There is good evidence showing that there are many people who are injured and even killed every year due to large truck accidents. Most truck accident victims are usually left to deal with deliberating and devastating injuries, damaged property, unexpected medical expenses, and other serious consequences after an accident. But just because truck accidents are now happening regularly doesn’t mean that you can’t receive compensation.
If a trucking company, truck driver, or another entity is negligent and caused the accident, you can hold them accountable. You need to get a Birmingham truck accident lawyer who has enough experience to help you get fair compensation. A good attorney can seek justice on your behalf by filing a lawsuit against the at-fault party and pursue maximum settlement for your injuries. This post explains why you should hire a truck collision attorney.
Trucking companies and trucks are huge
An 18-wheeler truck can weigh at least 20 times more than a car. Therefore, you have higher chances of getting seriously injured in a traffic collision involving a truck and a car. And, if you want to file a lawsuit against a trucking company that employs the truck driver that hit your vehicle, you must have a person knowledgeable to represent you.
The trucking companies tend to have a lot of money to compensate for your injuries, though they also have a huge budget for their legal representation so that they should avoid paying you. Therefore, without a reputable personal injury attorney on your side, you can have slim chances of getting fair compensation.
Besides, the insurance company can also be reluctant to offer your fair compensation. This is the reason why it’s not a good idea to sign any document presented by an insurance company after a truck accident. Keep in mind that after a truck accident, the insurance company can collect information from the drivers who are involved and even consider police reports as well as other evidence.
The insurance company usually decides who was at fault and the amount of money they need to compensate you. They can then send an offer letter showing the amount of the settlement they think is right. Hence, if you sign this letter, you can lose the right to file a lawsuit against the party at fault.
Regardless of whether or not the amount of money the insurer offers seems appealing, you need to contact an attorney before you sign it. Quite often, injuries can take time to be noticeable, so you should not accept a settlement until you fully know the extent of the injuries.
You don’t need to worry about what you say
When a truck accident happens and causes costly damages, you can sometimes receive several calls from the at-fault party’s insurance company asking you to provide them with more information. This can be stressful because you may have to worry that what you state can give the insurer the idea that the truck accident was your fault. In most cases, a good insurance adjuster can attempt to force you to say the wrong things when you have no idea on what exactly just happened.
This is even worse when you are trying to deal with the financial losses and serious injuries that are due to the accident. If you decide to have an attorney to work on your behalf in the truck accident case, you can tell anyone who contacts you to speak with your attorney. As you can see, a truck accident attorney usually offers you peace of mind while resolving your case. In other words, all your problems now become the attorney’s problems.
There can be more to the accident story
In some states, you tend to have the right to get compensation from a negligent party that caused the truck accident, leading to your injuries. You need to prove that the party at fault had a duty of care to ensure other people were not in danger. Also, you need to prove that the party at fault breached this duty of care when they created unsafe conditions.
For instance, the trucking company can breach its duty of care by failing to offer the right training for its truck driver. Others include allowing the truck driver to work longer shifts than recommended by federal and state law and failure to do a background check that might have shown unsafe driving history or recent substance abuse.
The obvious defender is usually the trucking company, but there can be several others. The truck manufacturer can also be liable for the malfunctioning of a part in the truck due to a manufacturing defect. The trucking company can also be liable if the part of the truck malfunctioned due to poor maintenance. This is because it’s the responsibility of the trucking company to inspect and maintain the trucks.
Further, the loading company can also be at fault for overloading the truck. The city can be liable for creating dangerous road conditions that were preventable. In this situation, there is a good chance that you can file lawsuits against several defendants for the same truck accident.
Non-economic damages
Regardless of whether or not the at-fault insurer decides to offer you a large enough settlement to cover medical expenses related to the truck accident, you should not accept it. This is because your losses associated with the truck accident can be bigger than simply medical costs. If you choose to file a lawsuit, you can sometimes recover damages for the loss of income during the period you were not able to work following the truck accident.
In case you cannot still work before settling your case and it goes to trial, you can receive settlement for future lost income. If you have permanent disabilities due to the truck accident and cannot perform at work, this money can help you to pursue another career or support you and your family.
Remember that these are economic damages, but you can also get non-economic damages, such as for pain and suffering, loss of companionship, and emotional distress. In some states, the jury can determine the amount they need to award you for non-economic damages.