Our Experience
Mike Ranzenhofer has obtained significant results for injury victims. For over 40 years, Mike Ranzenhofer has taken the time to listen to you and fight for the injury justice to which you are entitled to.
Buffalo Truck Accident Lawyers
Your Dedicated Truck Accident Injury Attorney
Michael Ranzenhofer is one of our experienced Buffalo Truck Accident Lawyers. He has been involved in successful litigation of truck accident cases for over 30 years.
Let Our 67 Years of Experience Work For You
Were you or a loved one hurt due to the negligence of someone else? Our experienced Buffalo lawyers have been dedicated to serving the Western New York community we know and love. Allow us to help you the same way we’ve been helping our community for decades. We’re here for you.
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Personal Injury Guide
Download our FREE guide to learn what steps you should be taking after a personal injury.
Our Availability
We are available seven days a week by telephone at (716) 542-5444 or by our contact form. We will personally meet you at your home, the hospital or at one of our thirteen local offices.
Our No Fee Guarantee
You pay no fee unless you win your case. That’s our guarantee to you.
Our Promise
Our sole purpose in helping accident victims is to maximize your benefits and protect you and your family.
- Communicate with you in plain language that is easy to understand.
- Promptly return your telephone calls.
- Quickly and thoroughly investigate and analyze your case.
- Have your case personally handled by an attorney.
- Keep you informed of the progress of your case at all times.
- Show you the personal care, concern and attention which have been the hallmark of Friedman & Ranzenhofer, P.C. since 1955.
- Accommodate the needs of you and your family during the handling of your case.
- Vigorously protect your legal rights.
See what the clients of personal injury attorney Mike Ranzenhofer have to say about him.
Christine Rush via 
Mr. Ranzenhofer and his attorneys were great! My case was handled quickly and I got a great result – $300,000. I fell at my doctor’s office, so I knew it was a hard case. Mr. Ranzenhofer developed a strategy that got me a great result. I highly recommend Mr. Ranzenhofer and his team of attorneys.
James Houseman via 
I feel I was treated great. Mr. Ranzenhofer responded quickly with call backs and any questions, there were never any doubts of where my case was and he was always reassuring that being patient was the answer. And it was. I want to thank him and his legal team especially with the office personnel always friendly and also quick responses when messages were left. Highly recommended. Thanks for everything
anonymous via
Michael Ranzenhofer was very professional in dealing with my case. He always responded to calls in a timely manner. He was very thorough in handling my case. I would definitely use him again if I needed legal representation, and I would not hesitate to recommend him to others.
anonymous via
I was hit head on in a car accident and had got injured. I contacted Mike Ranzenhofer and he got started the process of getting money for me for my pain and suffering and future medical bills. Every time I called or came to his office he always took his time to help me. And we eventually won the case. He is an amazing lawyer and person himself and I would fully recommend him to anyone.
Read the success stories from some of our past cases
- $2 Million Child Car Accident – A child ends up with a brain injury by a head on collision.
- $300,000 Settlement – A 52-year-old suffered a broken angle when they slipped and fell on ice in a chiropractor’s parking lot.
- $275,000 Settlement – A 55-year-old suffered an ankle injury when a car collided with a farm vehicle with no lights or reflectors.
- $250,000 Settlement – A 65-year-old female suffered a wrist injury when a grate covering a second story window fell and struck her in the head and knocker her to the ground.
- $217,500 Settlement – A 59-year-old Tim Horton’s employee suffered a broken knee cap when they tripped and fell over a “glob” of ashpalt left by a paving contractor.
- $195,000 Settlement – A 60-year-old suffered a necck injury from a two car collision.
- In a defective products case, a 58-year-old East Aurora aerospace worker won $185,000 from Great American Insurance Company, which insured a company which designed and manufactured loading ramps. As he wasdriving his tractor up the loading ramps into his pickup truck, the cable securing the ramps broke and he fell from the ramp and injured his lower back (January 2005).
- $175,000 Settlement – A 75-year-old suffered a fractured right elbow when they tripped and fell on a low-profile planter at a mall.
- A 53-year-old heavy equipment operator from Akron won a $165,000 settlement from Harleysville Insurance Company for a fractured ankle and torn ankle tendon that he sustained in a two car intersection accident in Clarence (February 2005).
- $125,000 Settlement – A 76-year-old suffered an ankle injury when they tripped and fell on a broken concrete sidwalk.
- $100,000 Settlement – A 56-year-old developmentlly disabled man suffered a fractured jaw and pelvis when he was struck by a motor vehicle while legally walking in the street.
- $100,000 Settlement – A 67-year-old suffered a neck and back injury in a car accident.
- Defective Automobile – A woman injures her knee on the lift gate of a defective vehicle.
- Defective Product – A man is seriously injured when a ramp created to put snowmobiles and ATVs in a truck snaps in half.
- Car Accident Involving Neck Surgery – A man is seriously injured in a car accident and has to go through neck surgery because physical therapy couldn’t solve the issue caused by the accident.
- Child Cheerleader Injury – A 15-year-old girl is injured from aerial acrobatics because of the lack of safety mats.
- Child Knee Injury – A young high school is injured when two rough housing boys fall on top of her.
- Premises Liability – A woman in her 60’s injures her ankle from a slip and fall on a stairwell.
- The family of a 57-year-old member of the Buffalo Fire Department received $100,000 from the City of Buffalo and Nationwide Insurance Company when he aggravated a lower back injury during an automobile accident (April 2004)
- $90,000 Settlement – A 75-year-old passenger in a truck suffered a wrist injury when they were struck from behind.
- $90,000 Settlement – A 5-year-old suffered scarring on their right arm when they were attacked by a dog with propensity for violence.
- A 47-year-old Genesee County woman won $90,000 from Healthcare Underwriters Mutual for injuries she sustained when a venetian blind fell on her head while working at United Memorial Hospital (April 2004)
- $85,000 Settlement – A 45-year-old suffered a knee injury when they were rear-ended in a car collision which pushed their knee into a dashboard.
- $75,000 Settlement – A 47-year-old suffered a neck and shoulder injury when a car crossesd the center line and struck another car.
- $75,000 Settlement – A 58-year-old suffered a back and neck injury in a car accident.
- A 14-year-old Lockport girl received $58,000 from Tops Supermarkets when her hand was sucked under the conveyor belt at the checkout counter. She sustained burns and scarring to the top of her hand (March 2005).
- $55,000 Settlement – A 29-year-old suffered a hip injury when they slipped and fell at a store with a wet and slippery entrance.
- $50,000 Settlement – A 52-year-old suffered broken hip when they tripped over a “gap” in the front door threshold which the landlord failed to repair after numerous requests.
- $50,000 Settlement – A 55-year-old suffered a broken knee when they slopped and fell on a slippery store floor.
- A 32-year-old Genesee County factory worker accepted $50,000 from Allstate Insurance Company for back injuries he sustained in a two-car motor vehicle accident when the other driver turned in front of him.
- $45,000 Settlement – A 63-year-old suffered an injured hand when they were struck by a vehicle when lawfully crossing the street.
- $45,000 Settlement – A 54-year-old suffered multiple disc herniations when an SUV struck their rented vehicle that ran a red light while being chased by Buffalo police.
- $40,000 Settlement – A 51-year-old suffered a neck and back injury in a rear-end motor vehicle collision.
- $40,000 Settlement – A 76-year-old suffered a broken hip when they fell on a slick Metro Rail platform.
- A 52-year-old school administrator was awarded $200,000 against State Farm Insurance Company by a three-member arbitration panel for serious leg and elbow injuries he sustained. He was crossing Oak Street in Buffalo, as a pedestrian, when he was struck by a car driven by an 80-year-old Depew man. After the split panel (2 to 1) awarded $200,000, they found the school administrator 80 percent responsible for the accident, which reduced the award to $40,000 (May, 2005).
- A 58-year-old Orleans County woman won $40,000 after she slipped on ice and broke her leg in a local supermarket parking lot (March 2004)
- $30,500 Settlement – A 68-year-old suffered a broken ankle when their foot slipped into a hole in a front yard while taking their grandchildren trick or treating.
- A 48-year-old factory worker received $29,500 from New York Central Mutual Insurance Company for knee injuries she sustained in a two-car accident on High Street in Buffalo, New York. The settlement was reached during jury selection in Supreme Court (June, 2005).
- A 29-year-old Genesee County nursery school teacher received $25,000 from State Farm Insurance Company for aknee injury she sustained in a two-car accident (April, 2005).
- $27,000 Settlement – An 8-year-old pedestrian suffered scar on their back when attacked by a dog.
- A 48-year-old Alden homemaker accepted $25,000 from a local hospital for a broken ankle she sustained when she stepped on broken concrete which was covered with snow (March 2005).
- A 33-year-old Batavia woman accepts $25,000 from Utica National Insurance Company when she tripped over a broken concrete curb at her daughter’s school and broke her wrist (January 2004).
- A Genesee County jury returned a $25,000 verdict against State Farm Insurance Company in favor of a 23-year-old nursing assistant from Bergen who injured her back in a two car accident on the New York State Thruway. State Farm, prior to trial, had offered only $3,000 to settle the case (February 2005).
- A 75-year-old Lancaster woman accepts $20,000 from Federated Insurance Company for a knee injury she sustained when she tripped over torn up flooring at a local supermarket (March 2004).
- A 50-year-old West Seneca man received $18,000 from the City of Buffalo for a finger injury sustained when his finger became lodged between a loose bleacher plank and a metal post (February 2004).
- A 63-year-old West Seneca volleyball official obtained $12,000 from Network Adjusters when he injured his knee when a volleyball stand, upon which he was officiating, collapsed (December 2003).
- An 11-year-old Buffalo boy accepted $15,000 from Travelers Insurance Company when bitten on the arm by a neighbor’s dog (February 2004).
- In a premises liability case against Flying J Travel Plaza in Pembroke, New York, a 50-year-old North Carolina truck driver won $199,139.67 from the truck stop. As she was walking toward the truck stop restaurant, the sidewalk was blocked by a snow bank, forcing her to proceed along an icy and snow covered foot path, which lead her to an icy grate where she fell and fractured her knee. Her award was reduced by 40 percent after the court balanced the relative culpability of the parties (April, 2005).
- One Beacon Insurance Company was ordered to pay $25,500 to a 56-year-old Amherst woman for neck and back injuries she sustained in a two-car collision on Main Street in Williamsville.
- A 66-year-old Cheektowaga man received $18,000 from Nationwide Insurance Company for a rib injury that he sustained in a two-car accident in Canada (April, 2005).
- An 84-year-old West Seneca woman accepted $15,000 from New York Central Mutual Insurance Company after she injured her wrist when she was T-boned by another motorist on Sheridan Drive in Amherst.
- A 19-year-old Buffalo pedestrian won $10,000 from Erie Insurance Company when she sustained cuts and bruises to her knees and hands after she was struck by a car.
Steps to take after an injury
First, it’s very important to make sure you’ve documented exactly what happened with your accident or injury. The date, the time, the names and addresses of those involved, as well as details of what happened are critical components that you’ll need as you try to work through the problems you’re having. If you’ve been in a car accident, we already have a checklist you can use. You can see the checklist at our Car Accident Checklist page.
Secondly, you really should contact an Injury Attorney in Buffalo as soon as possible….because the other party’s Insurance Company is probably already working behind the scenes…and preparing to defend its client.
Contacting an accident attorney is really very simple – and for your case, it’s a Free Consultation. I’ll provide the accident and injury help you need by spending time reviewing the facts with you to be able to tell you what possible remedies you have and make suggestions on how to proceed.
Semi Truck accidents, which involve large, over-the-road tractor trailers, are generally the most deadly we have seen. The statistics are terrifying:
- Every year, 500,000 large trucks, or “semis,” are involved in accidents on our roads.
- Of these, 5,000 involve fatalities.
In the United States, 1 out of every 8 people killed in a traffic accident that involves a truck or semi….and it’s usually the driver or passengers of the vehicles struck by the trucks – not the semi truck drivers themselves.
Truck drivers repeatedly break federal laws by driving:
- Without rest
- In excess of the amount of hours they are allowed to drive
- Trucks that are oversized
- With a heavy load
- Improper maintenance or required maintenance not performed
- eyesight that prevents them from driving at night
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There are three reasons why truck accidents are so dangerous:
- The size of the rig
- The speed
- Driver fatigue
A fully loaded, tractor trailer is a giant piece of machinery. When you put something like that on the road at speeds of 60 miles an hour or more, anything that might get in its way will be demolished within seconds. And if you throw in the growing problem of driver fatigue – those in passenger cars face a very real threat.Truck drivers are constantly under pressure to move cargo, causing them to sometimes work a 16-hour day.A recent study shows that 20 percent of long-haul truck drivers admitted to falling asleep at the wheel. It’s no wonder that people are killed when one-in-five drivers admits to falling asleep, leaving these giants with no one at the wheel.
When someone comes in to our offices to talk about a tractor trailer accident, our Buffalo Truck Accident Lawyers will address three major topics:
- Liability – who is responsible
- The injuries
- And Insurance
Liability means who caused the accident. It is the first issue addressed in any truck – auto collision case.
The second issue addressed is injury. Is the person seeking compensation injured in any way?
And third, does the individual or individuals that caused the accident have insurance? Does the party that was innocent have uninsured motorist insurance coverage to pay for the damages that were caused by the accident?
It’s important to note that in every successful case there are three important factors that make it so – solid liability or proof, injuries that were caused by the negligent party, and insurance to compensate for damages done. In accident law, two out of three usually isn’t enough. At Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC our Accident Lawyers handle the toughest truck accidents cases.
Contact Our Experienced Buffalo Truck Accident Lawyers
If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in an accident involving a tractor-trailer or other large truck, contact one of our experienced Buffalo Truck Accident Lawyers to discuss your legal options.
Client Reviews
“Friedman & Ranzenhofer provided prompt, courteous and professional assistance regarding a current legal issue. We have used the services of this firm repeatedly because of their consistent high quality service levels.”
– Ed Berowski
If you have questions about a legal issue, contact our experienced Buffalo attorneys today for dedicated representation.