Prime Inc. Truck Accident Attorneys
Nationwide Trucking Lawyers Fighting for Victims & Their Families
Prime Inc. is a shipping company based in Springfield, Missouri that was founded in 1970. According to its website, the company is "North America's most successful refrigerated, flatbed, tanker, and intermodal carrier." According to data gathered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in August 2018, the firm operates 6,331 trucks and has been cited with 4,916 violations in the last 2 years. Want to see for yourself? Visit the FMCSA database to look up any trucking company in the nation.
Prime Inc.'s violations have included:
- Driver in possession of amphetamines
- Operating a truck without a commercial driver's license
- Driving with a license that was suspended for safety reasons
- Unsafe tire conditions
- Unsecured cargo
- Driving in violation of legal restrictions
In the same time period, Prime Inc. trucks have been involved in 754 crashes, yielding 314 injuries and 28 fatalities. Trucking companies like Prime Inc. aren't unique—dozens of trucking companies across the United States are involved in serious collisions that rob people of their lives, their livelihoods, and their future. Our Prime Inc. truck accident lawyers want to level the playing field between regular people and the trucking companies that inadvertently harm them.
If you were harmed in a truck accident involving a Prime Inc. driver or vehicle, you should know your options. Review your case with a Prime Inc. truck accident lawyer today.
The National Leader in Trucking Accidents
In 2017, there were more than 150,000 large commercial truck crashes. These massive collisions created about half that many injuries (75,123) and caused 4,579 fatalities. Truck accidents occurred more in Texas than in any other state in the country. Our state has suffered from enough truck accidents—and so has the rest of the country.
Arnold & Itkin have investigated trucking accidents of all kinds, including:
- Box truck crashes
- Flatbed truck accidents
- Garbage truck accidents
- Jackknife accidents
- Underride accidents
- Tanker truck crashes
- Tow truck collisions
- Dump truck accidents
Despite making up less than 5 percent of all vehicles on the road (according to 2015 figures), commercial trucks are involved with 11 percent of all traffic deaths. One of the leading causes of such frequent injury and death is the trucking industry itself, which compels drivers to break the rules in order to make ends meet. Tired drivers make more mistakes, and they can't afford mistakes when driving an 80,000-pound machine.
How Trucking Companies Are Making the Road Unsafe
One of the chief ways that trucking industry makes the road unsafe is how it pays its drivers. Most new truckers are paid by the mile—which means they're unpaid for everything else. That arrangement incentivizes driving for as long and as far as possible every day. Unfortunately, the rigors of life on the road sometimes get in the way of driving long distances. Traffic, repairs, and other issues can ruin a trucker's schedule.
Vital non-driving trucking work includes:
- Driving to pick up new loads
- Planning routes
- Abiding by federally-mandated rest breaks
- Waiting for loading/unloading
- Submitting to rig inspections
When truckers are unable to "make their miles" (which is often), many of them lose money on a day's work. As a result, truckers will do everything they can to make up for those loss days with extra-long driving days. The problem is that the law prevents drivers from operating for longer than 14 hours a day—only 11 of which can be spent driving.
It's not an unreasonable law, since studies show that 1 in 4 trucking crashes occurred when a driver had been on the clock for 17 hours or longer. However, companies and their "driving school" instructors often teach new drivers how to fool the system. One common tactic is keeping two federally-mandated logbooks—that way, a driver can appear compliant during any inspection.
As a result, thousands of tired drivers are getting behind the wheel of their trucks—and that's no small problem. According to FMCSA data, 1 in 7 truck crashes are directly caused by fatigue. Some experts believe the number is far higher since drivers are incentivized not to report that they're tired. Sleep researchers have found that even moderate tiredness can impair our driving as much as having a drink.
Prime Inc. Truck Accident FAQ
I was hit by a Prime Inc. truck. who’s responsible?
If you were involved in a collision with a truck operated by Prime Inc., you may have some idea of your accident’s cause. Perhaps the truck changed lanes into your vehicle, or you were hit from behind when you braked for traffic. By talking to witnesses and piecing together physical evidence, investigators and accident reconstruction specialists can determine what factors contributed to the accident—and who is to blame. For example, if a Prime Inc. truck driver veered into your lane, it could have been an unbalanced load that caused him to lose control. If you were rear-ended, the truck driver could have been looking at her phone. The responsible party will be the one that was the most to blame for the accident.
Do I really need an attorney after a truck accident?
No matter who you are—a truck driver, a motorist, a pedestrian, or a cyclist—if you were injured in an accident involving a Prime Inc. vehicle, you will benefit from involving an attorney. The trucking company is already trying to build a case to protect themselves from being held liable for your injuries. You need someone on your side, protecting your interests and making sure you have access to the medical care and financial support you need now and into the future. That’s what our team at Arnold & Itkin does. We stand up for the injured and their families.
How will Prime Inc. try to avoid liability after a trucking accident?
Carriers like Prime Inc. may use various strategies to try to avoid liability for accidents involving their vehicles. They will investigate the collision to try to see if you could be held to blame in any way. They may try to find evidence that you were looking at your phone or were otherwise distracted. They may try to blame a hazardous roadway. They may even use delay tactics or offer an unfairly low settlement to try to pressure you into accepting far less than what you deserve. These strategies are shady and downright illegal in some circumstances. Make sure you have a firm like Arnold & Itkin to expose and destroy these strategies.
What to Do When You're in a Truck Accident
If you were injured in a Prime Inc. truck accident—either as a motorist, a carrier employee, or as an independent contractor—you're going to need a lawyer. Here's why: trucking companies immediately go on the defensive when they're facing liability after an accident. They deploy an army of adjusters, lawyers, and investigators to build a case against you, meaning your insurance claim will either be delayed or denied.
The best way to fight them is with the same tactics.
Arnold & Itkin LLP has represented thousands of cases by utilizing the same strategies against insurers and large companies to level the playing field between victims and negligent wrongdoers. As a result, we've helped our clients secure billions of dollars to pay for medical care, replace lost wages, and rebuild their lives.
Our results have helped clients get treatment for catastrophic injuries like:
- Burn injury
- Orthopedic injuries
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Neurological injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Blunt force trauma
People deserve the same resources that trucking companies use against them. Our firm has secured record-setting verdicts nationwide by ensuring that our clients get the same inexhaustible resources that their wrongdoers get. It all begins with a free case consultation—by calling our lawyers, you can review your options with a Prime Inc. truck accident attorney at no cost. There's no upfront cost, no out-of-pocket expenses, and no bill: you focus on healing while we focus on winning.
Call (888) 493-1629 or use our online form to learn what recovery is available to you under the law. Let our nationally renowned trucking law firm help you get your life back.