Millions Of Dollars Recovered For Our Clients.
Dedicated & Tenacious Litigation Lawyers in Indianapolis
A crash with a semi or commercial truck rarely looks like a typical car accident. The size difference alone means more serious injuries, and the legal picture is more complicated too, since a truck accident claim often involves not just the driver but a trucking company, a cargo loader, or a maintenance contractor, each covered by different insurance and each potentially bearing a share of the responsibility. Truck accidents cover crashes involving semis, tractor trailers, delivery trucks, and other commercial vehicles operating on Indiana roads.
Commercial trucking is regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which sets rules for driver hours of service, vehicle maintenance, and driver qualifications, on top of Indiana’s own traffic laws. Many trucks now carry electronic logging devices and event data recorders that capture speed, braking, and hours driven in the moments before a crash, evidence that can be critical to a claim but that trucking companies aren’t always quick to preserve voluntarily. Indiana also applies a modified comparative fault rule, meaning you can still recover damages as long as you’re found less than 51 percent at fault, though your recovery is reduced by your share of the fault. Commercial trucking companies are also required to carry substantially higher liability insurance than a typical passenger vehicle, which means more is often at stake for the insurer defending the claim and, in turn, more resistance to a fair settlement.
At RileyCate, we investigate truck accidents quickly, since evidence like electronic logs and dashcam footage can be overwritten or destroyed if a company isn’t put on notice to preserve it. We pursue claims against the driver, the trucking company, and other responsible parties in the chain, including cases involving driver fatigue, improper loading, and inadequate vehicle maintenance. We also represent truck drivers, including independent owner-operators, who are injured on the job because of another driver’s negligence, a defective vehicle part, or a dangerous road condition, since being a commercial driver doesn’t prevent you from pursuing your own claim when someone else caused your injury.
Truck accident cases often involve multiple defendants, federal regulations, and insurance companies with far more resources than the individual driver, which is exactly the kind of fight that calls for trial-tested representation. Our team brings decades of civil trial experience to truck accident cases, led by Russell Cate, who is recognized as a Super Lawyer, and his and Will Riley’s appellate work before the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court gives our clients real depth in this kind of litigation. Will Riley’s Super Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and AV Preeminent recognition reflects that same trial-tested approach.
Will and Russell personally oversee every matter we take, staffing it with the attorneys, associates, and staff the case calls for based on its size and complexity, so your case gets the urgency it needs from the outset.
Nobody plans to need a lawyer. When something goes wrong, what you need first is someone who will listen, tell you honestly where you stand, and take the next steps off your plate. That is how every case at RileyCate, LLC begins.
We represent individuals, families, and small businesses across Fishers, Indianapolis, and surrounding counties in personal injury and complex litigation, business and real estate disputes, criminal defense, and appeals.
Will Riley and Russell Cate personally oversee every matter, staffing each case to its size and complexity. Both are recognized as Super Lawyers and have argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Will also holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and a Top 100 Trial Lawyer designation.
We are trial-tested, not just settlement-focused. We have tried hundreds of cases, because insurance companies, opposing businesses, and prosecutors negotiate differently with a firm willing to go the distance.
If you were injured in a crash involving a commercial truck, time matters, since evidence can disappear quickly if the trucking company isn’t put on notice. We offer a consultation to review the facts of your accident and explain your options. Reach out to RileyCate today to speak with a truck accident attorney about your situation.
