Find a Nebraska Truck Accident Attorney

November 6, 2025 | Accidents

Truck crashes are different. They are more catastrophic, more complex, and more likely to produce life-changing injuries or death than the average car crash. If you or a loved one has been hit by a commercial truck, the choices you make in the first hours and days afterward will shape your ability to prove what happened, hold the right people accountable, and recover compensation that covers medical care, lost wages, and the deep, ongoing toll of pain and loss.

Why truck crashes are so bad

Truck crashes are a growing public-safety problem. Over the past decade, truck crashes have increased by nearly 50 percent. In one recent year almost 6,000 deaths involved large trucks on public roads.  These numbers matter because the consequences are not just statistical. A multi-ton commercial vehicle hitting a passenger car, a motorcycle, a bicyclist, or a pedestrian often causes catastrophic injury or death. Most of the time the occupant of the smaller vehicle suffers the most severe injuries or fatality.

Common causes of truck crashes

Many people assume truck crashes happen because of weather, momentary driver error, or distraction. Those do account for some crashes, but the causes can often run deeper and involve systemic failures by the trucking company.  Their hiring and training practices, the chain of people that control a load and lack of adequate oversight can be contributing factors.

Here are the most common reasons for these accidents:

• Failure to properly train drivers. Trucking companies need to teach drivers how to handle very heavy, long, and powerful vehicles. Training includes defensive driving, required rest, proper turning and backing techniques, and judgment about stopping distance. We often see crashes caused by drivers who are new, undertrained, or unfamiliar with the specific type of commercial vehicle they are operating.
• Failure to properly vet drivers. A thorough background check should reveal driving histories full of speeding tickets, failures to stop, distracted driving citations, or other red flags. When trucking companies skip or cut corners on vetting, they put dangerous drivers on the road.
• Retaining reckless drivers. Some companies keep drivers who repeatedly violate rules, rather than retrain or dismiss them. There are cases where drivers kept violating policies for texting, excessive speeding, or ignoring hours-of-service limits and were never removed from service.
• Excessive hours and falsified logs. Fatigue is a major factor. Drivers who exceed hours-of-service limits or falsify logbooks present enormous risks. Electronic logging devices (ELDs) are making it harder to fake hours, but falsification and pressure from carriers to deliver on tight schedules still occur.
• Distracted driving and illegal behavior. Texting, watching videos or other forms of distraction behind the wheel are tragically common. When truck drivers are distracted, the results can be catastrophic.
• Unsafe weather and road conditions. Drivers or companies who send trucks into torrents, heavy fog, ice, or other clearly hazardous conditions when alternative courses existed are acting negligently.
• Mechanical failures and poor maintenance. Brakes, tires, lights, trailers, and loading practices all matter. Neglecting routine maintenance or failing to secure a load properly can cause or magnify a crash.

Immediate steps after a truck crash: what matters most

If you are involved in a truck crash, the immediate hours and days matter more than most people realize. Insurance companies and carriers start protecting their interests quickly. Within 24 hours they may have investigators, adjusters, and attorneys gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses.

The single best thing you can do right away is to preserve evidence and get a lawyer involved early. Here are practical actions to take as soon as you can reasonably do so:

• Seek medical attention. First and always, your health and safety come first. Obtain full documentation of all injuries and treatments.
• Preserve any photos or videos you have from the scene. Ask bystanders if they recorded anything; take copies.
• Write down everything you remember about the crash, including time, weather, location, and the sequence of events. Notes taken soon after an incident are invaluable later.
• Do not give recorded statements to insurance adjusters or sign releases without speaking to an attorney.
• Keep records of wages missed, bills, medications, and follow-up care.

One of an attorney’s key legal tools is the court system. The only reliable way to get full, candid documentation from a trucking company or broker is through discovery. These records often decide cases.

Who can be held liable in a truck crash?

Trucking cases frequently involve more than one responsible party. Identifying every potentially liable entity is a major part of the investigation because liability spreads and insurance coverage varies by party.

Possible defendants include:

• The truck driver whose negligent actions may have directly caused the crash.
• The trucking company that employed the driver and controlled hiring, training, policies, and dispatch.
• The owner of the truck if the truck was leased, rented, or owned by a separate entity.
• The shipper or receiver who arranged the load and may have exerted control over how and when the driver delivered.
• Logistics brokers or freight brokers who arranged transport and may have failed to vet carriers or exerted control that made them legally responsible.
• Maintenance providers who repaired or inspected equipment improperly.

One of the most important pieces of paper in every cargo movement is the bill of lading. The bill of lading, DOT numbers on the truck, and shipping contracts show who controlled the load and who the parties were from pickup to delivery. Sometimes a trucking company claims no control, but discovery and following the money shows who actually set schedules and directed the driver.

Understanding damages: what can you recover?

The goal of a lawsuit is to put an injured person back into the position they would have been in but for the crash, to the extent money can accomplish that. Because courts cannot literally restore a lost limb or years of health, damages are monetary and divided into categories:

Economic damages

Economic damages compensate for concrete financial losses. Examples include:

• Medical bills past and future (hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, medications)
• Lost income and lost future earning capacity
• Costs for in-home care, modifications, mobility devices, and assistive equipment
• Property damage to vehicles and personal property

Economic damages are often easier to quantify because they rely on bills, pay stubs, tax records, and expert testimony about future medical needs and lost earnings.

Non-economic damages

Non-economic damages cover intangible harms: pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and loss of a normal life. These are the damages juries typically award to compensate for the ongoing toll of catastrophic injury.

Consider what we mean by non-economic losses:

• Pain and suffering. Many clients live with constant, daily pain that never goes away. How much is it worth to be in debilitating pain 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for years or the rest of your life
• Loss of a normal life. Losing the ability to play with your children, coach a youth team, go on family outings, run, swim, or simply sit comfortably for long periods changes identity and family roles
• Disfigurement. Permanent scars, amputations, limps, or facial injuries can all justify non-economic awards

Juries consider how a crash has affected your day-to-day life, relationships, hobbies, and future. That is why we collect testimony, photos, videos, and witness accounts to help jurors understand the full human impact beyond bills and paychecks.

When should you hire a truck accident attorney?

The answer is: as soon as possible. The insurance company for the trucking carrier mobilizes quickly. Their investigators will gather statements, photograph the scene, and take steps to protect the carrier and driver. Police will investigate too, but their role is not to advocate for you. Without counsel, the balance of information and power shifts toward the carrier and its insurer.

The most complete and candid records come through court-ordered discovery. An early lawsuit or preservation demand triggers formal legal obligations to keep and produce documents. If evidence disappears, a court can impose sanctions. That is why timing matters.

Protect Your Rights

Truck crashes are devastating and complicated. The best outcomes happen when victims and families act quickly to preserve evidence, seek quality medical care, and secure legal counsel that understands the unique dynamics of trucking litigation. An early, thorough investigation often reveals facts that insurers hope will remain hidden: falsified logs, inadequate training or poor maintenance.  With the right legal partner, you can force the disclosure of crucial documents, assemble expert witnesses, and tell the full story of how the crash changed your life.

If you or a family member has been injured in a truck crash, reach out for a free consultation.