How to get the most from a truck accident claim

If you are like most car drivers, you keep your distance from trucks. They are large and powerful vehicles that do not move and manoeuver as cars do. Truck drivers must go through a rigorous training and qualification process before they are allowed on the road. Most of them are safety conscious and are aware of their responsibility to other drivers. However, this is not always enough to prevent a truck accident. Other factors can contribute to increasing the risk of a collision. And if you have been injured in such a crash, you should enlist the help of a truck accident lawyer.

Why You Should Seek Compensation After the Accident

Few people walk away from a truck accident unharmed. Even if you were not involved in a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler, the force and power of trucks tend to crush cars or throw them off the road or send them crashing into other vehicles. It is the kind of accident that will cause injuries that can only be treated in a hospital.

Truck accident injuries can include facial lacerations, broken bones, head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and internal bleeding. Such injuries require extensive and complicated treatment regimens, including multiple surgeries. You may also need to undergo a prolonged rehabilitation period and spend even more time on medication.

The medical bills from a truck accident can be overwhelming. If you are like most people, you will not have enough money to pay the expenses accumulated while in hospital. You will also be financially handicapped by the fact that you cannot work. This combination of factors can put tremendous stress on you and your family.

The best response to this situation is to contact a truck accident lawyer.

When you are feeling better, your lawyer will sit down with you and take down the details of the accident that you recall. You need not remember everything. The lawyer needs just enough information to get a sense of what happened. They will gather the remaining facts through their own investigation.

If it is clear that the truck driver was at fault for the accident, your attorney will present you with a range of options to get compensation. You should work with your attorney to pursue one of them. The accident was not your fault, you were severely injured because of it, and someone should be held accountable for what you have had to endure. These are reasons enough to seek compensation after the accident.

Who Should Be Held Responsible?

In the end, you will not get money from the truck driver, but from the company they work for. Trucking companies are liable for driver accidents. It is often the case that truck accidents are not caused by driver negligence but by the unethical and illegal conditions they are forced to work under.

Most states mandate that drivers must have a period of rest after a certain amount of time on the road. In the name of profit and greed, many trucking companies give their drivers every incentive to break these rules. Companies who engage in this kind of exploitation should be made to pay.

Maximizing Your Settlement

The aim of your lawyer will be to maximize the amount of money you get from the truck company. In order to do this, they will need complete control of the case. You should not do anything that will undermine their work.

You should speak to an attorney as soon as you can. Evidence can vanish. The longer it takes for you to contact a lawyer, the harder it will be for your attorney’s private investigation and accident reconstruction teams to gather the facts needed to prove how the accident unfolded. There are also important deadlines to meet. If you are forced to file a lawsuit to get money, you must do so before the statute of limitations expiration date.

You should also refuse any settlement offer made to you by an insurance company. The truck company will want to wrap the matter up quickly. To this end, they may instruct their insurance company to offer you a low-ball settlement. With bills piling up, you may be tempted to take the money. You should resist this inclination. In fact, you should refer all inquiries by insurance companies to your attorney. They are best placed to know whether an offer is serious. You should also give all documents sent to you to your attorney. Don’t sign anything without consulting with your lawyer.

Your lawyer will determine the value of your settlement claim by speaking with your doctors about the extent of your injuries and prospects for recovery and talking to you about the income you will be deprived of. They will come up with a dollar figure that they will then take to the trucking company. It may not be necessary to sue them. If the company is willing to negotiate a sum of money that is near enough to your demand, then the matter can be concluded without a lawsuit. However, if the company refuses the demand outright or stalls for time, then your lawyer will advise you to file a lawsuit.