Newport News Truck Accident Lawyer
- Last Updated: 24 Apr, 2026
Tractor-trailers and semi-trucks drive regularly on roads in and around the peninsula, from Interstate 664 to Jefferson Avenue. Their massive size makes them especially dangerous to occupants of smaller vehicles. Our Newport News truck accident lawyers have represented numerous victims who’ve suffered life-altering injuries in accidents with commercial trucks.
When you trust Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers to handle your truck accident case, we’ll be ready to protect you from the trucking company’s tactics. Our award-winning personal injury team is here to pursue fair compensation on your behalf while you focus on rebuilding your life.
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On This Page
- Why Work With Our Newport News Big Rig Accident Lawyers
- Compensation for a Truck Accident Injury
- How Our Team Recovered a Fair Settlement for a Newport News Truck Accident Victim
- Who Might Be Liable for a Truck Accident in Newport News?
- Seeking Justice After a Fatal Truck Accident
- How Long Do You Have To File a Lawsuit After a Truck Crash?
- Get Trusted Help From Our Newport News Truck Accident Attorneys
Why Work With Our Newport News Big Rig Accident Lawyers
Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers is exclusively dedicated to helping injured people get justice for someone else’s negligence—it’s all we do. With over 120 years of combined legal experience, we’re the team you want on your side after a truck accident in Newport News and the surrounding community.
A Team Built for Complex Truck Accident Cases
Truck accident claims often involve serious injuries that leave victims with permanent damage. Our Catastrophic Injury Team is equipped to handle these complex cases from start to finish.
When we take on your case, we’ll assign a team of two dedicated attorneys, an experienced paralegal, and a seasoned investigator to work specifically on your accident claim. These professionals will work together to build a comprehensive case that proves what caused the accident and how it’s impacted your life, both now and in the future.
Several of our attorneys are also members of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, an organization of carefully vetted lawyers with proven experience handling truck crash cases. We know what evidence matters most in these types of cases and how to present it during negotiations with powerful trucking companies and their insurers. We’re also accomplished trial lawyers and have no problem representing you before a jury if the insurance company won’t compensate you fairly.
Record-Setting Results
Our firm has a long history of securing significant compensation for traffic accident victims. We recovered 3 of the top 50 million-dollar settlements reported to Virginia Lawyers Weekly in 2023. Our team also achieved Virginia’s largest reported recovery for a single-car accident victim in 2020.
In one notable truck accident case, we recovered $1.5 million for the surviving family members of a victim killed when a truck struck their vehicle. In another case, our team fought for a $500,000 settlement for a man severely injured in a truck crash.
Award-Winning Legal Services
Our attorneys have earned national recognition for their advocacy in personal injury cases. Our accolades include Lawyers of Distinction, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. Several of our lawyers hold an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, which exemplifies our commitment to high ethical standards and legal excellence.
More recently, attorney John Cooper was selected as one of Virginia Lawyer Weekly’s “Go To Lawyers” for Negligence Litigation for 2025. Five of our attorneys were also included in the 2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in America © and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch ©.
Compensation for a Truck Accident Injury
The injuries from a truck accident can have significant financial consequences, including expenses related to medical treatment and missed wages from time away from work. These injuries can leave you with debilitating pain, lasting effects on your life, and significant emotional trauma.
In a truck accident claim, you can generally seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover your financial losses, while non-economic damages compensate for the more subjective impacts of your injuries. The losses you can seek compensation for include the following:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity if you’re unable to return to your normal line of work
- Damage to your vehicle
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
How Our Team Recovered a Fair Settlement for a Newport News Truck Accident Victim
Attorney John Cooper secured a $550,000 settlement for a 20-year-old Navy service member severely injured in a truck accident on Interstate 64 in Newport News. The crash occurred when a tractor-trailer driver lost control and forced the man’s vehicle off the road.
Our client suffered a colon perforation, cervical sprain, lung contusion, splenic laceration, and multiple fractures in his wrist and ankle. His injuries required hospitalization at Riverside Regional Medical Center and Portsmouth Naval Medical Center.
He also underwent months of physical therapy due to the injuries’ impact on his ability to climb stairs. The crash disrupted his military career, leading to reassignment and uncertainty about reenlistment.
This result reflects our detailed approach to serious injury cases like this. We don’t back down when trucking companies and their insurers try to undervalue these claims. When we represent truck accident victims, our team gathers detailed medical records, obtains expert input on long-term care needs, and calculates the impact of the injury on the client’s future earning potential.
Who Might Be Liable for a Truck Accident in Newport News?
A truck driver may be at fault for causing an accident if their reckless driving behaviors contributed to the crash. This may include speeding, texting while driving, changing lanes without checking their blind spots, or exceeding federal hours of service limits.
The trucking company could share liability for the driver’s negligence, such as if it hired the driver despite being aware of their history of major traffic violations. The company could also be liable for inadequate training or pressuring the driver to meet unrealistic delivery deadlines.
Maintenance providers may also be at fault if they failed to properly inspect or repair the truck, while cargo loading companies can be liable for improperly secured freight. Truck manufacturers may also be responsible if a defective truck part led to the crash. Our 18-wheeler accident lawyers will evaluate every potential source of liability when building your case, using strong evidence to identify who’s at fault and pursue fair compensation from all responsible parties.
Ask The Car Crash Experts—Who's Liable in a Commercial Truck Accident?
Bailey Gifford, Personal Injury Lawyer
“If you’re hit by a commercial vehicle, it’s not just the driver who’s liable for any injuries they may have caused. The company that employs the driver at the time of the accident is also responsible for any injuries resulting from their employee’s actions.”
How Contributory Negligence Impacts Your Truck Accident Claim
Under Virginia’s contributory negligence law, you may only recover compensation if you can prove that someone else is entirely responsible for the crash. If you’re even 1% at fault for the accident, you may be unable to seek any amount of compensation for your losses.
Insurance companies often try to use this rule to their advantage in high-stakes truck accident cases. Given the potential for substantial damages, insurers may argue that you contributed to the crash in some way to avoid paying your claim altogether. Our team has decades of experience navigating this unique aspect of Virginia law, and we know how to challenge these arguments with comprehensive, evidence-based proof.
Seeking Justice After a Fatal Truck Accident
If a loved one has died from a truck accident, you may be entitled to recover compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit. Under Virginia law, the victim’s personal representative can file a wrongful death claim and recover compensation for the family. Beneficiaries may include the surviving spouse, children, parents or siblings, or dependent relatives.
The damages available from a wrongful death claim include the following:
- Expenses for medical care before your loved one’s death
- Loss of income of the decedent
- Loss of services, protection, care, and assistance provided by the decedent
- Sorrow and mental anguish
- Loss of companionship, guidance, and advice
- Funeral expenses
A court may award punitive damages if the at-fault party engaged in willful or wanton conduct or a conscious disregard for the safety of others.
How Long Do You Have To File a Lawsuit After a Truck Crash?
One of the most important deadlines in truck accident claims is the personal injury statute of limitations. This law gives you a maximum of two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. In most cases, the two-year countdown begins on the date of the crash.
Extending this deadline is only possible in limited circumstances, such as if the injured person was under 18 at the time of the collision. If you don’t file your lawsuit by the deadline, you may permanently lose your right to pursue compensation.
This deadline is one reason it’s best to contact our Newport News truck accident lawyers immediately after a collision. Getting us involved early allows us to preserve key evidence before it fades, protect you from the insurance company’s tactics, and develop a strong case within the time limit.
Get Trusted Help From Our Newport News Truck Accident Attorneys
It is easy to feel disheartened and intimidated following a truck wreck. You may feel powerless against a large trucking company or assume that pushing for more compensation will add more stress to an already difficult time. These hesitations are common, and insurance companies often rely on them to resolve claims for less than their full value.
Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers is here to help you take control of your accident claim and fight for every dollar you’re entitled to. We represent clients on a contingency fee basis, so it costs nothing out of pocket to hire our accident attorneys.
Let us take the lead on the legal process while you focus on your recovery. Contact us online or call (757) 333-3333 today to start moving forward with a free case evaluation.
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