When Should You Get a Lawyer for a Truck Accident?

Do I Need a Lawyer for a Truck Accident?

Not all truck accident cases require legal intervention–some can be solved between the insurance companies and insurance adjusters and quickly moved on without jeopardizing your settlement amount. For example, if all you suffered in the accident is property damage and did not sustain any injuries, you may be able to negotiate with the insurance company on your own to pay for the damages.

However, if you suffer severe injuries after the accident or the insurance companies do not provide you with adequate compensation, you may need a truck accident attorney to negotiate on your behalf or take legal action.

Learn when and why you may need a lawyer for truck wreck cases.

Why Do I Need a Trucking Accident Lawyer?

Before securing representation, you need to consider your state’s laws about liability and insurance coverage. Depending on your state’s regulations on how fault can impact liability insurance, you may find that your injuries and property damage exceed the maximum payout. Further, you may find that because you share in the fault, you cannot recover anything at all.

In these situations, you may have the opportunity to bring about a civil suit for personal injury against the truck driver or trucking company. A truck accident attorney will be able to provide you with legal advice on how to proceed.

Further, if you have accumulated any of the following losses, an experienced truck accident lawyer may be able to help you secure the compensation you need to recover:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages (both current and future)
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Funeral and burial expenses (in the case of wrongful death)

Remember, you are not legally obligated to get an attorney. Rather, it is to your benefit to negotiate with the insurance companies to seek compensation or to take your case to court if needed.

Lawyers Can Help File a Truck Accident Insurance Claim

All states fall under one of three types of negligence when it comes to insurance claims. They are:

• Comparative Negligence: You can recover losses from the other drivers based on their degree of liability for the accident. Then, your insurance company pays the remainder.
• Modified Comparative Negligence: You cannot recoup losses from the other driver if you are more than 50 or 51 % at fault for the accident; you must pay your own bills, regardless if the other driver is also at fault.
• Contributory Negligence/ Pure Negligence: If you have any responsibility for the accident, you cannot collect any losses.

If you are unsure what type of negligence system your insurance policy falls under and what state law entails, your lawyer can help you understand the system, submit the appropriate insurance claim with your insurance company, or take legal action.

Further, if you are being assigned any amount of fault that is inaccurate, your lawyer can help establish the facts of the case to improve the outcome of your insurance claim.

How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer Help You With Your Personal Injury Claim?

While you do not need a lawyer to file an injury lawsuit, it is often beneficial to have an experienced truck accident attorney help you file your case. A lawyer can help you:

• Determine who may be held responsible for the accident: In many truck accident claims, more than one party may be liable for the crash. If that’s the case then a skilled trucking accident lawyer can help piece together what happened and how the other parties have played a part in the accident.
• Collect evidence at the accident scene: Truck accidents need to be investigated as soon as possible. Many times, the trucking company will have a rapid response team head to the scene to collect data from the electronic onboard recording device, more commonly known as the “black box.” This evidence can be impossible to get without the assistance of a skilled truck accident law firm.
• Establish negligence against the driver, the truck company, or another party: A trucking accident lawyer will have the resources available to investigate the evidence and establish who is responsible for your injuries. Regan Zambri Long works with private investigators, medical experts, and accident reconstructionists to find out what caused your accident.
• Negotiate with the insurance companies: Unlike a normal car accident policy, truck insurance can easily be worth millions. Insurance companies are reluctant to pay out truck accident claims and will do whatever they can to prevent you from getting full compensation for your claim. Our 18 wheeler accident lawyers have been negotiating with insurance companies for decades and we know all the tactics they use to prevent paying out a claim.
• Represent you in the trial: Many times, negotiations in truck accident claims do fall apart. And when this happens, you will need to head to trial to get the compensation you deserve. The only way you can be successful is by having an attorney who has the experience needed to fight on your behalf.

If your truck accident involved the death of a loved one, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit, provided that negligence is what contributed to their death. A semi truck accident lawyer will help the family of the accident claim build a case and help you prepare any needed documentation, including medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, vehicle damage, and more.

What Do Truck Accident Lawyers Look for in a Case?

Before taking on a case involving trucking companies, an experienced personal injury lawyer will also be looking for the following criteria:

• Did the victim preserve evidence?
• How many commercial vehicles were involved?
• Are there multiple liable parties?
• Do the injured victims share in fault in the personal injury case?

Injury lawyers know that a crash involving a commercial vehicle can be complex with multiple parties involved. But if there were no serious injuries, or the accident scene did not yield enough evidence to establish a case, the law firm may be unable to take on the truck drivers, tractor trailer company, and insurance company lawyers.

Hire an Attorney for Large Commercial Truck Crashes Today

Being involved in a big rig accident is not something you have to take on alone. Though you are never required to secure legal representation, establishing an attorney-client relationship for a truck accident case may make all the difference in securing the compensation you need to recover.

If you live in Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia, a respected truck accident attorney at Regan Zambri Long will get the best results possible for your case. Find out how we can help during a no-obligation, free legal consultation. We utilize on a contingency fee basis so you don’t pay until we win.

Schedule your free consultation by calling (202) 960-4746 or sending us a message today.