Woodbury Truck Accident Attorney
Truck accidents in Woodbury often leave devastation in their aftermath. You might suffer severe injuries, many of which can have a lifelong impact on your ability to enjoy your life, work, and even care for yourself.
Many people find themselves at a loss following a truck accident. What legal rights do you have? What should you do next?
An experienced Woodbury truck accident attorney can give you a better idea of your legal rights, from what compensation you may deserve to who bears liability for your truck accident. Contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation.
Injured in Woodbury? Get Nicolet.
About Nicolet Law
At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we offer compassionate legal services in the communities in which we live. We represent individuals in a wide variety of legal matters, including truck accidents.
We have an office conveniently located in Woodbury, and we have experience successfully litigating and settling truck accident cases.
With decades of combined experience between our team of attorneys, you can rest assured that your case is in good hands. We invite you to read through our client testimonials for more information on the quality of service that we provide.
Our Truck Accident Case Results
If a Woodbury truck accident injured you, you want an attorney with the resources and experience necessary to successfully oversee your claim from start to finish. At Nicolet Law Firm, we’ve represented over 3,000 individuals and recovered over $34 million in compensation for past clients.
Consider the following results that we’ve secured for past clients in truck accident cases:
- $450,000 for a client injured in a trucking accident;
- $450,000 for a man injured in a semi-truck accident; and
- $200,000 for a client who was rear-ended by a semi-truck on I-94.
Where Do Truck Accidents Take Place in Woodbury?
One of the primary contributing factors to truck accidents is traffic congestion. As such, busy intersections during rush hour can see more than their share of accidents.
Some of the busiest, and potentially most dangerous, intersections in Woodbury include:
- Valley Creek Road and Radio Driver
- Woodbury Drive (a.k.a. County Road 19) and Hudson Road
- Radio Driver and Tamarack Road
- Interstate 94, from the Twin Cities down to Tomah
Serious Injuries Resulting From Woodbury Truck Accidents
Victims of Woodbury truck accidents have suffered a wide range of severe injuries, many of which have left them with lifelong challenges. If you suffered any type of severe injury in a truck accident, contact an experienced truck accident attorney to learn more about your right to compensation.
Many past victims of truck accidents have suffered these severe, life-altering injuries.
- Back and neck injuries. The extreme force often experienced in a truck accident can cause severe back and neck injuries. Sometimes, that leaves the victim with lifelong back or neck pain from those injuries. Other times, as in the case of severe spinal cord injury, the victim may suffer a permanent loss of mobility or even paralysis as a result of the truck accident.
- Head injuries. Traumatic brain injury can permanently change the course of a victim’s life. In many cases, victims with traumatic brain injury may lose the ability to focus or concentrate on the task in front of them. They may struggle with ongoing memory loss—not just long-term memories, as actors often portray in movies, but the loss of short-term memory, which can make it difficult to follow simple instructions or even remember what you intended to do. If you suffered a traumatic brain injury in your truck accident, you may also have to deal with ongoing emotional disturbance, including regular overreaction or mood swings.
- Amputations. The immense force associated with many truck accidents can cause immediate amputation during the accident itself or leave victims with little option but to amputate the limb due to the extreme damage and lack of blood flow. Amputees may use prosthetics to help restore mobility and independence following the accident, but these devices may lead to ongoing expenses in the victim’s life.
- Burns. Not only can victims of truck accidents suffer burns due to explosions or flames from the accident, they may also risk chemical burns, depending on the contents of a tanker truck. Burns can cause permanent scarring and disfigurement, which may cause immense emotional distress for many victims.
- Broken bones. Victims with multiple broken bones or severe breaks may have long-term consequences from those injuries. Some broken bones can cause a permanent loss of mobility. Victims with multiple broken bones may need to spend substantial time in rehabilitation and physical therapy to restore mobility and strength in the affected areas of the body.
Determining Liability Following a Woodbury Truck Accident
To effectively pursue a truck accident claim, your attorney will need to identify the party that caused your Woodbury truck accident. Most often, the truck driver bears liability for the accident.
However, other parties may also share liability for a severe truck accident, including:
- The trucking company. In some cases, the trucking company may share liability for the actions of its drivers. Trucking companies often have unrealistic or even illegal expectations of their drivers. They may, for example, fail to take care of needed maintenance on a truck, or try to force drivers to exceed the federal maximum number of hours those drivers can spend on the road. Trucking companies may also share liability for employing a driver who consistently fails safety checks, ignores the rules of the road, or has a considerable accident history.
- The company that takes care of loading. Sometimes, neither the trucking company nor the truck driver puts the load on the truck. While the truck driver should always check the overall security of the load, sometimes, the driver may not realize that the company improperly loaded the cargo. Slipping cargo can lead to rollover accidents, jackknife accidents, or even fall off into traffic, causing severe injuries.
- A mechanic that worked on the truck. Trucks require regular maintenance to keep them moving smoothly and prevent increased accident risk on the road. Sometimes, trucking companies take care of that maintenance internally. In other cases, however, they may outsource it to other individuals or companies. If those companies or individuals fail to take care of maintenance on a truck properly, leading to an accident, they may share liability for the accident.
The Compensation You Can Expect After a Woodbury Truck Accident
You suffered injuries in a Woodbury truck accident, and you know you have the right to a truck accident claim. How much you can expect, however, may depend on the specific circumstances surrounding your accident. Even looking at successful claims from others who have suffered similar injuries may not tell you how much you will ultimately receive for your truck accident.
In general, you can expect your truck accident claim to include several key elements.
- Your medical expenses. How much did you have to spend on medical bills following your truck accident? Keep track of all those bills carefully so that you can provide documentation regarding your expenses after the accident.
- Your lost wages. How much time at work did you have to miss due to your Woodbury truck accident? What about lost paid time off or vacation hours?
- Your pain and suffering. How did your injuries impact your life, including your hobbies and your relationships? How much pain did your injuries cause? An attorney can help you determine how to include pain and suffering in your claim.
Woodbury Truck Accident FAQs
After your truck accident, you may have serious questions about your legal rights or how to handle your quest for compensation. If you have specific questions about your claim, contact an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible to learn more.
How should I handle my medical bills after a Woodbury truck accident?
After a truck accident, you may notice your medical bills adding up fast. As the injured party and the one receiving care, you will need to make arrangements to pay your medical bills. However, you do have several options for removing the burdens of accident-related medical expenses. First, turn to your medical insurance, which can help provide much-needed aid for your medical bills. Next, file a truck accident claim. The truck accident claim will not require the party that caused your accident to pay your medical bills directly, but can pay out compensation that may make it easier for you to pay your medical bills. Call us for help with this.
What if I cannot pay my medical bills until I receive the money from my Woodbury truck accident claim? What should I do?
If you notice your medical bills starting to pile up or due dates arriving quickly, contact us. Often, we can file a letter of protection, which will show your intent to pay your medical bills once you have those funds in hand. A letter of protection can help provide a much-needed buffer as you navigate the expenses associated with your claim.
How much does it cost to hire a truck accident lawyer in Woodbury?
Often, you will not have to pay anything upfront to manage your truck accident claim after a truck accident. Start with a free consultation with an experienced truck accident attorney. Often, an attorney who decides to take the case will take it on a contingent fee basis. Instead of you paying upfront for your legal needs, you can pay your attorney out of a percentage of your truck accident claim. For many truck accident victims, this makes legal support much more affordable during a very difficult period.
How long should I expect my Woodbury truck accident claim to take?
Expect it to take some time to receive the funds you deserve from your truck accident. Your recovery may set the pace for the initial stages of the claim. Your attorney may advise waiting until you have progressed partway through your recovery to file your truck accident claim. In the case of many severe injuries that may follow truck accidents, it can take six months or more before your doctors can fully predict your prognosis and give you an idea of your long-term limitations. You may also need time to go through your treatment and determine what your medical bills will actually look like.
Next, you will need to negotiate with the insurance company. Just as you may not want to accept the initial offer made by the insurance company, the insurance company may not simply accept the first terms of your demand package. In many cases, the injured party and the insurance company will need to go through several rounds of negotiation before arriving at a settlement agreement.
Finally, if you need to take your claim to court, it can take even longer to settle your claim. You will need to wait for a court date, present your claim, and possibly wait for a court verdict before receiving the compensation you deserve.
Will I have to take my Woodbury truck accident claim to court?
In most cases, truck accident claims settle out of court. Most of the time, the insurance company that covers the liable party, whether the truck driver, the trucking company, or another entity wants to avoid going to court if possible, since a court battle can significantly increase the legal fees faced by the insurance company.
However, some truck accident claims do have to go to court, especially if you have immense medical expenses or the insurance company tries to dispute the liable party. Having an attorney on your side can help ensure that you will have the support you need as you navigate your truck accident claim, whether you settle out of court or need to take your claim to court to receive the compensation you deserve.
The insurance company that covers the liable truck driver offered me a settlement. Should I take it?
The insurance company may try to issue a low settlement offer, especially in the days immediately after your accident. You may not yet know the full extent of your injuries or have any idea what your legal rights will look like, especially if you have a long recovery ahead of you. If you accept that settlement offer, it will typically relieve the insurance company of any further liability for your injuries.
Instead, get in touch with a Woodbury truck accident lawyer before accepting a settlement offer. A lawyer can give you a better idea of how much compensation you should really expect and how a low offer can impact you long-term.
What should I do to protect myself after a Woodbury truck accident?
Always seek medical care after a truck accident, even if you believe you did not suffer serious injuries. Often, the adrenaline from the accident can prevent you from feeling the full extent of those injuries. Failure to seek medical care immediately can also make it more difficult to prove exactly when your injuries occurred, especially in the case of back and neck injuries.
Document all medical care you receive after your accident. Report the auto accident to the police. Finally, contact an experienced truck accident attorney as soon after your accident as possible to learn more about your legal right to compensation after a severe accident.
Contact Nicolet Law If a Trucker Injured You In Woodbury
If you sustained an injury in a Woodbury truck accident, contact Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand your rights and even fight for the compensation you deserve after a truck accident in Woodbury. We bring our decades of combined experience to all of our cases, and we combine the resources of a large firm with the client-centered approach of a local firm. Contact us at 1-855-NICOLET or online for your free consultation and more information about your legal rights after a Woodbury truck accident.