When to Consult a Lawyer for a Truck Accident

When to consult a lawyer for a truck accident? You should consult a lawyer for a truck accident if you suffer injuries, someone died, there are disputes over liability, or more.

Anyone hurt in a truck accident faces a significant uphill battle to recover fair compensation for their losses. In every situation, it is wise to have an experienced Seattle truck accident lawyer to guide you through the legal process.

Someone Died or Suffered Catastrophic Injuries

Truck accidents resulting in fatalities are some of the most challenging cases for families to pursue. Insurance companies will do all they can to reduce the amount of compensation paid, often trying to shift blame to the family member who died. Your attorney will work to minimize this risk.

The same can be attributed to cases of catastrophic injuries. These are injuries in which you suffer ongoing losses, such as loss of vision or hearing, paralysis, chronic pain, or serious emotional trauma. These are costly losses that impact your ability to work and live your life as you expected to live it. 

Your lawyer will be diligent about calculating your losses to maximize the compensation paid to you. Speak with a Seattle personal injury lawyer about your situation as soon as possible.

Consult With a Truck Accident Lawyer When You Have Serious Injuries

Trucks can cause serious and life-threatening injuries even in a small-moving accident. When these events occur, they are not only devastating from a physical standpoint, but recovering fair compensation for your losses can also be challenging.

Victims of truck accidents with severe injuries should seek a lawyer before speaking to the insurance company. 

That includes situations with injuries such as:

• Traumatic brain injuries, including concussions or changes to cognitive function
• Spinal cord injuries resulting in temporary or permanent paralysis
• Chronic pain development
• Broken and crushed bones
• Amputations of digits or limbs
• Internal organ damage
• Serious soft tissue injuries

In these cases, you must consider the complexity of your treatment, including hospital stays, as well as your ongoing medical needs. Your truck accident lawyer will calculate the total losses you suffered and may continue to suffer. This often goes far beyond medical bills.

Disputes Over Liability

It is quite common for trucking companies to dispute who is liable for an accident. They may try to shift the blame to you, reducing your ability to recover damages.

Additionally, multiple parties may be at fault in a truck accident, making it more challenging to recover damages. Examples of some parties that may hold fault include:

• The truck driver for reckless driving, hours of service violations, or illegal lane changes
• The trucking company for hiring an inexperienced or unlicensed driver
• The maintenance company that failed to properly repair the truck
• The cargo loading organization that failed to load the truck properly, causing the driver to lose control
• Other drivers on the road with you during the accident

Your truck accident lawyer will pursue evidence of all parties that contributed to the accident by seeking commercial truck logs, maintenance logs for the truck, dash camera footage, medical testing for impaired drivers, and expert witness statements. 

All of this information contributes to a better understanding of the parties that may have caused your injuries. You may be able to file a claim against more than one party, increasing your level of compensation.

You Were Found Partially At Fault

In some situations, police reports or insurance companies may blame you for some or all of the accident. In these situations, it becomes critical for the truck accident lawyer to work to reduce any fault attributed to you at all. This becomes essential in some states, like Washington.

Under Washington’s Chapter 4.22 RCW, pure comparative negligence allows you to seek compensation against the truck company even if you are found to be partially to blame.

The fault percentage you have is then used to reduce the compensation paid to you. For example, if you were in an accident in which you were found to be 25% at fault, your compensation would be reduced by 25%.

In large and serious accidents, even small differences in percentage can drastically affect how much compensation you receive. This makes it harder for you to overcome the financial implications of your accident.

Your attorney’s job will be to show they were not at fault or reduce your percentage as much as possible. Review our FAQs to learn more.

The Insurance Company is Treating You Unfairly

Another time to consult with a truck accident lawyer is when you have already attempted to file a claim and the insurance company is opposing you.

In many situations, victims believe it should be fairly straightforward to submit a claim for their losses and receive a check from the insurance company. 

That rarely occurs because insurance companies know they can try to haggle with you to limit the impact on profit margins. Some of the tactics they may use include:

• Denying claims outright without reason or invalid reasons
• Trying to lowball your claim, reducing your requested compensation significantly
• Delays that never end, often to frustrate you into taking a lower settlement offer
• Trying to rush you to settle quickly, even if you do not know what your losses are just yet
• Telling you not to speak to an attorney

These are all signs it is time to consult an attorney for a truck accident. A truck accident lawyer will handle all communication with the insurance company moving forward, and that means pressuring them to settle the claim fairly or filing a lawsuit to force them to take action.

Insurance companies do not have to speak directly to you, and you should never feel victimized by them.

There is No Reason Not to Consult a Lawyer for a Truck Accident

There is really no reason not to consult an attorney after a truck accident, since most lawyers offer free consultations. This is the ideal way for you to learn more about your rights, the losses owed to you, and the potential value of your case. 

You can even verify that the insurance company is being fair to you. A free consultation is a no-obligation way to determine if you could benefit from legal representation throughout this claim and the associated legal process.

Contact Puget Law Group today.