Some types of truck accidents include head-on collisions, side-impact collisions, and rear-end collisions. Trucks can also cause accidents with motorcyclists, scooter riders, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Every truck accident is serious because trucks far outweigh other vehicles (let alone pedestrians).
If you suffered an injury in a truck accident or lost a loved one due to accident-related injuries, an attorney can lead your fight for justice. Consider hiring a truck accident lawyer to represent you after your accident.
Truck Accidents Often Have Dire Consequences
Truck accidents are often more complicated than car crashes for various reasons, including the severity of many of these crashes. Fatal traffic accident statistics overrepresent large trucks because of the devastating damage these vehicles can cause.
Truck accident victims are exceedingly likely to suffer serious or fatal injuries because:
- A commercial truck can weigh up to 30 times more than a passenger vehicle, and this weight difference can contribute to serious collisions
- Trucks often carry dangerous cargo, like flammable fluids, that can contribute to accident-related injuries
- Because of their weight, trucks generally take longer to brake (and may, therefore, strike another vehicle or pedestrian at high speeds)
Truck drivers are also vulnerable to fatigue and substance abuse, which can cause extreme cases of negligence. For instance, a trucker who is falling asleep may not brake at all before hitting another vehicle.
Your truck accident lawyer will work with you to understand how your accident has impacted your life. Your lawyer will evaluate your damages and fight for all the compensation you deserve.
Steps to Follow After a Truck Accident (or a Loved One’s Fatal Accident)
Victims don’t plan for truck accidents.
Some no-risk guidance you can follow after your collision includes:
- Meet with a doctor: Every truck accident victim should undergo a physical evaluation. Tell your doctor about your accident, explain your symptoms, and insist on getting a complete examination and any necessary medical imaging.
- Document your medical care and symptoms: Your doctors should provide bills, copies of medical images, and other documentation. Request such documentation if they do not provide these items without your prompting. Keep anything relevant to your case, including proof of medical care.
- Hire a truck accident lawyer to lead your case: While your insurance claim or lawsuit should be a priority, you may not be in shape to handle these high-stress pursuits. Even if you are in good health, an experienced lawyer can provide numerous benefits.
You must follow their advice when you find trusted doctors and a capable lawyer. You may need plenty of rest, and hiring a lawyer will allow you to focus on your health.
Leading Reasons to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer
Each truck accident victim has unique reasons for trusting a lawyer with their case.
Some common sentiments lawyers hear from clients are:
- You have experience I lack: Attorneys handle truck accident cases regularly, providing them invaluable experience with cases like yours. Your attorney’s experience can make it far easier for them to build a successful case.
- Your firm provides essential financial support: Truck accident lawyers typically use contingency fees, which tie the lawyer’s fee to your case results. The law firm will fund your entire case with no upfront payment from you. This can be a huge relief for truck accident victims facing financial insecurity.
- Your firm gave me peace of mind during recovery: A law firm’s willingness to manage every detail of your case may promote recovery. Rather than having to deal with the stress or physical demands of a claim or lawsuit, your lawyer will oversee your case and protect your health.
- You recovered the compensation I deserve: A law firm will have a crystal-clear mission of obtaining all the compensation you deserve. Many satisfied clients have been grateful for truck accident lawyers who secured the necessary settlement or judgment.
Attorneys deal with responsibilities so the client does not have to. This includes handling all interactions with insurance companies, attending case-related appointments, and making strategic decisions.
As the client, your lawyer will involve you when necessary, including deciding whether to file a lawsuit. You will feel empowered but unbothered when you let a truck accident lawyer represent you.
Your Lawyer Will Handle Your Claim From Start to Finish
Truck accident lawyers often come with paralegals, investigators, and third-party experts who may all contribute to your case.
This roster of professionals allows your lawyer to oversee every detail of your case, including:
- Gathering evidence from the truck accident: Witness accounts, video footage, a police report, and other evidence may contribute to your case’s success. Your attorney will secure such evidence as soon as possible.
- Obtaining evidence from the trucking company: Work logs, in-cabin video footage, black-box data, and other evidence in the trucking company’s possession may be important to your case. Your lawyer may file a legal document known as a letter of spoliation to obtain such evidence from the trucking company.
- Documenting your damages: Your lawyer will obtain medical bills and records, images of your injuries, work-related records, and any other documentation that supports your case.
- Calculating a fair settlement value: Your lawyer will calculate the cost of your economic and non-economic damages (the latter of which does not always have a clear financial cost). The total value of your accident-related damages will mirror your lawyer’s settlement demands.
- Negotiating your settlement: Your lawyer will negotiate with insurance companies, a representative for the trucking company, and any other liable parties. Your attorney will present clear settlement demands and support those demands with evidence of negligence and documentation of your damages.
- Overseeing any lawsuit and trial: If your truck accident case requires your lawyer to go to court, they will be ready and capable. If liable parties won’t settle for a fair sum, your lawyer will work to convince a jury to pay you fairly.
Every step of a truck accident case requires time, effort, and attention to detail. Your lawyer will build a compelling case while paying the upfront cost of that case.
Why Truck Accident Cases Are More Challenging Than Most
Several features of truck accident cases make them unique. Some of these features are challenging, and you should be aware that:
Truck Accidents Often Demand Large Financial Recoveries
Because truck accidents are associated with severe injuries, plaintiffs in truck accident cases often deserve six- and seven-figure settlements. While most cases ultimately settle, your lawyer may receive significant resistance from those who owe you compensation.
Trucking Companies May Have Valuable Evidence (and Refuse to Provide It)
You may sue a trucking company but may need important evidence from that same trucking company.
This presents a clear challenge, and your lawyer will:
- Identify possible evidence that the trucking company has
- Contact the trucking company to request the evidence
- Take legal measures to obtain evidence from the trucking company, if necessary
An experienced lawyer will have obtained evidence from trucking companies before. Their experience may allow them to secure the evidence as efficiently as possible.
Trucking Companies Often Have Lawyers on Retainer
Insurance claims and lawsuits are inevitable when your business is as dangerous as trucking. Therefore, the trucking company that owes you compensation may have an experienced legal team ready.
If you don’t hire a lawyer, you may take on large insurance companies and experienced lawyers on your own. It can be wise for you to have an attorney representing you with these formidable opponents.
The Trucking Industry Is a Complicated Web
A comprehensive knowledge of trucks, trucking companies, and industry regulations may benefit your case.
An experienced lawyer will have such wide-ranging knowledge, which may include insight into:
- How large trucks and cargo trailers work (which may be relevant when identifying defects, loading errors, or driver errors)
- Regulations in the industry, including payload limits, weight distribution rules, and drive-time restrictions
- How trucking companies vet, hire, train, and discipline employees
- Other aspects of the trucking ecosystem
Your attorney may also work with experts in the trucking industry whose insight and opinions may directly benefit your case.
Recoverable Damages Among Truck Accident Victims
Attorneys representing truck accident victims often encounter a range of severe damages, which can include:
Healthcare Bills
While getting healthcare after an accident is critical, it’s not free. You may face bills related to:
- Emergency transport and treatment
- Diagnostic services, including medical imaging
- Doctors appointments, including specialist visits
- Hospital services
- Medical equipment
- Medications
Medical care is highly personalized, and your lawyer will work with your doctors to document your treatment.
Lost Income
If your career suffers because of your truck accident, your damages may include:
- Lost income
- Diminished earning power
- Inability to earn performance bonuses or promotions
- Vocational retraining costs
- The psychological distress caused by your inability to work
If a truck accident causes disabling injuries (as they often do), victims may need lifelong replacement of income and other professional damages.
Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering among truck accident victims can include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may produce many unsettling symptoms
- Physical pain
- Emotional anguish
- Psychological distress
- Lost quality of life
- Scarring (or other types of disfigurement)
Injury-causing accidents affect the victim’s life in countless ways. Your lawyer will identify every form of pain and suffering you endured and calculate the cost of these damages.
Mental Healthcare
If you need any mental health services because of the effects of your accident, your attorney will value the cost of those services.
Property Costs
Your property costs may stem from:
- Repairing your damaged vehicle
- Replacing your totaled vehicle
- Securing temporary transportation
- Replacing other property damaged during the truck accident
Trucks are the heaviest vehicles on the road, and your property costs may reflect the massive damage they can do.
A Wrongful Death
Because trucks are overrepresented in fatal accident statistics, truck accident lawyers may see a significant number of heartbreaking, accident-related wrongful death cases.
Surviving family members deserve compensation for:
- A loved one’s funeral
- A loved one’s burial or cremation
- Pain and suffering, including grief
- Grief counseling and other types of mental health treatment
- Loss of a decedent’s companionship
- Loss of a decedent’s labor, security, accounting, and other household contributions
- Loss of the decedent’s financial support
Pain and suffering looms large in wrongful death cases. Your attorney will get to know who your loved one was and measure the cost of their loss.
How to Choose Your Truck Accident Attorney
You should have a methodical approach when choosing your truck accident lawyer. Some criteria to consider as you research law firms include:
Case Results
Whether on the firm’s website or during a free consultation, you should learn about a law firm’s case results. Pay particular attention to a firm’s performance in truck accident cases.
You should consider:
- The value of the firm’s settlements
- The value of the firm’s jury awards
- How often the law firm secures settlements versus jury verdicts
A substantial number of jury awards in truck accident cases may indicate a law firm’s willingness to take cases to trial when necessary.
Client Reviews
Pay attention to reviews from a law firm’s past clients. These reviews can provide the inside scoop about how the firm treats its clients and how it would treat you if it handled your case.
The Law Firm’s Location
Ideally, you will find a truck accident lawyer whose office is in close proximity to your accident scene.
Your Free Consultation
When you whittle down your pool of potential lawyers, complete free consultations with each. Ask any questions you have about the firm and your case, and evaluate how the firm’s representative treats you during the consultation.
Don’t Worry About the Cost of Hiring Your Lawyer
Law firms require no upfront fees or costs from you, so there is no barrier to getting legal help. Find your personal injury lawyer as soon as possible so they can fight for your financial recovery.