Will My Truck Accident Lawyer Deal with the Insurance Companies for Me?

After getting into a truck accident, the last thing you need is the insurance company calling you repeatedly to get a statement on what occurred.

But, unfortunately, that’s precisely what happens. The insurance company is eager to settle the claim quickly, and it usually starts the investigation right away. As a result, the insurance company may offer a lower settlement than you deserve because you haven’t had the chance to calculate just how much the accident will cost you.

You may feel anxious about dealing with the insurance company. And that is why it’s so essential to hire a truck accident lawyer right after your accident to let them take care of the insurance company so you can concentrate on the healing process.

How is Commercial Truck Insurance Different From Car Insurance?

An accident with a tractor trailer is much different than getting into a car accident. Since a truck weighs almost 20 times the weight of an average passenger car, the injuries you sustain will be much more catastrophic. That means you will be dealing with a lengthy recovery period and facing substantial medical bills and missed time from work. In addition, it will take an expert to know how much your claim is worth, so you know if the settlement offered by the insurance company will cover the damages.

Since a truck accident has such devastating consequences, the insurance policy on these vehicles is larger than an average car policy. And knowing how distracted you will be with your injuries, the insurance company will try to get you to settle right away for much less than your claim is worth.

Since commercial trucks face different risks on the roads than that of a passenger vehicle, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires truck owners to carry a minimum amount of public liability insurance that ranges between $750,000 and $5 million, depending on what materials they are transporting. Truck owners may also carry additional insurance, such as:

• Cargo insurance – This insurance is meant to protect any cargo that may be damaged in the accident.
• Bobtail insurance – If the truck driver is driving without a trailer attached, this insurance will protect the truck in the case of an accident.
• General liability insurance – General liability is for trucking companies. It covers business risks and protects the company from lawsuits.
• Non-trucking liability insurance – The insurance would be used on days when the truck is not being used for commercial purposes.

Once you hire our truck accident lawyer, we will take care of the insurance company as you start the healing process. We will speak on your behalf with the insurance company, but we will explain the claims process to you to understand what is going on with your claim.

What Should I Do If the Insurance Company Contacts Me?

If you do speak with the insurance company before getting a chance to speak with or hire one of our truck accident lawyers, remember that what you say could affect the outcome of your claim. The insurance company will use anything you say to deny your claim, so you need to be careful. Keep these helpful tips in mind:

• Remain calm and polite throughout the conversation.
• Before answering any questions, get the name and title of the person you are speaking with.
• Try to take notes during the conversation on the topics you discuss.
• Give the minimum amount of information such as you were involved in the accident, sustained injuries, exchanged information, and spoke with the police.
• Don’t go into detail about your injuries. Keep the comments very general, such as, “I hurt my neck.” Your medical records will fill in the details.
• Do not let the insurance adjuster record your conversation.
• Never admit fault or say you weren’t injured.
• Never sign anything or agree to a settlement over the phone.
• Don’t let the adjuster bully you or pressure you to make additional statements or sign the settlement offer.

Remember that you are not legally obligated to speak to an adjuster from another insurance company, only your insurance representative. The insurance adjuster may repeatedly try to contact you to pressure you into talking with them, but you can ignore the adjuster and let your truck accident attorney from Regan Zambri Long PLLC handle it.

Why Should I Hire a DC Truck Accident Lawyer?

Know this, the insurance company does not want you to hire a truck accident lawyer. The adjuster will do whatever they can to convince you that you won’t need an attorney for your claim. But if you suffered severe injuries following an accident, you need someone to protect your rights following a truck accident. So is it worth hiring a truck accident lawyer?

By hiring a truck accident attorney in Washington, DC, you will have someone in your corner getting the compensation you need to cover all current and future damages you’ve sustained. Regan Zambri Long can help in the following ways:

• Uncover the necessary evidence needed to support your claim. As soon as you hire our law firm for your accident, our team will head to the scene of the accident to collect vital evidence for your case. We will document eyewitness accounts, takes photos of the crash scene, get safety logs from the truck’s black box, and obtain the police report.
• Speak with expert witnesses. Truck accident cases need industry experts to review the facts of the case and help establish what had occurred and who is at fault for the accident. Our team includes accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, private investigators, and engineers, all ready to support your claim.
• Give you an estimate of how much your case is worth. It’s always important to know how much your claim is worth. But with so many expenses, it may be difficult to come up with an estimate, especially when you take future costs into account. Our truck accident lawyer will sit down with you and work out an estimate of how much compensation you should be expecting from your claim.
• Negotiate with the insurance company. Dealing with the insurance company after a truck accident can often be a headache. Many times, the adjuster will try to bully you into taking the first settlement offer. What you need is a truck accident lawyer that has the skills and resources needed to deal with the insurance company to get you a fair settlement.
• Represent you in court. If the negotiation breaks down, you may need to go to court to get the compensation you deserve. Our truck accident legal team has a successful track record in the courtroom. We will aggressively represent your interests and make sure you get the maximum amount of compensation.

How Regan Zambri Long PLLC Can Help

If you were injured in a truck accident in the DC Metro area, your primary concern should be recovering from the accident, not dealing with the insurance company. Truck accident insurance policies can be highly complex. Don’t deal with it alone.

Our truck accident lawyer can help you with the insurance company and a fair settlement for your injuries. Contact Regan Zambri Long PLLC today for a free consultation. You do not pay a fee until we win your case.