If you've suffered an injury in a truck accident, team with a lawyer who has the courtroom experience and industry knowledge necessary to make sure the negligent truck driver or trucking company is held accountable.
Attorney Michael Leizerman has tried commercial vehicle accident cases across the country, both as lead counsel and as special co-counsel assisting local legal teams. In either case, Michael brings with him a passion for preserving truck accident victims' rights and to pushing for higher trucking industry safety standards. His three-volume treatise, "AAJ's Litigating Truck Accident Cases," is viewed by legal professionals throughout South Dakota and across the country as a definitive resource for lawyers preparing for trial, a work that helped establish his reputation as an authority on truck accident litigation.
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State lawmakers in Minnesota and South Dakota recently passed anti-indemnification legislation that prevents shippers from including contract provisions that make truckers liable for any accident, regardless of who is at fault. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the new law earlier … [Read more]
Read more >Five children were injured when the school bus on which they were riding crashed with a semi tractor trailer near Bowdle, South Dakota, on Thursday, March 8. According to KDLT.com, the school bus had stopped at a stop sign and … [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:
Throughout South Dakota, highways such as Interstate 90 and Interstate 29 are everyday routes for thousands of tractor-trailers, charter buses, flatbed trucks and other commercial vehicles. Large cities such as Sioux Falls and Rapids City, and small towns from Flandreau to Elk Point, attract a steady flow of trucks. That traffic leads to avoidable highway accidents. Every year in South Dakota, hundreds of fatal and non-fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles occur on the state's roadways. If you or a family member has been injured in a truck accident, add to your legal team a lawyer who understands truck accident litigation and can help you collect higher compensation from an at-fault truck driver or negligent trucking company.
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 Pierre may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.
The South Dakota 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.
For an overview of laws that affect trucks operating only in South Dakota, visit our South Dakota Trucking Laws page.
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: 14 per year
Non-Fatal Truck Accidents: 279 per year
Accident Locales: 93%(Rural), 7%(Urban)
Carrier Fact: 50% of South Dakota's truck accidents involve carriers whose principle place of business is not South Dakota.
In 64% of South Dakota's truck accidents, weather conditions were NOT a factor.
Interstate 90: A major east-west highway, I-90 crosses South Dakota's southern half near cities that include Spearfish, Sturgis, Rapid City, and Mitchell.
Interstate 29: Traversing the eastern portion of South Dakota, I-29 is a major artery through the state's largest city, Sioux Falls.
