Accidents between passenger cars can cause devastating damage to both the vehicles and the passengers themselves. However, if you get in a collision with a commercial truck — a vehicle whose weight is many times that of a passenger car — the damage can be even more catastrophic.
If you’ve been injured in an accident with a commercial truck, you might be eligible for compensation. Get in touch with Delfino Green & Green to schedule a consultation with an experienced truck accident lawyer.
The Role of a Truck Accident Lawyer
Technically speaking, you can file and attempt to negotiate an insurance claim yourself. But in nearly every case, having legal representation greatly increases your chance of getting a fair settlement — and it sometimes makes the difference between getting a fair settlement and not getting a settlement at all.
The legal process is a complex one, but here’s a general look at how a truck accident lawyer might be able to help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Evaluating Your Case
Before we decide whether to take your case or not, we invite you to book a free consultation with us. At this free case evaluation, you can tell one of our truck accident attorneys about your situation.
We can assess your case and determine whether there’s a high likelihood of your claim being successful. If we think you have a good chance of being awarded compensation, we will offer to take your case. We can also give you an estimate of what your case might be worth.
Gathering Evidence
Truck accident claims can’t just detail your injuries with no proof. In the course of preparing your personal injury claim, your lawyer will gather as much information as possible.
They might conduct an accident reconstruction, and they almost certainly will closely study any police reports related to the accident. If your lawyer suspects misconduct on the part of the trucking company, they may even attempt to view copies of driver logs.
Documenting Your Injuries
Gathering evidence of the accident and how it happened is important, but so is clearly and thoroughly documenting the serious injuries you suffered as a result. For the purposes of your claim, it’s essential to prove the extent of your injuries, the monetary cost of treating them, and the extent to which your injuries damage your quality of life.
Valuing Other Damages
When you have severe injuries as a result of a trucking accident, medical costs often make up a sizable portion of your damages. However, you may be able to receive compensation for both economic damages (monetary losses like lost wages) and non-economic damages (non-monetary losses like loss of quality of life).
Your lawyer will be able to help you determine an accurate valuation for economic and non-economic damages.
Negotiating With Insurance Companies
Any personal injury law firm will tell you that most trucking accident lawsuits are settled out of court. Taking a case all the way to the courtroom is costly and time-consuming, so if both sides can agree on a certain amount of money to be paid to you, it’s often best to go with that agreement.
However, reaching that agreement can be a challenge. At Delfino Green & Green, we negotiate with insurance companies (including companies representing truckers and trucking companies) on a daily basis. We understand the process, and we can use our skills to attempt to get you the best possible settlement.
Representing You in Court if Needed
Of course, in some cases, reaching a settlement agreement proves to be impossible. If this happens, don’t worry! We have recovered millions for our clients both in and out of the courtroom, and we’re always prepared to argue your case in court.
The Importance of Specialized Representation
Most people know that if you get seriously hurt in an accident caused by someone else, you should talk to a personal injury lawyer. However, if your accident was caused by a truck driver, you should seek out an experienced truck accident lawyer. Semi-truck accidents have uniquely complicating factors that require an experienced eye. Here’s a closer look at why you need a truck accident lawyer:
Liability Can Be Complex in Truck Accident Lawsuits
Normally, if you get in a car accident, determining the at-fault party isn’t difficult: either you caused the crash or the other driver did. However, in a trucking accident, there can be many different liable parties. These are some of the people and entities who may be held responsible:
- The individual truck driver
- The trucking company
- The business responsible for maintaining the trucks
- The company responsible for loading the truck
- The truck manufacturer
You might wonder why so many different entities could be potentially liable for an accident. In some truck accident cases, an attorney for an injured person discovers that the trucking company itself wasn’t following critical industry safety regulations.
Truck drivers are required by law to take breaks for specific periods of time. This is to make sure they don’t endanger themselves or other drivers by driving while fatigued.
However, some trucking companies will push their drivers to ignore mandated breaks. If this happened in your case, the trucking company itself might be at least partially liable for your injuries.
If an investigation into the accident determines that it was caused by improper maintenance, the business tasked with maintaining the trucks may be held responsible. Similarly, because truck drivers don’t load their own trucks, loading companies may be responsible for crashes caused by unsecured or poorly distributed loads.
It can be extremely challenging to determine which parties may be liable. However, a truck accident injury lawyer will be able to carefully investigate the circumstances of your accident to ensure every liable party is held accountable.
You Need an Attorney Who Understands Industry Regulations
One of the most important parts of a truck accident lawyer’s job is researching the circumstances of your accident to find information that might support your case.
As you saw above, some truck accidents happen because unethical trucking companies push (or even require) truckers to skip mandated breaks. If this (or any other regulatory violation) was behind your injury, the trucking company is likely liable for your injury.
However, in order to catch key details like this, your lawyer must have a good knowledge of the trucking industry and how it works.
Truck Injury Attorneys Know How to Negotiate
Personal injury attorneys negotiate with insurance companies to try to secure fair compensation. However, a good truck accident lawyer knows how to negotiate with insurance companies that represent trucking companies. Successful negotiation requires at least some industry knowledge.
Insurers for trucking companies are much more likely to take an attorney seriously if they have a clear understanding of the trucking world and how it works. If your lawyer doesn’t understand how the trucking industry works (and the insurance company can tell), they’re much less likely to be able to get you the compensation you deserve.
Have You Been Hurt in a Truck Accident?
In the aftermath of a truck accident, the most important thing to do is to seek immediate medical treatment. However, once you’ve become medically stabilized, you might find that your medical bills are already climbing and that you have a long road to recovery ahead.
Securing a fair settlement isn’t going to undo the accident or immediately heal your injuries. However, it can help to cover medical expenses and compensate you for lost wages, helping you to achieve some sense of financial security as you heal.
At Delfino Green & Green, we’re committed to fiercely advocating for our clients, and if we take your case, we’ll do all we can to increase your chances of receiving the maximum compensation. Get in touch today to schedule your free consultation!