Truck accidents are not like other vehicle accidents. When a commercial semi-truck or 18-wheeler collides with a passenger vehicle, the results are often catastrophic. The size and weight disparity alone can mean the difference between a fender bender and a life-altering injury or wrongful death. If you or someone you love has been seriously hurt in a truck accident in Michigan, you are not just up against a careless driver. You are up against a trucking company, their insurers, and a legal team that was likely dispatched to the scene before you even made it to the hospital.
At Hamo Law Firm, truck accident cases are among our most significant and complex matters, and they are cases we pursue with everything we have. For over 40 years, our attorneys have gone toe-to-toe with large corporations and insurance companies on behalf of injured Michigan residents. We have recovered more than $250 million for our clients, including multi-million dollar results in truck accident cases. When the other side has a team, you need one too.
Why Truck Accident Cases Are More Complex
To begin with, commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. The physics of a collision between that kind of mass and a passenger vehicle mean that injuries on the victim's side are almost always severe. But the legal complexity runs just as deep as the physical destruction.
Multiple Parties May Share Liability
Unlike a car accident where one driver is typically at fault, truck accident cases often involve multiple responsible parties, including:
- The truck driver, whose fatigue, distraction, or impairment may have caused the crash
- The trucking company, which may have pushed drivers beyond legal limits, failed to conduct proper hiring or training, or ignored maintenance requirements
- The cargo loading company, if an improperly secured or overloaded shipment caused the truck to become unstable
- The truck manufacturer or parts manufacturer, if a defective component such as brakes or tires contributed to the accident
- Third-party maintenance contractors, if the vehicle was not properly serviced
Federal Regulations Create Additional Grounds for Liability
Commercial trucking is governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which sets strict rules that trucking companies and their drivers must follow. When those rules are violated, those violations become powerful evidence of negligence. The regulations cover areas such as:
- Hours of service limits that restrict how long a driver can be on the road before resting
- Required logbooks and electronic logging devices that track driving time
- Pre-trip and post-trip vehicle inspections
- Drug and alcohol testing for drivers
- Weight and cargo securement requirements
- Commercial Driver's License (CDL) standards and training requirements
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Michigan
Michigan is a major commercial trucking corridor, with freight moving constantly along its interstates and highways. The volume of truck traffic means the potential for accidents is ever-present, and the causes we see in our cases repeat themselves with troubling regularity.
The most frequent causes of serious truck accidents include:
- Driver fatigue, often the result of carriers pressuring drivers to meet delivery schedules in violation of hours of service rules
- Distracted driving, including phone use, GPS interaction, and other inattentive behavior behind the wheel
- Impaired driving due to alcohol, drugs, or prescription medications that affect judgment and reaction time
- Improper cargo loading, where an unbalanced or unsecured load shifts during transit and causes the driver to lose control
- Brake failure and inadequate maintenance, where the carrier neglected required inspections and a preventable mechanical failure caused the crash
- Wide turn errors, where a truck driver swings wide to execute a turn and crushes a vehicle in the adjacent lane
- Jackknife and rollover accidents, often triggered by excessive speed, sudden braking, or poor road conditions
- Blind spot collisions, where a truck driver changes lanes without accounting for vehicles that are invisible in the truck's large blind zones
What Compensation Can You Recover?
Truck accident cases typically involve substantial damages, which is part of why trucking companies and their insurers fight so hard to minimize what they pay. A thorough legal claim accounts for every category of harm, including:
- Medical expenses, covering emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and all future treatment related to your injuries
- Lost wages for the time you are unable to work during your recovery
- Loss of earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to the work you did before the accident
- Pain and suffering, including the physical pain, emotional trauma, and reduced quality of life that serious truck accident injuries produce
- Property damage to your vehicle and personal belongings
- Attendant care for victims who require ongoing assistance at home
- Punitive damages, which courts may award in cases involving particularly reckless or egregious conduct by the trucking company or driver
- Wrongful death damages, including loss of financial support, funeral expenses, and loss of companionship for surviving family members
Why Choose Hamo Law for Your Truck Accident Case
Truck Cases Are Our Biggest Cases, and We Treat Them That Way
Truck accidents represent some of the highest-stakes litigation in personal injury law, and Hamo Law has built a track record of results in exactly these cases. We know the federal regulations, we know how to read driver logs and black box data, and we know how to build the kind of case that forces trucking companies to answer for what they did.
We Move Fast to Protect Your Evidence
From the moment you call us, we begin working to preserve the evidence that could win your case. We send preservation letters to the trucking company requiring them to hold all relevant records. We work with accident reconstruction specialists and investigators when the case demands it. We do not wait, because in truck accident cases, waiting costs you.
We Go Up Against Corporate Legal Teams
Trucking companies carry substantial insurance policies and retain experienced defense firms. We are not intimidated by that. We have spent over four decades in Michigan courtrooms and negotiating rooms, standing across the table from corporations and their lawyers and fighting for the people they hurt. That experience matters when the other side has resources and is counting on you not having the same.
Statewide Representation with Personal Attention
We represent truck accident victims throughout Michigan, and we come to you when your injuries make travel difficult. You will work directly with attorneys who know your case and are committed to your outcome. No handoffs to paralegals, no getting lost in a caseload.
No Fee Unless We Win
You owe us nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf. There is no cost to calling us, and no financial risk to getting experienced representation working for you immediately.
What to Do After a Truck Accident in Michigan
- Get emergency medical care. Your health is the priority, and a prompt medical record directly connects your injuries to the crash.
- Call the police and ensure an official accident report is filed.
- Do not move your vehicle if it is safe to stay put. Preserving the scene helps document what happened.
- Document everything you can. Photograph the trucks, your vehicle, road conditions, skid marks, and your injuries. Write down the trucking company name, the DOT number displayed on the truck cab, and the driver's information.
- Get witness contact information from anyone who saw the accident.
- Do not speak to the trucking company's representatives or their insurer. They are not on your side, and anything you say will be used to reduce your claim.
- Contact Hamo Law immediately. In truck accident cases, time is not on your side. The sooner we are involved, the better positioned we are to secure the evidence that wins your case.
The Trucking Company Has a Team Working Against You Right Now. So Should You.
After a serious truck accident, the clock is already running and the other side is already working. Hamo Law is ready to match them and then some. We have the experience, the resources, and the determination to take on the trucking industry and fight for everything you deserve.
Call us today at 810-234-3667, email us at ahamo@hamolaw.com, or visit our office at 614 S. Grand Traverse Street, Flint, Michigan 48502. Consultations are free, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Relentless Advocacy. Compassionate Counsel.
