Transportation & Trucking

Name: Transportation & Trucking
Brand: O’Neill Friedman

We represent people and families harmed by unsafe commercial vehicles—cases involving tractors, buses, delivery trucks, and other company vehicles.

When Systems Fail, Lives Are Put at Risk

Catastrophic crashes are rarely “accidents.” More often, they are the foreseeable result of dispatch pressure, ignored warnings, improper maintenance, and/or safety systems that fail. Modern transportation runs on complex systems—dense logistics networks, layered contracts, and streams of digital data. We treat each of these as evidence, and we pursue clear accountability for the decisions and structures that put lives at risk.

Follow the Failure Chain. Look Beyond the Cab.

In these cases, the collision is rarely the whole story. We trace the failure chain—what was known, what was ignored, and which choices made the harm predictable. That means examining corporate policies and incentives; hiring, training, and supervision; dispatch and hours-of-service compliance; maintenance and inspection history; prior crashes and complaints; and internal audits and risk assessments. And we follow the data—ELDs, telematics, event data recorders, dash video, routing and dispatch records, collision-mitigation systems, fleet safety software, and mobile devices—to build a record that supports full accountability, not partial blame.

In these cases, we:

Map the full logistics chain—from shipper and broker to carrier and driver—to identify every party that contributed to the risk
Preserve and analyze digital evidence, including ELDs, telematics, event data recorders, dash cameras, routing/dispatch records, collision-mitigation systems, fleet safety platforms, and mobile-device data
Investigate safety practices and compliance, including driver qualification files, hours-of-service logs, maintenance and inspection records, and drug and alcohol testing
Apply the governing regulatory scheme, including federal and state safety rules, to establish standards of care and prove violations

Built for Trial. Ready for Resolution.

We prepare every case as if it will be tried. Evidence is secured early before it can be lost, overwritten, or “cleaned up.” Key witnesses are pinned down, and common defenses are pressure-tested before they calcify. Experts are engaged with purpose, and the record is developed with clean narrative discipline, so the case holds up to insurers, opposing counsel, judges, and juries.

That same preparation creates leverage for resolution. Because liability, causation, and damages are built deliberately from day one, we can evaluate settlement opportunities with clarity and move decisively when the moment is right. If the other side will not offer a fair outcome, we are ready to prove the case at trial—and defend the result on appeal. Illustrative case types include:

Catastrophic truck crashes
Crashes involving regional and last-mile delivery vehicles
Wrongful death and severe injury caused by unsafe hiring, training, supervision, and/or dispatch practices
Broker, carrier, and shipper liability arising from unsafe logistics models and contract structures
Statutory employer liability arising from contracts between multiple logistics companies
Negligent inspection, maintenance, and repair of commercial vehicles
Systemic safety failures, including inaccurate logs, hours-of-service violations, and pressure-to-drive practices

Case Leadership

Johnny Friedman

With 25+ years as a trial and appellate lawyer, Johnny is nationally recognized for his legal skills and thought leadership in tort litigation. He has tried numerous cases to verdict and served as lead appellate counsel in federal and state cases across the nation. Johnny has an uncommon knack for turning black-letter law, complex systems, and technical facts into clean proof and clear responsibility. He graduated from Georgetown Law, where he was an editor of The Georgetown Law Journal.

Shane O’Neill

Shane O’Neill is a client-centered, trial-ready lawyer who represents individuals and families in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience inside the insurance and defense systems, he brings rare insight into how serious cases are evaluated, valued, and resolved. Known for a direct, engaging style that builds trust with clients, juries, and decision-makers alike, Shane now uses that perspective exclusively to advocate for injured people and families.

If the stakes are significant, speak with lawyers who take the work personally.

(404) 369-1799 Contact Us

Let’s Talk

Whether you need counsel or want to partner, we’d like to hear from you. We welcome direct client inquiries, referrals, and co-counsel opportunities, especially in complex, high-stakes matters where early coordination and disciplined case-building make the difference. Contact O’Neill Friedman to discuss fit, strategy, and next steps.