Accidents do not happen by giving prior notice. Accidents just happen and always catch you unaware. According to a survey, each year, around 450,000 crashes involving big and semi-trucks, busses, and cars take place in the United States. The number is not small. It is quite alarming. Misfortune can happen anywhere – highway, interstate, rural road, residential street, etc.
Accidents that occurred due to big trucks can be complicated. Special considerations will apply in a commercial truck wreck case. It is important to analyze the amount of damage caused by the crash. Without wasting time, you must at once search for a truck wreck legal practitioner who would guide you through the legal process and advise you what you should do or how you should go about it.
Well, often, people make a mistake by going into a settlement. The truck owner to hush up the case would agree to pay you for your damages. This is often the one-fourth of what you could get if gone through proper channels. Talk to a good truck accident lawyer. A highly experienced attorney can help guide you through the legal process.
Identify the nature of damages:
Usually, there are three types of damages – Property damage, Minor injury, and Major injury.
Relevant evidence:
Evidence plays an important role when any accident takes place. The truck accident lawyer would look for substantial evidence that could add new angles to the case enabling you to bag an excellent compensation. Proper steps must be taken within the right time so that evidence is not destroyed or lost.
Following points to be considered:
- Truck driver’s employment history, qualifications, drug and alcohol tests
- Trucking company’s insurance carrier information
- Inspection of the commercial vehicle involved in the accident
- Property damage to your vehicle
- Medical records of injuries sustained
- Truck’s electronic control module (ECM), aka “black box”
Acquire the police report:
At the very outset, your truck accident lawyer would obtain the accident report from the responding law enforcement agency – police, county sheriff, or highway patrol. However, there are chances of multiple reports, depending upon how extensively the police had investigated the case. Numerous reports may comprise of the crash report and a separate CIRT (Critical Incident Response Team) report with scene measurements, accident data, and the like.
Determine liability:
The truck wreck legal practitioner would be able to establish who is liable for causing the personal injury to you, loss, or suffering.
However, there is a possibility that multiple parties could be held liable for damages, including the owner of the truck or trailer, truck driver, truck manufacturer, the person or company that leased the truck from the owner, the manufacturer of the vehicle or its parts and the shipper or loader of the truck’s cargo.
Questions you must ask your lawyer:
When it’s time to sit down with an attorney, here are a few key topics you should cover:
Jurisdiction
Ensure that your attorney’s jurisdiction matches with your case. In case of out of state accidents, do not hide facts from your truck wrecks legal practitioners like details like the location of the accident and your residence.
Legal Fees
This is very important. Ensure if you are required to pay any up-front fees or expenses. On average, you would pay the lawyer only if he or she obtains compensation for you. You may have to pay additional costs like court fees and investigation fees apart from contingency fees.
Experience
Do not trust the truck accident lawyer on the face value. Ensure he or she has experience in handling truck-related accident cases. Do not hesitate to ask his or her success story.
Documentation
You must know beforehand what documents you would require before meeting your truck accident lawyer.
Legal Opinion
Try to find out from your truck accident lawyer if the case is worth the effort. While hiring the lawyer, ensure he or she feels free to discuss important aspects related to the case.
The following points were to help you determine what you should do if you meet with a truck accident. Ensure you hire a truck accident lawyer at the outset. There are various aspects, including compensation for the damages both to your car and personal injury.
Greg Baumgartner handles truck accident lawsuits for victims of truck accidents in Texas. He is an expert Texas Truck Accident Lawyer with an exemplary track record.