Representing victims of truck accidents is Michael Leizerman's passion. Holding negligent trucking companies and at-fault truck drivers accountable is his professional mission. Michael has made it his life's work to help truck accident victims win maximum compensation for their loss. As part of that effort, he wrote the three-volume treatise "AAJ's Litigating Truck Accident Cases," and he lectures frequently to members of the legal community about important news that impacts the way the trucking industry operates. And Michael also works with local attorneys as they prepare for and navigate truck accident trials.
Over the past two decades, Michael has represented clients in courtrooms across the country, including in Alaska, winning landmark cases that have helped set new standards for trucking industry negligence and safety.
Or contact me online. All information is kept confidential. I will not accept a case in a state where I'm not ethically permitted under the circumstances.
The Atlanta suburb of Smyrna is beginning to fuel some city trucks with a biodiesel mixture that includes re-used cooking oil collected from local restaurants that fry foods. Smyrna modeled this after a repurposed-cooking-oil-as-fuel program in Hoover, Alaska, according to … [Read more]
Read more >Truck drivers who’ve felt singled out by talk of cell phone bans can take heart: It’s not just about trucks anymore. Thanks to a strong correlation between fatality crashes and cell phone usage while driving, on Tuesday the five-person National … [Read more]
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I am honored that West Thompson—the world’s largest publisher of legal books—asked me to write this multi-volume book on truck accident law in 2004. I had already begun the project for my own reference. My book includes the federal regulations that are the same in each state for interstate tractor-trailer crashes, as well as state law that differs in areas, like whether there are monetary limits or “caps” in the lawsuit, whether you can receive punitive damages, and the varying technical requirements for filing a lawsuit.
I have handled cases across the country. I am licensed in several states, and have local counsel in many states who I trust and work with closely. Select your state to learn more:
Motorists in Alaska enjoy one of the lowest truck accident crash rates in the nation. But tanker traffic on highways such as the Interstate A system, and commercial vehicles that service population centers such as Anchorage and Juneau, do account for a negligible number of accidents annually. Every year, dozens of accidents on Alaska roadways leave motorists injured or suffering the loss of a loved one. If you or a family member has been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, add Michael to your legal team and rely on an attorney who has helped hundreds of clients across the country earn higher settlement amounts following an accident with a tractor-trailer, tanker, bus or other commercial vehicle.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic.
There are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicle is involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Fairbanks may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382, 383, 384, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, and 399 of the federal regulations.
Your truck accident case may be larger than you think. My experience often enables me to maximize awards, well beyond what the co-counsel originally expected. My book Litigating Truck Accident Cases, published by West Publishing, is considered the definitive work on handling truck accident cases. Contact me if you are seeking co-counsel on your case.
Fatal Truck Accidents: 6 per year
Non-Fatal Truck Accidents: 62 per year
Accident Locales: 17% (Rural), 83% (Urban)
Carrier Fact: 14% of Alaska's truck accidents involve carriers whose principle place of business is not Alaska.
In 50% of Alaska truck accidents, weather conditions were NOT a factor.
Interstate A-1: This interstate encompasses several Alaskan highways including the Glenn Highway, the Richardson Highway, the Tok Cut-Off, and the Alaska Highway between Tok and the Canadian border.
Interstate A-2: A-2 consists of the combined lengths of portions of the Alaska Highway between Tok and Delta Junction and the section of the Richardson Highway that spans Delta Junction to Fairbanks.
Interstate A-3: The section of the Seward Highway from Anchorage to Tern Lake and the Sterling Highway from Tern Lake to Soldotna comprises the Alaskan Interstate A-3.
Interstate A-4: A-4, or the Parks Highway, runs from Palmer to Fairbanks.
