Holding Manufacturers Accountable for commercial truck defects
Defective Commercial Trucks
Commercial trucks – also known as Class 8 vehicles, 18-wheelers, or semi-trucks – are the largest and heaviest vehicles on U.S. roads, weighing up to 80,000 pounds. This category includes tractor-trailers, dump trucks, cement mixers, and tankers. While essential to commerce, these vehicles cause a disproportionate number of catastrophic injuries and fatalities every year.
We hold manufacturers accountable for commercial and heavy truck defects such as post-collision fires, underride crashes, and structural failures that cause catastrophic injuries or wrongful death.
Unlike passenger vehicles, heavy trucks are exempt from many federal safety standards. They are not crash-tested like cars and often lack critical safety features such as airbags, adequate cab strength, and guarded fuel tanks. The result: preventable tragedies.
Our Focus: Commercial Truck Crashworthiness Litigation
At McCartney Stucky, we specialize in commercial truck defect and crashworthiness litigation — fighting for victims injured or killed due to dangerous truck designs. Founding partners Terry McCartney and Chris Stucky are recognized among the top plaintiffs’ attorneys in this highly specialized field, bringing decades of trial experience and unmatched technical knowledge to every case.
We limit our caseload so we can immerse ourselves fully in the evidence, work directly with leading safety experts, and prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. This relentless approach has led to multiple seven- and eight-figure verdicts and settlements for clients nationwide.
Cases We Take
Post-Collision Fuel-Fed Fires
Fuel tanks mounted outside the frame and left unprotected can rupture in a crash, leading to massive diesel-fed fires. These preventable design flaws often cause life-changing injuries or fatalities.
Roof Crush in Rollovers
Weak cab structures in heavy trucks can collapse during rollovers, leading to catastrophic injuries. Stronger roof designs exist but are often avoided by manufacturers due to added weight.
Rear Underride Collisions
When a passenger vehicle strikes the back of a trailer, it can slide underneath, causing the trailer to intrude into the passenger compartment. Many guards fail to prevent this at common highway speeds.
Side Underride Collisions
Side impacts with trailers often result in vehicles sliding beneath the structure, causing severe or fatal injuries. Proven side guard technology exists but is rarely used in the U.S. trucking industry.
Front Underride Collisions
Because of height mismatches, passenger cars can slide under the front of a heavy truck in a head-on crash, bypassing crumple zones and causing devastating intrusion into the vehicle cabin, as well as rupturing the fuel system and causing damage to critical steering components.
Failure to Equip with Modern Safety Technology
Many heavy trucks lack available collision avoidance systems such as frontal collision warning, automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning, putting drivers and other motorists at unnecessary risk.
Why Choose Us for High-Stakes Heavy Truck Cases
We Only Take Complex Cases
We focus exclusively on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving defective heavy trucks.
Most Firms Can’t — or Won’t — Handle These Cases
They require deep technical knowledge, national trial experience, and significant resources. We have all three.
Dedicated Evidence Storage Facility
We preserve defective seatbelt systems, restraint assemblies, and even entire vehicles in our secure, climate-controlled facility. This ensures no evidence is lost or altered before trial.
Our Firm Pursues Maximum Compensation
We fight for the maximum compensation our clients deserve, not the first offer on the table.
A Full Trial Team on Every Case
When you hire us, you get every attorney in our firm collaborating from day one through verdict.
National Reach
We litigate defective truck cases in courts across the United States.
Act Quickly to Protect Your Case
Heavy truck defect cases demand fast action. Speak directly with our attorneys now — no call center, no delay. We will review your case, preserve vital evidence, and start building the strategy to win.