Shrager, Spivey & Sachs

Trucks and semi-trucks present a unique hazard to other drivers. Not only are trucks heavier and larger than other vehicles on the road, most also require more time to come to a complete stop and have larger blind spots. Trucks also have an increased risk of rollover during sharp turns.

The attorneys of Shrager, Spivey & Sachs have been working on behalf of truck accident victims for decades, and we have the experience to win you the compensation you deserve. We know how to negotiate with insurance companies, and we’ll hold the driver and trucking company accountable for your injuries.

If you or a loved one have been a victim of a trucking accident, contact us today for a free consultation.

Our Firm's Results

$5.44 Million Pre-Suit Settlement for Passenger Paralyzed by Fracking Water Tank Truck

Managing partner Robert Sachs negotiated a $5.44 million settlement for a man paralyzed from the chest down following an accident with a water tank truck. The man was a passenger in a vehicle hit by an overweight water tank truck used to deliver water essential to the hydraulic fracking used in natural gas extraction. During a mediation held just eight months after the wreck, Attorney Sachs, serving as co-counsel, negotiated a substantial settlement that will provide for the man's needs for the rest of his life.

$3.2 Million Settlement for Truck Driver

Managing partner Robert Sachs negotiated a $3.2 million settlement for a truck driver who was injured when he was hit with 1,300 pounds of cargo that fell from his flatbed trailer. In the course of delivering 18 rolls of landfill liner to a landfill, a landfill forklift operator began to unload one of the 1,300 pound rolls. The forklift operator acknowledged that he did not have a spotter at the time, and he also acknowledged that he “attacked” the top roll to force the prongs of the fork under that roll. Unfortunately, the forklift driver was not able to lift the top roll, and it fell from the top of the trailer onto the truck driver’s head. The force of the roll dislocated and fractured his spine and fractured his pelvis in three different places. He required complex orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures to place screws and rods in his spine. He is now disabled and cannot drive work. He has constant pain and is only able to walk short distances. Attorney Sachs negotiated a settlement that included a lump sum cash payment and the purchase of a structured settlement annuity, which will pay the client a total of $6,000 each month for the rest of his life.

$2.1 Million Settlement for Fatal Tractor Trailer Accident

Managing partner Robert Sachs and Christopher Bradley obtained a $2.1 million settlement for the family of a husband and wife killed in a tractor trailer accident. The couple were talented artists returning from a craft show. The hazardous driving conditions at the time included fog, drizzle and a vehicle fire on the side of the road. As the couple approached the “white out” caused by the vehicle fire, they could not see the truck that had stopped ahead of them. Rather than using his brake pedal – which would have lit his brake lights – or his safety flashers, the driver used only his engine brake. Meanwhile, the tractor trailer behind the couple failed to slow from his full highway speed. It was impossible to know whether the couple hit the truck in front of them first or not; however, there was no doubt that when their van was hit from behind, the resulting “overrun” impact was fatal. Most tragically, the wife was found to be four months pregnant at the time of the accident. Attorneys Sachs and Bradley used indisputable evidence from the scene of the accident to negotiate a $2.1 million settlement for the couple’s estates.

$1 Million Settlement for Pedestrian Injured in Truck Accident

Managing partner Robert Sachs – assisted by Chris Bradley – obtained a $1 million settlement for a pedestrian injured by a cement truck. When an out-of-control cement truck skidded off the road, over the curb and into a heavy, decorative street light, the street light fell on the pedestrian, knocking him unconscious. The driver claimed a “phantom vehicle” had pulled into her lane and forced her to “lock up” her truck. Photos of 145-foot skid marks showed the path of the truck as it veered directly toward the sidewalk. The pedestrian was an avid musician and skilled high school athlete who was looking forward to applying to college in the fall. The accident left him with multiple skull fractures, profound and permanent hearing loss and a traumatic brain injury.

$360,000 Settlement for Electrician’s Fall from Lift-Truck

Wayne Spivey obtained a $360,000 settlement for an electrician who was severely injured while servicing traffic lights from a lift-truck. A large refrigerated truck struck the bottom of the lift-truck’s bucket, throwing the electrician 20 feet to the street. His head struck the roadway, fracturing his skull and rupturing a tendon in his wrist. The defendant denied liability and blamed the electrician for not wearing a harness while working aloft in the bucket. A miraculous recovery allowed him to return to work just eight months after the accident.

Six-Figure Settlement for Tractor-Trailer Driver Rear-Ended by Another Truck

Rob Sachs and Chad Galvin successfully represented a tractor-trailer driver who was rear-ended by another tractor-trailer. After the first driver encountered engine trouble, he turned on his four-way safety flashers to alert other vehicles to his slowed speed. Attorneys Sachs and Galvin were able to prove during depositions that the rear-ending driver has broken requirements and guidelines of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and Pennsylvania Commercial Drivers' Manual by overdriving his headlights and driving too fast for the circumstances. Despite the rear-ending driver's insurance company's claims that the accident was a result of the driver suffering a heart attack, the defense was abandoned when Attorneys Sachs and Galvin demanded the driver's qualification file, which would have contained all of his underlying medical records.

Settlement for Family of Motorcyclist for Fatal Accident

In a highly challenging fact pattering, managing partner Rob Sachs was able to obtain a settlement following mediation on behalf of the widow of a lifetime motorcyclist who died in an accident involving a truck. The cyclist struck the rear of a tri-axle truck after it entered a two-lane highway in Schuylkill County after leaving the site of a former coal mine. Investigators at the scene quickly concluded that the cyclist was at fault, which his children failed to accept. His children went to the scene of the accident to photograph trucks entering the coal mine site and the rear lights of the truck. Photographs showed billowing clouds of dust, which could have obscured the cyclist’s view of oncoming traffic. Attorney Sachs was able to show that the truck’s driver had failed to properly perform a pre-trip inspection to make sure all of his vehicle’s lights were clean to maximize the ability of oncoming traffic to see him in situations with lower visibility. When Attorney Sachs took the sworn testimony of the driver, he denied that his truck had created any sort of dust cloud which could have impaired his view. When Attorney Sachs confronted him with photos of similar dust clouds, his credibility and veracity were seriously undermined. Attorney Sachs was able to negotiate a settlement for the cyclist’s family in the face of facts which other attorneys had deemed hopeless.

Significant Settlement for Truck Accident

Managing partner Robert Sachs obtained a substantial settlement for a husband and wife injured in an accident with a tractor trailer. The wife sustained severe liver damage, and a portion of her liver had to be amputated. If the case had gone to trial, the wife’s surgeon would have argued that similar injuries have a 75 percent fatality rate. She still suffers injuries that will require surgery to release scar tissue which causes bowel problems. Attorney Sachs resolved a lengthy mediation session before the case was scheduled for trial.