How to start with Truck Accident Settlements
If you are involved in an accident with a truck or a massive rig, you are going to face some unique challenges. These cases are often different from typical car accidents where two personal vehicles are involved. Not only do most companies with semi-trucks have extensive insurance policies, but there may be two or three different parties that are financially responsible for what happens when a truck collides with someone on the road.
Start by calling an attorney. If you find the website or number for a local attorney, it might be best to try writing it down so you don't forget the number. There is no way you can deal with a case involving a semi-truck if you are not going to get legal representation. You would spend hours trying to figure out who insures the truck and what parties are liable for damages related to the accident. In contrast, a lawyer will know about how these cases work. They will complete all the legwork and negotiations on your behalf.
The best part is that most injury lawyers do not take payment until they get you a settlement. If they get you no settlement, you are not obligated to pay them any money. This is a win-win situation in your case. If you get a great settlement, you are going to have more money than you did before hiring the lawyer. But even if the case goes badly, you do not lose out any more than you did when the car accident took place.
Aside from the complexity of who insures these semi-trucks, you also have to deal with different state and federal regulations pertaining to these vehicles. Each state will have their own set of laws regarding semi-trucks. These laws refer to how much weight can go on each truck, how many hours a driver can operate the car before they must take an extensive break and the types of roads where the vehicles are allowed.
It is up to your attorney to find any advantage that may get you a good settlement. If your lawyer can find out about these laws, they may be able to prove that the company broke one or two state or federal regulations. If this is the case, your attorney can use it to get you a great settlement. The company will not want this information to go public, which will encourage them to offer you a significant financial settlement.
When you have multiple defendants in a case, your attorney will have to decide on one of the defendants for your case. Targeting one of the defendants is often easier than going after all three. When you target one individual or company, you only have to prove they were negligent. If you attack all three, you have to prove three different cases at the same time.
But this comes with its own set of challenges. Your lawyer must pick correctly when choosing a defendant to target. If you end up targeting a defendant that did nothing wrong, you may not get any compensation.
More to Read:
Previous Posts: