“Our first impression of Frank Pasternak was that he was an honest man, and that he was a good man and that he had compassion for people and he was sensitive to our needs and he proceeded all the way through our case demonstrating those qualities.”
– Harvey Kurtz, former client
Wisconsin Truck Accidents
Wisconsin truck accidents threaten the safety of the state's roadways. Such crashes frequently involve semi-trucks and tractor-trailer trucks weighing thousands of pounds. According to the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration most recent statistics, there were nearly 3,000 truck accidents in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Rules of the Road govern liability for Wisconsin truck accidents.
Wisconsin truck accidents caused nearly 1,000 injuries and more than 100 deaths. Such truck accidents happen for a variety of reasons, but certain problems are frequently associated with semi-trucks and tractor-trailer truck accidents including:
- faulty brakes and the failure of brakes to comply with federal safety standards causing a crash;
- driver alertness and fatigue problems including the abuse of stimulants like over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions;
- excess driver blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or driving under the influence of alcohol; and
- driving commercial motor vehicles without the proper commercial driver's license legally necessary to drive certain tractor-trailers.
There is a critical need to collect of the evidence after a truck crash, which may be missed by police despite their best efforts. Investigations should include: inspection of faulty brakes for failure to comply with federal safety standards and thorough review of truck log books, driver timesheets and personnel information. Such materials are necessary to sustain a claim against a trucking company for negligence due to the failure to properly maintain a truck or due to the driver's lack of alertness or fatigue. For all of these, those seriously injured or killed need an advocate and investigation that looks out for their interests whenever there is a Wisconsin truck accident.
Wisconsin truck accident facts (.pdf) from Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation