Our highly-experienced attorneys regularly defend civil claims involving death and serious bodily injury and workers’ compensation claims against motor carriers and their insurers. Hedrick Gardner’s Trucking & Transportation attorneys recognize and emphasize the importance of early involvement, particularly when accidents involve deaths and catastrophic injuries. Our team is available around the clock to serve clients involved in serious accidents. Immediately following an accident, our attorneys arrange for engineers and investigators to travel to the scene, meet with drivers, assist in the retention of criminal defense attorneys, identify witnesses, secure evidence to protect against claims of spoliation, and ensure that the accident scene and vehicles are photographed and documented.
Our services include:
- Litigation (civil and workers’ compensation) resulting from accidents;
- Rapid response accident investigation;
- Employment law;
- Freight claims;
- UM/UIM claims;
- Insurance coverage;
- Contract interpretation and disputes.
The attorneys in this practice group recognize and appreciate the trust placed in them by their clients and fiercely protect the clients’ interests.
Cases or matters referenced are for illustrative purposes only, and do not represent the lawyer’s or law firm’s entire record. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its own merits. The outcome of a particular case cannot be predicted based upon a lawyer’s or law firm’s past results. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
- Lead counsel for a motor carrier in a wrongful death case in which estate alleged negligence of two drivers for motor carrier who were trading communications about clearance of intersection where the accident occurred. Obtained defense verdict for motor carrier after a two-week trial.
- Lead counsel for motor carrier and tractor-trailer driver in wrongful death lawsuit that arose after defendant driver without a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate allegedly ran a stop sign.
- Lead counsel for a truck driver and national distributor in a wrongful death case in which a passenger car collided with the front right wheel of the driver’s straight truck, causing the truck driver to cross through a median and collide with the plaintiff’s decedent. The case also involved a business evaluation dispute, as decedent was a sole proprietor in a small business.
- Lead counsel for tractor-trailer driver, motor carrier, and broker in lane change collision that occurred on the interstate at night as tractor-trailer moved from left lane to right lane. The truck driver disputed cutting off the plaintiff, and the plaintiff claimed a closed head injury. Both parties retained neuropsychologists.
- Lead counsel for dump truck operators in cases involving direct collisions, rollovers, and rocks through windshields.
- Lead counsel for motor carrier and driver in lane change case in which automobile side-swiped truck, ran off the road, and rolled over. Several minors sustained serious permanent injuries. Arranged for forensic reconstruction indicating that driver successfully returned to his lane and that the other driver failed to slow down and swiped the rear of the trailer.
- Lead counsel for a North Carolina-based milk and ice cream manufacturer and its driver in a commercial motor vehicle case in Iredell County. Plaintiffs pursued claims for bodily injury and property damage, alleging negligence on part of the driver and negligent hiring and supervision on behalf of the company. Both liability and damages were contested in the case. The trial court entered a direct verdict as to one of the plaintiff’s claims, and the jury returned a defense verdict as to the other two plaintiff’s claims, finding no negligence on the part of the firm’s clients.
