If You’ve Been in a Semi-Truck Wreck, Read This

None of us is prepared for the onslaught of emotion and uncertainty that follows a tragic semi-truck wreck. If you’ve been severely injured or lost a loved one, you’re confused, angry, scared. You may feel guilty, overwhelmed, hopeless or helpless.

These reactions are normal, but that doesn’t make them easier.

Unfortunately, while you’re reeling from a wreck that turned your world upside down, the clock is ticking. You might have a case, but you must contact a personal injury or wrongful death attorney with experience handling truck accidents as soon as possible.

Most people don’t know what it really means to file a personal injury lawsuit. That’s why I wrote “Semitruck Wreck: A Guide for Victims and Their Families” five years ago. The book breaks down commercial vehicle wreck cases from start to finish.

It is my hope that, after reading this, you feel less overwhelmed and more prepared to fight for justice.

What Do I Do After a Semi Tractor-Trailer Wreck?

More than 520,000 large trucks accidents occurred in the United States in 2021 — an average of about 1,435 each day. These wrecks involved commercial motor vehicles, like:

• 18 wheelers (also known as semi-trailer trucks or semi tractor-trailers)
• Dump trucks
• Box trucks
• Buses
• Semis with oversize loads

Many of these collisions resulted in property damage, but others left victims seriously injured or killed. What do you do if it happens to you?

Take Jennifer Shelley, for example. After a distracted commercial truck driver struck and killed her husband, she and her children were overwhelmed with grief and confusion. The last thing on Jennifer’s mind was hiring a lawyer.

A family member who was an attorney reached out to Craig, Kelley & Faultless, and Jennifer decided to meet with me. I explained that we would investigate the accident that killed her husband to get to the bottom of it. We would battle the insurance companies on her behalf, help her family receive grief counseling, and set up a future financial plan.

Though Jennifer’s life would never look the same as it did before the accident, her family now had the resources they needed to put their lives back together. If she had never hired our truck wreck attorneys, she may never have known why her husband lost his life or how she and her children could learn to be OK despite the tragedy.

I am honored that Jennifer shared her story and wrote the foreword to my book.

“Semitruck Wreck: A Guide for Victims and Their Families”

The book was published in 2020 and is available for purchase on Amazon. Free downloads of the e-book are available here.

Though litigation can be complicated, this book is written for the everyday reader. You don’t need any prior knowledge or legal experience. This is for regular people who have had the misfortune of being thrust into a terrible situation.

The book is structured to walk you through a truck-wreck case, with each chapter breaking down a different phase:

1. First, There Is Chaos
2. Where Do I Turn for Help?
3. How to Find an Experienced Attorney
4. Understanding the Legal Process: Pretrial
5. The Discovery Phase
6. Understanding the Legal Process: Mediation and Trial
7. Moving Forward After Your Case

It provides a picture of the commercial trucking industry today. High demand sends semis throughout the country to deliver goods, and, unfortunately, many of them turn to drugs, speeding, or drowsy driving to get the job done faster. Distracted driving is at an all-time high. When truckers choose to drive dangerously, they put us all at risk.

Reading this book will give you an inside look at truck accident law. You’ll learn what to look out for when you’re hiring a lawyer, how attorneys are able to preserve evidence, and what it means to go up against big motor carriers and insurance companies.

Most importantly, you will learn that the right attorney can carry some of the burden for you. While you and your family members grieve, heal and work through the aftershock of a traumatic wreck, we will carry the financial stress. We will negotiate with insurance companies.

If you’ve been in a wreck and are asking yourself, “What happens next?”, this book is for you.

About the Author: David W. Craig

I have spent over 35 years representing the victims and families of victims of commercial trucking wrecks. I’ve seen the all-encompassing grief of losing a parent, sibling, spouse or child; I’ve seen the relief clients feel when their medical bills are paid off. I have seen the anger and the peace that families feel when they finally get answers.

I have dedicated my career to fighting for the underdog.

It’s been nearly 40 years since I became a licensed attorney. In 1999, I founded Craig, Kelley & Faultless with two other lawyers. Today, our firm’s 10 attorneys represent clients across the country and are licensed in Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Kentucky and Tennessee.

When I handled my first trucking case — a wreck caused by a medically unfit dump-truck driver — I learned that this area of law is complicated and heartbreaking. I also learned that helping people in need was what mattered most to me.

In the decades since then, I have spoken at legal conferences across the country, handled more than 1,000 commercial motor vehicle accident cases, and been board-certified in truck accident law — a certification held by only 79 other attorneys in the United States.

I am honored to have received the National Thurgood Marshall “Fighting for Justice” Award, be named a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by National Trial Lawyers, and serve on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys.

My podcast, “After the Crash,” gives listeners valuable information about the dangers of semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc. It is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and the Craig, Kelley & Faultless website.

This year, my second book, “It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney,” will be released.

“Nothing is more important than my clients and their families.”

It takes strength to pick up the phone and call an attorney. It takes courage to stand up to negligent trucking and insurance companies.

By reading this book, you are taking an important step. At Craig, Kelley & Faultless, we believe that every person’s life matters and that no one deserves to be injured or lose a loved one because of someone else’s recklessness.

As I wrote in my book: “In the heat of battle, nothing is more important than my clients and their families.”

To speak with one of our nationally recognized attorneys, reach out to Craig, Kelley and Faultless today at (800) 746-0226 or online.

David W. Craig is a nationally recognized truck accident lawyer who sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. He was the recipient of the National Thurgood Marshall “Fighting for Justice” Award for his work helping victims of truck wrecks. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.