You’ll have a single opportunity to seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, disability, and other damages after a truck accident. You must do everything you can to make the most of it. The single best decision you can make to facilitate your fight for compensation is to hire attorneys with plenty of experience in trucking accidents to represent you.
The trucking company and its insurance carrier will do whatever they can to deny your claim or get you to accept way less money than you deserve. They’ll have an undeniable advantage from the beginning. You can change that in an instant and put yourself on a level playing field when you put a skilled legal advocate in your corner.
There are countless reasons why hiring an attorney can make or break your truck accident case. These are a few of the most important.
The Trucking Company Will Try to Control the Investigation
The trucking company won’t hesitate to conduct an internal investigation into your collision. However, it’ll primarily search for evidence that limits its liability for the crash. It might even try to delete, destroy, or eliminate evidence that could be incredibly valuable to you.
However, the trucking company can only control the investigation if you let it.
When you hire a personal injury attorney, you force the trucking company (and other parties) to fight fairly. Your attorney will ensure the crash is subject to a thorough, independent investigation. Through this additional investigation, your attorney can discover if evidence has been tampered with or removed, as well as identify key information about the truck wreck in your case.
Truck Accident Cases Require Specialized Knowledge of State and Federal Trucking Regulations
Truck accident cases aren’t like other auto accident cases. Truck drivers and trucking companies are subject to heightened rules and requirements, including safety regulations established by state law and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
These regulations affect various aspects of trucking operations, including:
- Limiting how long a truck driver can spend behind the wheel at one time
- Mandatory truck inspections and maintenance
- Cargo securement and placement requirements
- Minimum driver qualifications
- Truck driver hiring, training, and supervision
- Drug and alcohol use
- Speeding, distracted driving, and other aspects of safe trucking operations
All too often, violations of trucking regulations lead to car accidents involving large trucks. If you hire an attorney who’s well-versed in these trucking regulations, you’ll significantly increase the chances that violations are uncovered and that trucking companies are held accountable.
The Trucking Service Will Work With Expert Witnesses and Industry Professionals – And You Will, Too
Whether you’re fighting a trucking company or its insurance provider, you should expect the defendant in your truck accident case to bring in expert witnesses and specialists to help them fight your claim. Expert witness testimony and influence can make or break a case.
You’ll want to have experts weighing in to support your efforts, too.
When you hire a truck accident lawyer, you don’t just put a skilled legal professional in your corner. You benefit from the law firm’s vast pool of resources, including relationships with trustworthy and respected expert witnesses. Your truck accident lawyer can bring in accident reconstruction specialists, trucking industry professionals, medical professionals, forensics specialists, scientists, and other experts whose insights can be invaluable throughout the claims process. Their testimony can be used to build a compelling legal claim and leverage meaningful settlement negotiations.
The more firepower you have behind your truck accident case, the better the odds you’ll win and recover a life-changing monetary award.
The Truck Driver, Trucking Company, and Insurance Carrier Will Try to Blame You For the Big Rig Accident
While states handle the issue of contributory fault differently, sharing responsibility for a truck accident will always affect your ability to recover compensation through a related civil tort action.
Most states – including Oregon, Colorado, and Hawaii – adopt a modified comparative fault system that allows a truck accident victim to recover reduced compensation for an accident when they’re partly to blame, but only when their shared liability is less than 50 or 51 percent.
Other states – including California, Washington, New Mexico, and Louisiana – follow a pure comparative fault system, under which truck accident victims can recover reduced compensation as long as they’re not entirely responsible for their injuries. Damages are awarded proportionately to fault.
A select few follow a system of pure contributory negligence, which bars a financial recovery entirely when liability for a truck accident is shared.
No matter which system your jurisdiction follows, shared fault is a barrier to a full financial recovery. So, it’s common for trucking services and insurance companies to try to point fingers, blame the victim, and shift liability.
However, unsubstantiated allegations of shared fault don’t stand a chance when a skilled truck accident attorney represents you. Your lawyer will anticipate these attempts to sidestep liability and know how to protect you. Steps to fight claims of shared fault might involve gathering evidence to disprove the trucking company’s claims, showing that witness statements or expert testimony are unreliable, or simply pointing out that the trucking company has offered no legitimate proof of its claims.
You’re More Likely to Win Maximum Compensation For Your Truck Accident Injuries
There’s a good chance that the trucking company will try to negotiate a settlement shortly after your truck accident. The trucking service wants to deal with you, not a skilled and knowledgeable legal professional. The company knows that getting you to accept an early settlement can save it a lot of time and money. After all, once you accept a settlement, you’ll waive the right to seek additional compensation in the future – even if you later discover that your damages far exceed the terms of the offer you agreed to.
When you hire a truck accident attorney to represent you, you make it clear that you won’t be pushed around. Instead, you’re sending a message that you’re going to do everything you can to win your case and recover the compensation you deserve.
Truck accident victims across the nation choose Singleton Schreiber. We’re award-winning San Diego truck accident attorneys who’ve collectively helped clients win over $3 billion in monetary awards. Recognized as leaders in civil litigation, we’re fearless advocates who fight for the rights of individuals, never corporations.
Contact our law office to discuss your recent truck accident with a member of our team. Your first case evaluation is free.