What Can A Truck Accident Lawyer Do For You? | 24/7 Support
After a truck accident, a truck accident lawyer can provide you with several services, allowing you the opportunity to recover from your injuries stress-free. They can pool together evidence and reports related to your accident to generate the accident claims necessary to receive compensation. They can speak on your behalf and negotiate for a fair settlement.
Your lawyer will help you recognize your legal rights, help calculate the value of your claim, and collect evidence to help determine liability. If negotiations with the insurance companies fail, they can file the paperwork necessary to take your case to court. They will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
A Truck Accident Lawyer Can Stand Up for Your Legal Rights
One of the most significant roles of a truck accident lawyer is to help you understand your legal rights. The lawyer also helps to level the playing field against the trucking company’s insurance company by safeguarding your interests during the negotiation process. Lawyers apply previous experience handling similar cases to ensure their clients receive the settlement they deserve.
Here are the various roles of a truck accident lawyer:
Help You Calculate the Value of Your Claim
Estimating the value of your claim after a truck accident is one of the challenging aspects of your case. You may not know it at first, but a claim is more than just simply lost wages and medical expenses. Your truck accident lawyer will calculate the value of your injury claim based on all potential losses.
Here are the damages you can pursue after a truck accident:
- Medical bills and costs: This loss also includes items like ambulance transportation, doctor’s visits, surgery, diagnostic testing, prescription medications, in-home medical expenses such as assistants, and unique medical accommodation.
- Lost income: Wages or salary lost during the recovery time after the truck accident can be recovered. This includes loss of a pension contribution or employee benefits, missed promotions and bonuses, and missed transportation allowances.
- Pain and suffering: This loss pertains to the physical and emotional turmoil you experienced from the truck accident. A lawyer can help you determine a fair value to demand.
- Loss of future income: It is also possible to collect compensation if your injuries keep you from returning to work.
- Therapy and rehabilitation: You may request compensation for any psychological counseling expenses as a result of emotional trauma.
- Loss of consortium: If your relationship with your partner is affected due to injuries sustained in the accident, you may pursue this loss.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: If after the truck accident you cannot engage in activities that you used to enjoy, that too can be a part of your claim.
Build a Compelling Case
For you to be eligible to qualify for compensation after a truck accident, your case must be compelling and strong. Here are ways your lawyer can build a persuasive case:
- Investigate and collect evidence
- Investigate and identify all possible liable parties and insurance carriers
Negotiate with the responsible parties’ insurance companies for fair compensation on your behalf
- File a suit in court if the insurance companies refuse to settle
The truck accident lawyer will present police reports, medical records, eyewitness statements, videos and pictures from the accident scene, any information from the truck’s onboard electronic information system, and expert testimony to strengthen your claim.
Help Determine Liability
Several parties can be responsible for truck accidents and be liable for the damages that injury victims sustain. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has guidelines that trucking companies and truck drivers are legally required to follow. Commercial motor vehicles (CMV) that fail to adhere to the regulations set by the FMCSA will receive severe penalties and be accountable for the damages and injuries in any accidents they cause.
Your lawyer will collect and investigate your casework with expert witnesses to identify all liable parties. Some of the parties that can be held responsible for causing a trucking accident include:
- The trucking company
- The truck drivers
- The cargo loading company
- The trucking maintenance company
- The manufacturer of defective parts or truck components
Negotiate With the Insurer on Your Behalf
After most truck accidents, victims find settlement negotiations with the insurance companies stressful since they’re still recovering from injuries. Without proper negotiations, insurance companies offer minimum payments that don’t completely cover all of the damages related to the truck accident.
Your lawyer will use the acquired experience from solving similar injury claims to negotiate with the insurance companies for a fair settlement.
Represent You in a Court
Suppose negotiations with the insurance company fail. In that case, you have the right to look for legal recourse in a court of law to ensure you get the settlement you deserve. Your lawyer will present credible evidence and use their winning strategies to seek a fair outcome. Your lawyer can represent you in court while you recuperate.