If you’ve been involved in a truck accident resulting in physical injuries, do yourself a favor and retain a competent truck accident lawyer as soon as possible to aggressively represent you and pursue the compensation you rightfully deserve.
It pays to hire a savvy truck accident attorney in your local area when you’ve suffered injuries ( most likely serious ones) or lost a loved one in an accident with an 18-wheeler, big rig or semi-truck because the chances of obtaining a favorable settlement, that does you justice, all by yourself are slim to none. Facing the in-house legal counsel team of billion-dollar insurance companies on your own is akin to self-sabotage.
An experienced local attorney who specializes in truck accident litigation will provide you with the aggressive legal representation that you need for a successful outcome of your truck accident case. Don’t worry about not being able to afford an attorney, because a reliable and reputable truck accident lawyer will take your case on a contingency basis. This means that you pay your lawyer a percentage of the amount awarded to you, so you’ve got nothing to lose and a more than decent, well-deserved compensation to gain.
The Main Factors to Consider When Looking to Hire a Truck Accident Attorney
If you are the victim of a commercial truck or tractor-trailer accident, the importance of finding and retaining a competent truck accident lawyer cannot be stressed enough. The specific set of federal rules and regulations that applies to truck drivers and trucking companies is very complex, and most people find it quite difficult to navigate. Trucking companies and insurance carriers are known for tricking truck accident victims into settling their cases before trial for a ridiculous amount of money. It’s also possible that the insurance carrier denies the claim you’ve filed altogether.
The amount of compensation that a vehicle accident victim is entitled to for personal injury largely depends on the severity of their injuries. Given the fact that commercial trucks weigh 20-30 times more than passenger vehicles ( upwards of 80,000 lbs), the impact of a truck collision is drastically amplified. A truck accident victim can suffer some serious injuries, including severe neck and spinal cord injuries, paralysis, multiple fractures, brain injury, and even fatal injuries, which implicitly means that he/she is entitled to a significantly higher amount of compensation, even in the millions.
If you believe that all the unnecessary pain and suffering you’ve been going through deserves at least a decent amount of compensatory damages, then it’s of the utmost importance to retain a local truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Here is what to look for:
1.Look For A Personal Injury Lawyer Who Specializes in Truck Accident Litigation
Although many personal injury lawyers who regularly handle passenger vehicle accident cases also take truck accident cases, it’s in your best interest to find and hire a well-respected personal injury attorney who specializes in truck accident litigation and providing aggressive legal representation to truck accident victims who’ve sustained serious injuries due to the at-fault party’s negligence.
Truck accident litigation is regarded as a specialty of tort law because it requires industry-specific knowledge, including a thorough understanding of the peculiarities and intricacies of the trucking industry and the federal laws that apply to trucking companies and truck drivers.
To help you understand better why you need a truck accident litigation specialist, let’s take a look at what primarily differentiates truck accident cases from car accident cases:
- More severe injuries – Due to their severity, injuries sustained in a truck accident require intensive medical care and they may be life-changing
- More expensive medical bills – Truck accident victims require hospitalization for longer periods of time, so the medical bills are more costly
- Insurance policies in the millions – The insurance policies of truck drivers tend to be up to 50 higher than car drivers’ policies, often in the millions
- Larger property damage – Due to the size of an 18-wheeler or big rig, an accident involving a truck cause more damage to surrounding properties
- More parties can be vicariously held responsible for negligence – In a truck accident, several parties may be liable for the victim’s losses, pain, and suffering, including: the truck driver, the trucking company, the owner of the truck and/or the tractor-trailer, the company leasing the truck and trailer, the shipper who hired the trucking company to transport the load, as well as the truck, tractor-trailer and/or parts manufacturer.
Retaining a truck accident lawyer is your best bet when you’re looking to get the compensation that you rightfully deserve. This is essential because the cause of a truck accident may extend far beyond driver error and may include poorly maintained trucks, improperly loaded cargo ( for higher profits), and equipment failure ( the truck/parts manufacturer can be liable for defective parts). A truck accident lawyer who is familiar with the idiosyncrasies of truck accidents will aggressively represent you and recover a well-deserved amount of money for you either through settlement or judgment.
2. Look For a Truck Accident Lawyer with Impressive Experience and the Necessary Expertise
The expertise and experience of a truck accident attorney are invaluable in a truck accident lawsuit based on the truck driver’s negligence. An experienced truck accident litigation specialist who has successfully handled thousands of truck accident cases and recovered millions of dollars for their clients through judgment or out-of-court settlement negotiations is your best bet.
A seasoned and competent truck accident lawyer is able to provide you with the best legal representation possible, going above and beyond to protect and enforce your rights and effectively recover the compensation you deserve. Your truck accident attorney will engage in strategically planned negotiations with the at-fault party to obtain the most favorable outcome. In case the at-fault party is not willing to settle the matter to your utmost financial benefit and your case goes to trial, your legal counsel will spend countless hours studying in preparation for the depositions.
A truck accident litigation expert fully knows the rules and regulations that specifically apply to trucking companies, commercial trucks, and truckers. When a trucker is involved in a truck accident and the truck accident lawyer discovers that the trucker and/or the trucking company had failed to adhere to this set of rules and regulations, he and the company he works for are liable for the truck accident victim’s injuries.
When you choose to hire an experienced and competent truck accident attorney who perfectly knows the rules of the road with regard to big rigs and 18-wheeler trucks as well as these specific federal safety regulations created by The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ( FMCSA), you can rest assured that your case will be properly handled. Your truck accident lawyer will draw upon their vast experience and expertise to prove the violation of FMCSA’s set of rules and regulations by the trucker and his employer. Proving violation of federal laws is key to winning your case.
3.Look For an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Who Works on a Contingency Basis
Lawyer’s fees may not be affordable for everyone, and this is especially true when the lawyer has years of experience and a track record of success, which warrant higher fees. The idea of paying an attorney out-of-pocket for their work often prevents people who are in need of the services of a seasoned personal injury attorney from retaining their services to help them get the compensation they deserve.
There are several forms of billing used by attorneys, and one of them is a contingency fee arrangement. This works best for people who cannot afford to pay a lawyer out-of-pocket. In this fee arrangement, the lawyer is paid a percentage of the amount of money recovered for their client through settlement or judgment. If you’ve sustained serious injuries following a truck accident and you can’t afford to pay a truck accident attorney out of your own pocket, then be sure to hire an experienced and reputable truck accident lawyer who works on contingency.
In a contingency fee arrangement, the truck accident attorney agrees to take your case and aggressively represent you but without charging you hourly fees. This is particularly risky for the lawyer because their payment depends on winning your case and recovering the compensation that you deserve. How do you know if a truck accident lawyer works on contingency? If you go to the website of a seasoned truck accident attorney you’d like to hire to represent you and you see “no fee unless we win” or a similar statement, it means that the lawyer works on a contingency basis.
Alternatively, you can contact a truck accident lawyer you’ve been referred to by phone and ask them if they accept to take your case on contingency. This fee arrangement works to your advantage not only because you don’t pay anything out-of-pocket, but also because you can rest assured that your truck accident lawyer will represent you in the most aggressive manner possible, based on strategic planning in order to win your case and recover the most money for you.
The best truck accident lawyers work on contingency because the merits of truck accident victim’s claims are very high and they are confident that they can recover big, and collect the fee at the end of the case. Contingency fees typically range between 33.3% and 45% of the amount awarded to you.
4.Look For a Reputable and Respected Truck Accident Attorney Who Is Willing To Fight For You In Court
The work of a competent and dedicated truck accident lawyer does not end when the settlement negotiations with the defendant(s)’ counsel fail to deliver a favorable outcome that reflects the extent of your injuries and losses as well as the intensity of your pain and suffering. In other words, if the attempt to favorably settle your case out-of-court does not prove to be fruitful, your counsel must be ready to go to trial and fight for your rights in court.
If you’re looking to get fairly compensated, then It’s in your best interest to hire a truck accident litigation expert who has not only an impressive experience in litigating truck accident cases in court but also the necessary financial resources to be able to stand toe-to-toe with the in-house counsel of billion-dollar trucking corporations and insurance carriers.
Following a truck crash, the trucker’s employer and the insurance company, with their team of adjusters and attorneys will immediately investigate the scene and evaluate your personal injury claim. An experienced truck accident litigator is also very familiar with the many different tactics and tricks that insurance companies commonly use to reduce the amount of compensation that truck accident victims rightfully deserve.
A well-respected and reputable truck accident lawyer also draws upon their vast network of investigators and expert witnesses to put together a winning strategic plan that facilitates aggressive legal representation and recovery of the highest amount of money possible.
5.Look For a Truck Accident Attorney Who Is Licensed in the State Where You Live and Whom You Feel Comfortable With
It’s best to retain a savvy and skilled truck accident lawyer who is licensed to practice law and has offices in the state where you reside or the area where the truck accident too place. It’s worth noting that a truck accident attorney may be licensed to practice law in more than one state. For instance, if you live in Texas or the truck accident took place in Texas, be sure to hire a truck accident lawyer licensed in Texas and with offices in Texas
( their offices don’t necessarily have to be located in your city).
The best truck accident attorneys also offer free case evaluations, which allow you to see if you feel comfortable with the lawyer you want to hire to represent you, based on your conversation with them, either by phone or in-person ( preferably). Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. During this initial, free of charge and no-obligation consultation, the lawyer will properly evaluate the merits of your personal injury claim and will let you know how they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
It never hurts to benefit from a free evaluation of your truck accident case, which also enables you to know beforehand if the lawyer you want to retain has your best interest at heart and is committed to recovering the most money for you, in a manner that fully does you justice. A great truck accident lawyer and personal injury lawyer, in general, is first and foremost a compassionate person, with integrity and an exceptional work ethic, who truly cares about their clients, their losses, suffering, and pain.
As a truck accident victim, you simply can’t afford to suffer in silence – make your first step towards recovering fair compensation by getting a free, no-obligation case evaluation right now.
