It is understandable to think that one’s car accident experience will carry over to a truck accident.
However, truck accidents are a completely different animal.
When a commercial truck gets involved in an accident, the damage that occurs can be incredibly devastating.
Potentially, they may cause even more devastation than a regular car accident.
Many of these trucks weigh more than 80,000 pounds when loaded with cargo.
Your car, pickup truck, and especially motorcycle likely won’t stand a chance if involved in a wreck with a large semi-truck.
Not only are they known to cause more fatalities and severe injuries, but these wrecks differ legally as well.
In a car accident, you typically deal with the negligent driver and their insurance company.
However, if injured in a truck accident, you may have many more legal considerations to consider.
You may have a higher claim when compared to a car accident claim.
Like a car wreck, an insurance company representing the truck driver or trucking company will offer you a settlement fairly quickly.
This offer is usually inadequate.
The insurance company intends to keep the case from developing so they can avoid a larger payout.
That’s why if injured in a truck accident, you need to contact an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as you can.
In the article below, we will look at how a truck accident attorney will help you after your accident.
What Should You Do Immediately Following A Truck Accident?
First things first.
Before speaking to a lawyer, there are a few things you should do immediately following an accident with a commercial truck.
If injured, you need to get medical help immediately.
If you are lucky enough and feel fine after your accident, you should still get medical attention.
It can take hours or days for symptoms of some injuries to appear.
If you’re able to, you need to call the police.
This will help your lawyers out because the responding officer will file a detailed police report
that can help assign fault later on.
And even though you will have that police report, you should still do your own investigation of the accident.
You can do this by taking photos of the accident scene and documenting the weather and road conditions.
Now it’s time to call an experienced truck accident lawyer.
Below are just a few ways they can help.
They Will Help With The Truck Accident Investigation Process
Several things need to be investigated after a truck accident.
All of these things will help determine the party at fault.
If you want the truck driver and the other involved parties to take responsibility for the accident, you need a personal injury attorney to help you.
If the truck’s brakes cause the truck accident, the truck driver might not be the one to blame.
Instead, the negligent party could be the mechanic if they didn’t properly inspect the brakes.
It may also be the trucking company because they didn’t take preventative action and ensure the truck was inspected as necessary.
In any case, several parties could be responsible for the accident, or those parties could share part of the negligence.
Confusions distinctions such as these are why you need an attorney to help you investigate truck accident cases.
Also, trucking companies aren’t required to maintain the driver’s records.
That’s why after you’ve been in an accident with a commercial truck, your personal injury lawyer should send a preservation letter that requires the company to retain the records of the driver and vehicle involved in the crash.
When you hire a truck accident lawyer, you get a legal team on your side to investigate your case.
In addition to helping you with the investigation, they will help you with lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
You will feel at ease when you have an experienced attorney on your side, and you will be able to focus on your health.
They Will Hire The Necessary Experts
Many times after a truck accident, the involved parties will try to dispute what actually happened.
When you’re on your own without an attorney, it’s hard to prove your case against the trucking company’s insurance and their influential attorneys.
Sometimes it’ll even be too difficult for your truck accident lawyer to argue the facts of your lawsuit.
That’s when they bring in the experts.
This includes trucking experts and accident reconstructionists.
The accident reconstructionist will visit the accident scene, take plenty of pictures, look for physical evidence like skid marks, and download black box data.
Using that data, they will write a report about how the accident likely took place.
This can be crucial evidence when trying to assign fault in the accident.
As well as assigning fault, the experts can help you prove damages.
In a truck accident case with severe injuries, your attorney may consult with a doctor that can testify to your injuries and any permanent disabilities.
A vocational economist can testify regarding a potential loss of future earnings or earning capacity.
You’ll Have An Advocate On Your Side
Perhaps the best reason to hire a personal injury attorney is that they will be an experienced advocate on your side who will help you every step of the way.
When you have an experienced attorney on your case, it lets the trucking and insurance companies know that they will have to treat you fairly and with respect.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer shows the involved parties that you aren’t going to settle for less than you deserve.
Your lawyer will do everything in their power to help you receive the money that you will need for medical bills, property damage, damaged vehicles, and any other damages you sustained during the accident.
It’s often considered greedy, selfish, or even rude to hold the trucking companies responsible for your accident.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Laws are in place to allow you to make a full financial recovery after being injured in a trucking accident.
Your truck accident lawyer knows those laws and will make sure you get what you are owed.
The Angell Law Firm Is Ready To Help
If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, it can be a very traumatic experience.
In addition to recovering from your injuries, and in some cases fighting for your life, you also have to fight against the insurance companies and their lawyers.
That’s why the Angell Law Firm is ready to help you with your case with a Free Consultation.
After helping numerous truck accident victims, the truck accident attorneys at the Angell Law Firm know the financial, physical, and emotional toll a truck accident can take on you as well as your loved ones.
The Angell Law Firm wants to take on some of that burden for you and get you the compensation you deserve while focusing on your physical recovery.
If you’re ready to take action and speak with the Angell Law Firm today, schedule your Free Consultation.
Bryce is considered a highly esteemed trial lawyer and a passionate client advocate amongst his peers in the Atlanta legal community. Never afraid to go the extra mile for his clients, Bryce Angell works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s personal injury case gets the attention that it deserves.