New Orleans
A fully loaded 18-wheeler can weigh twenty times more than the car next to it and needs the length of a football field to stop from highway speed.
When a driver misjudges that math, the result is rarely a fender bender.
The Voorhies Law Firm builds these cases around exactly what that driver should have done differently.
An 18-wheeler, or tractor-trailer, is the largest vehicle regularly sharing the road with passenger cars, and its size creates hazards that don’t exist with smaller vehicles.
Common examples include:
Because so much of an 18-wheeler’s danger comes down to physics, rather than any single bad decision, these cases often hinge on proving the driver failed to account for exactly the kind of hazard their training was supposed to prepare them for.
18-wheeler claims draw on the same federal trucking framework as other commercial truck cases, with a few issues that come up especially often given the size of these rigs.
FMCSA driver training standards specifically address blind spot awareness and wide-turn technique, since both are well-documented, foreseeable hazards for a vehicle this size.
A driver who changes lanes into a blind spot or takes a turn without accounting for trailer swing has generally failed to meet a standard their training was designed to instill.
A loaded tractor-trailer traveling at highway speed can require nearly twice the stopping distance of a passenger car.
Louisiana’s general following-distance requirements under R.S. 32:81 apply to trucks too, and a driver who fails to account for a rig’s actual stopping distance, rather than treating it like a car, has breached that basic duty.
FMCSA regulations on hours of service, vehicle maintenance, and driver qualification apply fully to 18-wheelers, and the same $750,000 to $5,000,000 federal insurance minimums apply as well.
STEP 1
Free consultation
. Tell us what happened. We’ll give you an honest, no-cost assessment.
STEP 2
Evidence preservation
. We move immediately to secure black box data, dash cam footage, and driver logs before they’re lost.
STEP 3
Physics-based investigation
. We work with accident reconstruction experts to establish exactly how the size and handling of the rig factored into the crash.
STEP 4
Medical documentation
. We tie your treatment record to the 18-wheeler crash itself.
STEP 5
Damage calculation
. We work through medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and how the crash has affected you long-term.
STEP 6
Demand and negotiation
. We pursue every available layer of insurance coverage.
STEP 7
Filing suit, if needed
. We file suit before your deadline if the carrier won’t pay fairly.
STEP 8
Resolution
. You get what you’re owed, whether through a negotiated settlement or a verdict.
We handle 18-wheeler accident claims involving:
Behind every 18-wheeler case is a person whose ordinary trip put them next to a vehicle built to move freight, not to accommodate the mistakes that happen in traffic.
We build the case around exactly what the driver should have seen coming.
The Voorhies Law Firm has recovered over $100 million for our clients, including a $24 million recovery for a client seriously injured by the negligence of a commercial truck driver.
What your case is worth always comes down to its own specific facts.
Cases involving a full-size rig demand accident reconstruction experts who understand trailer dynamics, not just ordinary car physics.
Richard P. Voorhies III and the team at The Voorhies Law Firm bring exactly that kind of technical preparation to every 18-wheeler case.
We’re recognized by Super Lawyers and other legal organizations, but in an 18-wheeler case, what matters most is having your own accident reconstruction team.
We handle these cases on contingency, so you don’t owe us unless we recover compensation for you.
It’s the trucking industry’s own term for the large blind spots around an 18-wheeler, directly behind, alongside both sides, and in front. Drivers are trained to check these areas before changing lanes or turning, and a failure to do so is well-documented evidence of negligence.
A fully loaded tractor-trailer at highway speed can need nearly double the stopping distance of a passenger car, which is exactly why Louisiana’s following-distance rules matter so much when a truck is involved.
Often, yes, through vicarious liability for the driver’s conduct or the company’s own negligence in hiring, training, or maintenance. See our Commercial Truck Accidents page for more on how that works.
As with other Louisiana crash claims, generally two years from the incident date for crashes on or after July 1, 2024, under article 3493.1.
Nothing upfront. Your first call is free, and our fee comes only from what we recover for you.
