A Buffalo truck accident lawyer takes on the trucking company and its insurer after a crash with a semi, tractor-trailer, or other commercial truck. At Rosenthal, Kooshoian & Lennon, LLP, we move fast to preserve the truck's data, dig into the federal rules the company had to follow, and hold every responsible party accountable, because these crashes cause serious harm and the company will fight hard to pay less.
A collision with an 80,000-pound truck is not a bigger version of a car crash. The injuries are worse, the rules are different, and you're up against a company with insurance, lawyers, and an interest in getting to the scene before you do. Our Buffalo truck accident attorneys know how these cases work and how to win them. This is one focus of our broader Buffalo car accident and personal injury practice, so the full weight of the firm is behind your case.
Call us 24/7 at 716-854-1300 to speak with a personal injury lawyer near you, or contact us for a FREE consultation.
Bigger stakes, more parties, and a whole layer of federal regulation. Commercial trucks are governed by federal safety rules a car never has to follow, more than one company can share the blame, and the insurance policies are far larger. On top of that, trucking companies often send an investigator to the scene within hours to start building their defense.
All of that changes how the case has to be handled. Where a car crash is usually one driver against another, a truck case can involve the driver, the trucking company, and several others, plus a body of federal rules that can make or break liability. It's a more complex fight, and it calls for a firm that knows the terrain.
Often several parties at once. The driver is the obvious one, but responsibility frequently reaches the trucking company itself and others in the chain. Each additional party is another source of accountability and, just as important, another insurance policy to cover a catastrophic injury.
Depending on the crash, the responsible parties can include:
Don't assume the driver is the only one who owes you something. We investigate the whole chain, because the company behind the driver usually has far more coverage.
They can be some of the strongest evidence you have. Commercial trucking is governed by federal safety rules covering how long a driver can be on the road, how trucks must be maintained and inspected, and how drivers are qualified and tested. When a company or driver broke one of those rules, that violation can be powerful proof of negligence.
Hours-of-service limits exist to fight driver fatigue, one of the leading causes of serious truck crashes, and companies sometimes bend them to keep freight moving. The same goes for maintenance and inspection requirements. Part of building a truck case is obtaining the company's records and comparing what it actually did against what the federal rules required, which is exactly where these cases are often won.
Commercial trucks carry electronic systems, including an electronic logging device and an engine control module, that record a wealth of data: hours driven, speed, braking, and more. That information can prove how the crash happened and whether the driver or company broke the rules, which is exactly why it needs to be preserved immediately.
The catch is that this data can be overwritten or lost, and the trucking company controls it. Some of it disappears in a matter of weeks, and a company has little incentive to hold onto evidence that hurts it. Moving quickly to demand that the truck and its data be preserved is one of the most important things a lawyer does in these cases, and it's a big reason not to wait.
Because the trucking company already is. Major carriers have rapid-response teams that head to a serious crash scene right away to gather evidence and shape the story before you've left the hospital. Meanwhile, the electronic data that could prove your case can be gone within weeks.
The moment we're retained, we send a formal preservation letter demanding that the company keep the truck, the data, and the records intact, and we start our own investigation before the trail goes cold. Waiting hands the advantage to a company that is already working against you. Acting early levels the field.
Most serious truck crashes trace back to fatigue, speed, or a company cutting corners. Driver tiredness from too many hours on the road, speeding and aggressive driving, distraction, improperly loaded cargo, and poorly maintained brakes and tires are among the leading causes we see.
The truck's size adds its own dangers, from wide blind spots where a car can vanish, to jackknife and underride crashes, to the simple physics of a fully loaded rig that can't stop in time. Many of these causes point back not just to the driver, but to the company that scheduled, trained, and maintained, or failed to maintain, the operation. That's why the investigation reaches well beyond the person behind the wheel.
Far more than an ordinary driver. Federal law requires interstate trucking companies to carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage for general freight, and many carry $1 million or more, with higher minimums for hazardous loads. That larger coverage is often what makes full compensation possible after a catastrophic injury.
The flip side is that bigger policies come with bigger defenses. Those insurers do not part with that money easily, and they bring experienced lawyers to keep it. Reaching the coverage takes proving liability thoroughly and pushing back on every attempt to shift blame or minimize your injuries.
Your own no-fault coverage pays your initial medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, generally up to $50,000. To recover for your pain, suffering, and long-term losses, you bring a claim against the at-fault driver, the trucking company, and any other responsible party, and for that you generally have to meet New York's serious injury threshold.
Truck crash victims almost always clear that threshold, because the injuries tend to be severe. The claim against the company and its large policy is where the real value lives, and identifying every responsible party is what makes full compensation possible when the harm is catastrophic.
Almost always, in a serious truck crash. No-fault covers your basic bills and lost wages, but not your pain or the disruption to your life. To recover for those, you generally have to meet New York's serious injury threshold, which the severe injuries in truck crashes typically satisfy.
That claim is where the bulk of a truck case's value usually sits, and it's exactly what the company's insurer will fight. We build the medical proof that supports it.
Yes. New York's comparative negligence rule lets you recover even if you share some of the blame, with your percentage of fault reducing the amount. Trucking companies routinely try to pin fault on the other driver, so expect the argument, and expect us to answer it.
Shifting blame onto you is one of the company's main tools for paying less, which is why the fault fight matters so much in these cases. We use the truck's own data and the federal records to keep the responsibility where it belongs.
A truck accident claim can recover your medical bills, lost income, reduced future earning power, pain and suffering, and property damage. In a fatal crash, a family can bring a wrongful death claim, and where a company's conduct was truly reckless, punitive damages may be possible.
Truck crash injuries are often catastrophic, meaning surgeries, long rehabilitation, permanent disability, and a lifetime of care, and the insurer's first offer never reflects that. We build the number with your doctors and, when the injuries are lasting, economic, vocational, and life-care experts, so the demand covers the full arc of your recovery.
By the full cost of your injuries, measured against the substantial coverage available. Because truck crashes tend to cause severe, lasting harm and the policies are large, the value can be significant, provided the injuries and the company's liability are proven thoroughly.
The figure reflects your medical care, the permanent limitations, and the effect on your ability to earn a living and live your life. A serious spinal injury, a traumatic brain injury, or an amputation carries lifelong costs, and capturing those is where careful work pays off. We build the value with treating providers and experts, and we prove the company's responsibility so its full coverage is on the table.
Your family may have a wrongful death claim, brought through the estate, along with a survival action for what your loved one suffered before passing. Truck crashes are among the most common causes of fatal collisions, precisely because of the size and weight involved.
Nothing eases that kind of loss, but a claim can hold the driver and the company accountable and provide for the family left behind. Our fatal car accident attorney page explains how a wrongful death claim works in New York, who can file, and what a family can recover. We handle these cases with the care they deserve.
Generally three years from the date of the crash to sue the driver and the trucking company, and generally two years for a wrongful death claim if someone was killed. If a government vehicle was involved, a formal notice can be due within 90 days.
The real urgency, though, is the evidence. The truck's data and the company's records can be lost or overwritten long before any legal deadline, so the sooner a lawyer can move to preserve them, the stronger your claim.
Get medical care first, because truck crash injuries are often severe even when they don't feel like it at the scene. Call 911 and get a police report, photograph the trucks, the scene, and the damage, and get the driver's and company's information. Do not give a statement to the trucking company's insurer or investigator before you talk to a lawyer.
That last point matters here more than in almost any other crash, because the company's representatives may reach you fast and friendly, looking for anything they can use to reduce your claim. Say little to them, hold onto every record, and get a lawyer involved quickly so the evidence can be preserved before it's gone.
We move immediately to preserve the evidence and level the field. In the first days, we send the preservation letter, launch our own investigation, and demand the truck's data and the company's federal records, then build the injury case and prepare it as if it's going to trial, because that's what makes a trucking insurer take it seriously.
Our attorneys secure the electronic data and the FMCSA records, work with reconstruction and industry experts, and identify every responsible party, from the driver to the company to a cargo loader or manufacturer. We document your injuries and their long-term impact, press the claim against every available insurer, and file suit in New York State Supreme Court when they won't deal fairly. Most cases settle through negotiation or mediation, but we build each one for trial, and we keep these matters in house from start to finish.
We represent injured people and grieving families across Western New York, and we handle truck cases the same way we handle every case, in house, start to finish, through settlement, trial, and appeal. We know the federal rules, the evidence these cases turn on, and the tactics trucking companies and their insurers use.
Truck cases reward a firm that moves fast, digs into the regulations, and isn't intimidated by a company's legal team. That's what we bring, along with straight answers in plain language, so you always know where things stand. You focus on healing. We'll take on the company and the fight.
If a commercial truck hurt you or took someone you love in Buffalo or Western New York, the attorneys at Rosenthal, Kooshoian & Lennon, LLP are ready to help. Contact us for a free consultation, and a Buffalo truck accident lawyer will review your crash, explain who can be held responsible, and lay out your options, with no fee unless we recover for you.
Don't wait, and don't talk to the trucking company's insurer first. The sooner we start, the more we can do to preserve the truck's data, identify everyone responsible, and protect your right to full compensation.
Call us 24/7 at 716-854-1300 to speak with a personal injury lawyer near you, or contact us for a FREE consultation.
Disclaimer: This page is for general information only and isn't legal advice. Reading it doesn't create an attorney client relationship. Federal and state rules, insurance minimums, and deadlines can change, and the details described reflect the law as of 2026. Every case is different, and prior results don't guarantee a similar outcome. For advice about a specific crash, please consult a licensed New York attorney.
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