How to Hire a Truck Accident Attorney
February 25, 2019 | Truck Accidents
There are thousands of attorneys available to represent your case, but it’s essential to hire an experienced truck accident attorney. Hiring an attorney ensures that your case is in capable hands and has the best chances possible of recovering damages. It can be difficult to know if you are hiring the best attorney to represent your case, so the Dixon Injury Firm has put together the following guide to provide guidance while choosing a truck accident attorney for your case.
How Can a Truck Accident Attorney Help with My Case?
If you are injured in a truck accident, it’s crucial to talk to an attorney as soon as you possibly can. Your attorney’s job is to guide you through the process of your truck accident case and make sure that you understand what’s happening during each step. The goal of the other party’s insurer is to get you to settle for the lowest settlement possible, but with an experienced truck accident attorney by your side, this won’t happen. Your lawyer can protect you from the truck driver’s insurance agent, defend your claim, and negotiate for the highest amount of compensation possible. If the insurance company refuses, your attorney can push back and make sure that you receive adequate compensation for your suffering.
What Kind of Damages Can a Truck Accident Attorney Recover for My Case?
The average commercial vehicle weighs upwards of 70,000 pounds. Truck accidents can cause serious damages and injuries such as internal bleeding, head trauma, and nerve damage in its wake. If you are injured in an accident that was caused by a truck driver, you could be eligible to recover the following damages from both the truck driver and the company they are employed with:
- Medical expenses that stemmed from the crash such as medical bills, medicine, medical accessories and other expenses
- If you are injured in a truck accident, you might be unable to work while recovering. Lost wages or other income that is missed out on during this time is eligible to be recovered
- Severe injuries are often accompanied by feelings of loss, despair, anxiety, and depression. If you have mental, emotional, or physical distress after the accident, you could be eligible to recover pain and suffering damages
- If you paid out-of-pocket for vehicle repairs, your vehicle is totaled, or you need a rental vehicle during this time, you could be eligible to recover reimbursement for your property losses in the crash
- No one should have to lose a loved one in an accident, but if it does happen, family members can recover the same damages as their deceased loved one. Additionally, spouses can claim loss of affection or “loss of consortium.”
Can a Truck Accident Attorney Help with My Case If I Am At-Fault for a Truck Accident?
In an accident that involves a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle, it’s often assumed that the large truck caused the crash. While that might be true, this isn’t always the case. Fault for an accident can be the sole fault of one driver, 50/50 between two drivers, or other percentages of responsibility. If you are at fault for a truck accident as a passenger vehicle occupant, it’s critical to involve an attorney with your case immediately. Trucking companies are insured by big insurance companies that will do everything in their power to get the highest settlement for their client’s damages. Your truck accident attorney can defend your case, negotiate with the other party’s insurer, and determine if you are able to recover compensation through an alternative method. Whether or not you are eligible as the liable party to recover damages from the accident depends on your state’s negligence rule. The most common types of negligence laws that are followed in the U.S. include contributory negligence, comparative negligence, and modified comparative negligence.
What Information Do I Need to Give My Truck Accident Attorney About the Accident?
Hiring a truck accident attorney takes care of most of the elements of your case, but there are a few things that you should take care of after the accident. It’s crucial to call the police, file an official police report, seek medical attention, get a copy of your medical report, and gather as much evidence from the crash as possible. Your attorney can help you with this, but time is of the essence when collecting evidence. If evidence isn’t gathered immediately after an accident, details from the crash could be altered, the other party could place the blame for the accident on you, or evidence could deteriorate. For the best results possible, it’s critical to collect evidence directly after an accident, whether you do it yourself or send someone on your behalf to do so. Additional information that can be useful to your truck accident attorney includes witness accounts, the other party’s contact, and insurance information, and other details from the crash that you feel are important. The more evidence that your truck accident attorney has to work with from the accident, the quicker they’ll be able to recover compensation for your damages.
Discuss Your Case with a Truck Accident Attorney Today
The last thing that you probably want to do after a truck accident is go through the hassle of finding an attorney to represent your case, but it’s highly necessary. Your attorney can defend your case, make sure that you and your family are financially taken care of during this vulnerable time, and guide you through the process of dealing with your case. If you need to hire a truck accident attorney to represent your case, contact the Dixon Injury Firm today. Our Truck Accident Attorneys are available for immediate hire, offer free consultations, and have the drive needed to recover the most compensation for your case.