What Does a Truck Accident Lawyer Do?
Accidents occur at unexpected times, and the resultant effect can be quite deadly in most cases. Truck accidents are one type of accident that can be devastating to anyone who becomes a victim.
In this case, you should get an experienced truck accident lawyer, especially if a trucking company is involved. This way, you can get compensation commensurate with your injuries as a victim.
In this article, we will learn what a truck accident lawyer does and the steps that a lawyer handling your case will take.
Who is a Truck Accident Lawyer?
A truck accident lawyer is a personal injury attorney specializing in truck accident cases. These lawyers serve as legal representatives for aggrieved victims of truck accidents caused by someone else.
As with other accidents, such as car accidents, for example, truck accident victims hire truck accident lawyers to seek compensation to cover medical expenses and provide succor for whatever emotional and mental stress they might be going through.
What Exactly Does a Truck Accident Lawyer do?
A truck accident lawyer specializes in tort law, in which the central idea is private injury and the claims and compensations that come with it.
This means that truck accident lawyers help injured truck accident victims file for specific claims or compensations when it has been proven that the trucking accidents occurred due to truck drivers’ carelessness.
In trying to seek the right compensation, the following factors, such as medical expenses, job loss, emotional and mental stress, physical pain, vehicle damage, lost wages, and even death, are usually accounted for to ascertain the exact amount of compensation that the truck accident victim deserves.
The Steps Involved When a Truck Accident Lawyer Handles Your Case
Once you hire the services of a truck accident lawyer, there are certain procedures that the lawyer has to follow to ensure that you get the compensation you truly deserve. They include the following:
Carry out a thorough investigation
Not every truck accident case is substantial enough to warrant compensation for damages.
This is why, when you hire the services of a truck accident lawyer, they have to carry out a proper investigation to be certain that the case is worth pursuing.
This is why most truck accident lawyers will only agree to take on cases that have a good chance of success, to protect their interests and yours.
Gathering evidence
This step takes place once the truck accident lawyer has decided to take on the case. They then proceed to gather evidence, starting at the scene of the truck crash, reviewing camera footage, going through medical reports, questioning eyewitnesses, going through the accident pictures, and so on.
The essence of this is to establish a pattern that points towards the fact that the truck accident resulted from the negligence of the other party in question.
Demand letter
After the evidence has been gathered, the lawyer will send a demand letter to the other party’s insurance company, stating in detail the damages done due to the truck accident and the compensation amount that the victim demands.
Negotiation
It is not just enough that the lawyer sends a demand letter to the other party’s insurance company.
Negotiations will also have to come into play because, more often than not, the insurance company will always want to negotiate and, if possible, pay less than the amount demanded by your lawyer.
This is where the expertise of the lawyer comes into play, as they ensure that they can agree with the insurance company on a compensation fee that is good enough to cover your expenses.
Complaints
There are usually some cases where the insurance company may be adamant about agreeing with a truck accident lawyer, making negotiation impossible.
In this case, the lawyer will proceed to file a complaint against the other party, and under the law, the other party has only 30 days to respond to the complaint.
Trial
After the lawyer has filed a complaint, they will then proceed to prepare a case for trial with evidence, theories, and other valuable information to win the case.
The lawyer will represent you in court and prepare a lawsuit that is guaranteed to ensure victory from both the jury and the judge for you.
An experienced truck accident attorney always has this at the back of their mind and is always prepared should the insurance company decide to prove a hard nut to crack, even if it is only in rare cases.
Steps You Should Take Following a Truck Accident
The following are the steps you should take following a truck accident:
Be on the lookout for injuries: The first thing you must do at the accident scene is check for injuries and call 911 immediately.
Relocate to a safe area: You should relocate yourself and your vehicle to a safe area to protect yourself from further harm.
Seek medical care: If possible, seek medical care, as it will be in your best interest since your compensation will be mostly medical expenses.
Report the accident: If possible, get in touch with the police and your insurance company right after the accident before even going to a hospital.
Gather evidence: Gather as much evidence as you can, such as photos, the contact information of the truck driver, etc., because it will prove very useful for your truck accident attorney when filing a truck accident claim for you.
Conclusion
Truck accident attorneys are very useful, especially if you work in a facility or an environment with a high record of truck accidents.
At the Michael J. Brennan Injury Law Firm, we have the best truck accident lawyers who will make life easy for you and ensure that you get the compensation that is deservedly yours in the event of a truck accident.
To get in touch with us, call our office at 708-694-9728 or get a free case evaluation by filling out and submitting the form on our website.