Serving Scranton and Lackawanna County
Serving Scranton and Lackawanna County
When a loaded tractor-trailer collides with a passenger vehicle on I-81 or any Lackawanna County road, the consequences can be severe, and the legal path forward can be very different from a standard car accident.
Munley Law’s Scranton truck accident lawyers handle commercial truck accident claims with the urgency and attention they demand, because federal regulations, multiple insurers, and time-sensitive evidence can all impact the outcome of your case.
We have nearly seven decades of experience fighting for truck accident victims in Scranton and are the only law firm in Pennsylvania with three attorneys board certified in Truck Accident Law.
Consultations are free with no obligations
If your deadline is close, call the office rather than sending a form.
A collision involving a commercial truck rarely has just one responsible party. The driver, motor carrier, trailer owner, loading company, and maintenance contractor may each share liability, and each typically carries separate insurance coverage. Establishing who is answerable forms the foundation of your claim.
Commercial carriers operate under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR), which set strict rules on hours of service, vehicle maintenance, driver qualifications, and cargo securement. These regulations generate critical records: electronic logging device (ELD) data, driver qualification files, maintenance logs, dispatch records, and load manifests. Much of this evidence is retained only for a limited time, which is why we send a spoliation letter immediately to prevent routine destruction.
Carrier insurance investigators often arrive at the scene the same day. We match that timeline if you contact us immediately by examining vehicles before repairs, documenting road conditions and sightlines, and securing dashcam or surveillance footage. If the carrier refuses a fair settlement, we file your case in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas.
Duty and breach. We must show the driver or carrier failed to meet the standard of care required on the road. Examples include exceeding federal hours-of-service limits, improperly securing cargo, or operating a vehicle with known brake defects that a proper inspection would have caught.
Common breaches our truck accident lawyers investigate include: Hours-of-service violations: Drivers who exceed the 11-hour driving limit, the 14-hour on-duty window, or the 60/70-hour weekly caps create predictable fatigue-related crashes. Inadequate vehicle maintenance: Brake failures, tire blowouts, and steering defects often trace back to missed inspections or deferred repairs that violate Part 396 of the FMCSR. Improper cargo loading or securement. Shifting or falling loads cause rollovers and jackknifes; federal rules require cargo to be immobilized and distributed to prevent instability. Unqualified or inadequately trained drivers: Carriers must verify licenses, medical certificates, and driving histories under Part 391; hiring a driver with suspended credentials or a poor safety record constitutes negligence. Distracted or impaired driving: Texting, phone use, or driving under the influence breaches both federal rules and Pennsylvania traffic laws. Each breach ties directly to a specific FMCSR requirement, and we obtain the underlying records, such as ELD logs, maintenance receipts, driver qualification files, to prove the violation occurred.Causation. We must prove the collision directly caused your injuries. Carriers frequently dispute this, especially in multi-vehicle crashes, arguing that pre-existing conditions or subsequent impacts caused the harm. Medical records, accident evidence, witness accounts, and other documentation can help establish that connection.
Loss. Our Scranton lawyers document your medical expenses, lost wages, and the injury's impact on your daily life. Each category requires separate verification through records, bills, and expert testimony when necessary.
Liability in truck accidents often extends beyond the driver. Potentially responsible parties include:
• The motor carrier that employed or contracted the driver
• The owner of the tractor or trailer • The broker that arranged the load • The shipper that packed or loaded the cargo • A maintenance contractor responsible for vehicle upkeep Even when carriers use owner-operators, federal law generally holds the carrier accountable for vehicles operating under its authority. This matters because interstate carriers must maintain minimum liability coverage far exceeding private auto policies, which can often reach $750,000 or more. Identifying every insurer early allows us to pursue greater recovery potential for you. .This is important because it decides how much cover is available. Interstate carriers must hold minimum liability cover well above a private auto policy, and where several parties are involved there may be more than one policy to reach. Identifying every insurer early is part of the same exercise as establishing fault.
Pennsylvania law imposes a strict two-year deadline from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (42 Pa.C.S. § 5524). Missing this deadline by even one day typically bars your claim forever, regardless of its merits.
Claims against municipalities or the Commonwealth carry even shorter notice requirements, sometimes as little as six months. If the injured person is a minor, this deadline is tolled. The two-year clock doesn't start running until they turn 18 (42 Pa.C.S. § 5533(b)).
If your question is not answered here, contact us for a free consultation.
At Munley Law, we work on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Our fee is a pre-agreed percentage of your recovery, and we outline all case expenses in writing before beginning work.
Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule: you can recover damages as long as you are less than 51% at fault, though your recovery reduces proportionally. We investigate thoroughly to minimize any fault assigned to you.
Usually the motor carrier and its insurer rather than the driver personally. Where the tractor, the trailer and the load were the responsibility of different companies, there may be several defendants and several policies to reach.
The carrier’s documents reveal how the operation was run: the driver’s hours before the crash, when brakes were last serviced, and what dispatch demanded. Because carriers routinely destroy records on schedule, we send preservation letters immediately.
The timeline depends mainly on your medical treatment, and we cannot accurately value your claim until your injuries stabilize. Truck accident cases typically take longer than standard auto claims due to extensive records and multiple insurers. We will give you an early assessment of your case’s likely duration.
Most clients never appear in court. Even when we file a lawsuit, the majority of cases settle before trial. If your case proceeds to trial, you will know well in advance.
A single attorney handles your case from start to finish, giving you one consistent point of contact. A brief conversation can usually determine whether you have a viable claim and what steps to take next.
Please note that sending a message to our office does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
