Trucking & Transportation

Availability at a moment’s notice. That’s what you need when an accident occurs.

You need a law firm that can be trusted and is sensitive and knowledgeable of the unique issues that can arise when a trucking and transportation accident occurs. Our Trucking and Transportation Practice Group is highly experienced at long haul, intermodal, and local haul trucking. This group has extensive experience defending bus companies and insurers who provide liability coverage specific to the motorcoach industry. Zarwin Baum also serves as National Counsel to the largest bus company in the US.

Our trucking and transportation attorneys will manage an accident scene, minimize environmental hazards, retain local criminal attorneys when necessary, and retain investigators and accident reconstruction experts to collect the evidence before it’s altered or destroyed. Our experience is not limited to roads and highways, as we handle claims arising from loading docks and truck and bus yards. Additionally, we handle personal injury claims and physical damage, coverage, and subrogation matters.

We understand that to defend a catastrophic accident properly, an attorney may need to get involved before the claim becomes a lawsuit. Our trucking and transportation attorneys are available to you 24 hours per day, seven days per week, to assess your case and put the appropriate people into immediate action. Our emergency response team is comprised of experienced transportation attorneys, investigators, and accident reconstruction experts.

Once the accident investigation is completed, our attorneys will assess the evidence, review the medical records, and research the legal issues to provide you with an accurate evaluation of the claim and formulate a strategic plan.

If the claim cannot be resolved and a lawsuit is filed, our defense litigation team springs into action. We know that these types of accidents can lead to exposures beyond the typical motor vehicle accident case. Our attorneys have extensive experience defending such complex cases and, when other parties are liable, pursuing subrogation claims. They are knowledgeable, thorough, and extremely aggressive. While our attorneys actively pursue negotiation and alternative dispute resolution to achieve cost-effective results, we are not shy about proceeding to trial where the plaintiff’s demands are excessive.

Emergency & Catastrophic Event Response Team

Overview

  • Experienced national trucking counsel available to assist third party administrators and motor carriers with emergency response to catastrophic accidents
  • Coordination of the Zarwin Baum CAT Response Team to ensure comprehensive gathering of evidence at the scene and post-loss compliance with DOT and FMSCA rules and regulations
  • Timely post-accident liability and damage assessment to assist the claims professional
  • Cost control in all phases of the emergency response

Commercial Transportation Emergency Response Team

  • Experienced trucking and commercial vehicle counsel available to respond 24/7 to an accident scene
  • National footprint to assign local experienced trucking counsel to an accident scene
  • Nationwide field adjusters with specific trucking and commercial vehicle and CAT scene expertise available
  • Network of ACTAR certified accident reconstruction experts
  • On-site engineers able to upload electronic data recorders

Commercial Vehicle Catastrophic Event Critical Path

  • Field compliance with all applicable FMSCR and DOT regulations
  • Deployment of accident reconstruction team for evidence collection and preservation
  • Field interviews of all witnesses, law enforcement, and emergency responders
  • Assistance in clean up and storage of power unit and chassis
  • Secure driver for post-accident interview

Timely Catastrophic Reporting

  • Scene updates on physical injuries, property damage, and environmental hazards
  • Privileged counsel interviews with driver
  • Early log book and DOT compliance evaluation
  • CAT conference coordination with all claims professionals, investigators, field experts, and counsel
  • Evolving CAT conference memorandums setting forth damage and liability analysis for claims team

Commercial Vehicle Catastrophic Event Critical Path

  • Scene call from insured driver or law enforcement to terminal or claims center
  • Call to assigned program manager
  • Call to the Zarwin Baum CAT Response Team for risk assessment and team deployment
  • Scene deployment by counsel, field adjusters, and accident reconstruction team for “Hot Loss”
  • Immediate phone contact with driver