible person, and I was fortunate to have you in my corner.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Ricky D
Definitely were people of their word. Certainly helped me through my whole case
The legal team was very professional and met my needs I would highly recommend them
Monte cargile
Very great experience working with you guys continue the great service timely response communication well understand
jackie duffus
Schmidt Kramer is simply definition of hardworking, they are trustworthy and get best claim you could never think of.

Harrisburg Truck Accident Lawyers