South Carolina Fuel Tanker Accident Lawyer

Hammack Law Firm offers responsive, compassionate legal care to victims of fuel tanker accidents. If this is your situation, we will help you seek compensation for your injuries and losses. Our firm regularly handles truck collision cases, guiding our clients through each phase of the settlement process and going to court when necessary.

Our South Carolina truck accident lawyers and client support team can help you build a strong case file to show how the liable party’s negligence caused your fuel tanker collision. We will take time to examine the impact of the accident on your life and advocate for your right to financial recovery. Our team is ready to put in the work necessary to help you seek awards, and we can explain your legal options during a free case evaluation today.

Why Fuel Trucks Are Dangerous Vehicles

We share our South Carolina roads with fuel tanker trucks that supply our gas stations and other local businesses with fuel. Due to the type of cargo they carry, getting into an accident with a fuel tanker can have severe results. The size and weight of this truck alone, with its cylinder-shaped trailer, make it capable of causing catastrophic injuries.

Worse, a massive tanker carrying flammable materials can flip and turn on its side, potentially leaking gallons of fuel on the scene that can be dangerous to everyone present. A crash with a tanker truck can cause:

• Fires
• Explosions
• Chemical leaks and spills
• Radioactive contamination that can affect the environment
• Rollovers

Liquid Cargo Can Make Tanker Trucks Hard to Maneuver

These trucks are at a high risk of flipping over because of the liquids they carry. Fuel tankers carrying thousands of pounds of diesel, gasoline, and other liquid materials can become difficult to maneuver if the liquid loads start to shift.

Per CDL.com, partial loads of liquid can move around in the tanker and become unbalanced, making it difficult for drivers to maneuver if they have to brake suddenly, make a turn, or stop. Liquid loads can also push or make a truck roll forward, which can make them dangerous to a passenger in a smaller vehicle that is in the driver’s blind spot.

Driving this kind of truck requires skill, which is why the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) requires fuel tanker drivers to have a tanker endorsement on their commercial driver’s license (CDL). We can review the tanker driver’s credentials – including their driving record and logbooks of their drive times and rest periods – to see if any discrepancies contributed to your accident.

Driver Errors Can Cause Tanker Crashes

Driver errors can also contribute to fuel tanker accidents. These errors include:

• Speeding (and other careless driving behaviors, such as tailgating)
• Driving while distracted
• Losing control of the vehicle
• Driving under the influence of substances (alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription and over-the-counter drugs)
• Driver fatigue

Not maintaining the truck properly or the condition of the roadways can also contribute to an accident. We will investigate and seek to hold the proper parties accountable.

Why Seek to Recover Damages from a Fuel Truck Accident?

If we can prove, based on the evidence in your accident, that the fuel tank driver did not adhere to strict state and federal laws created to ensure safety while transporting hazardous materials, we can request compensation for any injuries or losses you suffered due to the collision.

Common Tanker Truck Accident Injuries

Flammable liquids can explode, leaving accident victims with severe burns, respiratory problems from smoke inhalation, and other injuries. If you or a loved one suffered burns, you may have to undergo multiple surgeries. These injuries can also cause scarring or disfigurement.

Other injuries from these accidents can include:

• Head, neck, and face injuries
• Internal bleeding
• Internal organ injuries
• Crushed or broken bones
• Soft tissue injuries
• Spinal cord and back injuries
• Leg, knee, and ankle injuries
• Radiation exposure

All of these injuries and many others can result from fuel tanker truck accidents, and it is worth it to seek financial recovery for them so that you can pay your medical bills and other obligations.

Your Truck Accident Injuries Have Value

The injuries you sustain in a collision with a fuel tanker can be severe and costly, even changing your physical appearance and abilities. The negligence that led to the accident can entitle you to financial compensation. According to S.C. Ann § 15-32-210, you could recover the following damages:

• Immediate and future medical expenses
• Immediate and future wage and income loss

If the accident caused the demise of a family member, you are also eligible to recover the reasonable costs of making their final arrangements. When we assign a value to your case, we take all these expenses into account. We also help compile the receipts and documents that prove their financial value and your vehicle’s repair or replacement value.

You Can Also Request Compensation for Injury-Related Expenses

The mental and physical aspects of such wounds can be challenging to deal with alongside medical bills that come with treatment. In addition to recovering the costs of treating your injuries and the income you lose when these injuries prevent you from working, you can also seek compensation for non-economic losses. These damages can include:

• Physical disability or impairment
• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental and emotional anguish

When we value your injuries, we make sure to include these intangible costs. On your own, they can be difficult to calculate. We can help you determine their monetary significance and ensure they are included in the overall valuation of your lawsuit.

We Will Establish Financial Liability in Your Accident Case

When our team is on your side, we help you pull together the many types of evidence that prove your right to financial recovery and the amount of recovery you are eligible to collect. The evidence we obtain for your case file includes your crash report, which may outline the accident’s cause and contributing factors.

Your crash report also establishes the date and time of the accident, which helps us comply with the state’s statute of limitations. We will collect your medical records, as well, to prove the cause and extent of your injuries along with the following important documents:

• Proof of income
• Written prognosis
• Photos and videos
• Witness statements

Most importantly, when one of our accident attorneys represents you, they listen to you with compassion and understanding to uncover the cause of the accident. Our team will make sure to include all eligible losses and expenses when estimating your recoverable damages. We want you to receive all the compensation you are legally entitled to for the at-fault party’s neglect.

Who Can Be Held Liable in a Tanker Truck Accident?

Proving liability in a trucking accident is challenging because of the variables involved. Often, more than one party is liable in these types of collisions. The driver who caused your accident could be only one of several liable parties we sue. Others could include:

• The truck driver’s employer
• The truck’s manufacturer
• The truck’s parts manufacturer
• The government entity responsible for the road where the accident occurred
• Another driver on the scene

We will identify who is liable for your accident and present proof that they owed you a duty of care and failed to meet it when they caused your accident. Our firm will also send a spoliation letter to the trucking company to demand it preserve critical evidence you will need to prove who caused your accident. This evidence includes:

• The driver’s logbook
• The driver’s driving record
• The truck’s data recorder (black box)
• Results of the driver’s drug and alcohol test if applicable
• Driver’s training and work history

Benefits of Getting Our Team Involved in Your Injury Case Immediately

It is never too early to contact our truck accident team and put us to work on your compensation lawsuit. Early intervention has four important benefits. It lets us:

• Investigate the accident scene and locate witnesses
• Interview witnesses while their memories are fresh
• Consult with medical experts and accident reconstructionists who can give us insight into how your accident happened
• Canvass the area for photos and video footage
• Comply with the state’s statute of limitations

According to S.C. Ann § 15-3-530, you generally have three years to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party for personal injury or wrongful death in South Carolina. With sufficient notice, our firm will safeguard your right to file a lawsuit if we cannot agree on a favorable financial settlement.

Your Financial Recovery Is Our Focus

Our Hammack Law Firm team is committed to helping injured clients seek compensation. We represent you with a combination of small-firm feel and big-firm experience. Our fuel tanker accident lawyers on our South Carolina team provide compassionate, sympathetic service because we treat you like one of our own. Our team members:

• Humanize the personal injury process
• Give your case individual time and attention
• Assign liability to the negligent party

Our mission is to build personal relationships with you and all our clients. We are also committed to making South Carolina safer for everyone. We listen to your recollection of the accident with empathy and compassion and work hard to help you fight for financial recovery. In addition, you can get your case started with no upfront costs to you. If you do not win the case, we will not charge you any fees.

Compensation Results for Previous Truck Accident Clients

No two truck accident cases or injured parties are exactly alike. The best way to assess your case’s value is to contact one of our team members for a free consultation. We carefully evaluate your injuries and their related expenses to give your lawsuit a monetary value. Past settlements include:

• A $1,600,000 settlement for a husband and wife who were seriously injured in a collision with a tractor-trailer
• A $400,000 settlement for a tractor-trailer accident that left our client with multiple ankle and foot fractures
• A $135,000 settlement for soft tissue neck and shoulder injuries caused when a truck rear-ended our client’s vehicle

We work hard to assign a value to your case and collect evidence that proves its financial worth and your right to recovery. As soon as you are ready to seek compensation, we are ready to help optimize your case.

Put Our Team to Work Fighting for Your Financial Compensation

Were you or someone you love injured in an accident with a fuel tanker in South Carolina? Get legal support and help with pursuing compensation from our fuel tanker accident lawyers by contacting Hammack Law Firm at (864) 326-3333(864) 326-3333 today.