5 Reasons You Need a Lawyer after a Truck Accident
Posted in Truck Wreck on October 30, 2018
Any time two or more motor vehicles are involved in a collision, there’s a chance that the drivers and passengers in those vehicles will suffer serious injuries. Generally, most passenger vehicles on Tennessee’s roadways are roughly the same weight and size, and modern cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs are equipped with safety features like seat belts and airbags. That means occupants of those vehicles often have a good chance of suffering only relatively minor injuries during crashes.
But when one of the vehicles involved in a crash weighs 80,000 pounds and is dozens of feet in length, the odds of suffering serious or even life-threatening injuries increase significantly. Semi-trucks and tractor-trailers are unavoidable on state highways and interstates. Trucks represent fewer than five percent of all vehicles on the road, but they account for 10 percent of all miles driven in the U.S. in a given year. That means encountering them is common, whether you’re on a road trip, commuting to work, or just driving around town.
When big trucks are involved in accidents with passenger vehicles, the consequences can be devastating for drivers and passengers. That’s because even the largest, sturdiest, and safest passenger vehicles are no match for the sheer weight and size of semi-trucks. Unfortunately, getting a successful outcome for a big truck accident claim is often more difficult than getting one for a passenger vehicle accident. That’s because the dollar figures involved with tractor-trailer crashes can be larger—and that means insurance companies fight harder than ever to avoid paying settlements to victims.
The Nashville truck accident lawyers at Matt Hardin Law know how devastating big truck crashes can be for victims and their families. Medical bills can be enormous, and many victims suffer injuries that prevent them from working. If you or someone you love was hurt in a truck accident, you deserve experienced and dedicated representation from a law firm that knows how to win these complex and challenging cases. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help. Call us at (615) 200-1111 or complete a free online contact form.
Getting a Lawyer on Your Side Is Essential after a Truck Accident
Truck accidents are similar to passenger vehicle accidents in many ways, but they also have some key differences. Having an experienced truck accident law firm represent you after your collision with a semi-truck or tractor-trailer can be the key to getting fair compensation for your medical bills and lost wages.
Here are five important reasons to have a lawyer representing you when you decide to file a compensation claim against the truck company, truck driver, or truck owner:
- Truck accident claims require in-depth knowledge of state and federal laws—The trucking industry is heavily regulated. In addition to being familiar with state laws regarding injury claims, claimants or their attorneys also must be familiar with guidelines concerning big trucks. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is charged with overseeing the transportation industry, and it has established many strict rules that everyone in the industry must follow. We know both state and federal laws inside and out, and we can quickly and accurately determine which ones were broken that may have led to your accident. In addition, we can also investigate every aspect of the crash to find out if multiple parties were involved and in violation of state or federal laws—including the truck driver, truck owner, or truck company.
- Insurance companies are extremely resistant to paying truck accident claims—Insurance companies are in business to make money. That means they never want to pay settlements to victims—even in cut-and-dry cases where there’s plenty of evidence concerning who was at fault. In addition, truck accident claims are often worth more money than auto accident claims. Because insurers want to protect their profits above all else, they frequently put up more roadblocks for truck accident claims than for many other types of claims. Without an experienced attorney on your side, you may face an insurance company that’s disinterested in your claim and that ignores your attempts to get the compensation you deserve.
- It’s easy to make mistakes due to the technical nature of truck accident claims—Even if you have a solid claim backed up by plenty of evidence, the insurance company may still be able to reduce or deny your claim due to errors you make after the crash and in the days leading up to submitting a claim for compensation. Truck accident claims involve the same requirements and rules of thumb as auto accident claims, including meeting statutes of limitations, not admitting fault for crashes, and following up with medical treatment. But they also involve more paperwork, more back and forth with additional parties who may have been involved, and more negotiation. Getting a lawyer can give you peace of mind and make it easier to get the money you need while you’re trying to recover.
- Truck accident-related expenses may be more than you initially believe—Many people who are injured in truck accidents are seriously injured, but they don’t always grasp the life-changing severity of their accidents until months or even years later. That’s because crash-related injuries can require a lifetime of treatments and rehabilitation, and they often leave victims unable to work for the rest of their lives. Even when insurance companies offer big settlements to victims immediately after crashes, those offers often aren’t enough to cover all of the expenses and lost wages those victims and their families will deal with in the years to come. Our legal team can calculate how much the crash will cost you and negotiate to maximize your chances of getting the full amount you need.
- If the insurance company won’t play ball, your claim may go to trial—In most cases, insurance companies settle with victims after truck accidents—especially when victims have experienced legal teams on their side. That’s because insurance companies don’t want long, drawn-out legal battles—even when they have to pay big settlements. But on occasion, insurance companies won’t budge, despite plenty of evidence suggesting parties related to the truck that was involved in the crash caused the accident. When that happens, our legal team doesn’t hesitate to take settlement claims to court. We do everything we can to protect the best interests and rights to compensation of victims like you, including presenting cases in front of judges and juries.
