Truck Accident Attorneys Explained In Less Than 140 Characters

The Process of a Truck Accident Lawsuit

Accidents involving trucks can cause serious and permanent injuries. They can result in substantial medical costs, lost wages and psychological harm.

Your attorney will issue an Summons & Complaint to all the parties responsible. This process could take a few years. Your lawyer can help you determine whether any shared responsibility has been properly assessed and allocated.

Investigations

If someone is injured in a truck accident, there is a lot more at stake than an auto collision. The consequences of a truck crash could be catastrophic and the resulting damage is more complex due to the weight and size of commercial trucks. These accidents also require more intricate investigations.

To protect their interests in the event of a crash, trucking firms or insurance companies will usually investigate immediately following the accident. The problem is that victims are left to handle their injuries and are not able to collect evidence. This puts them at a disadvantage in comparison to the trucking company or insurance provider.

A skilled attorney for truck accidents knows to look for evidence from many sources that include police reports, witness statements and inspections of vehicles. A seasoned lawyer won't depend solely on police reports however, as these documents are not always sufficient for civil litigation purposes. Police officers aren't properly trained to conduct a proper investigation and may fail to gather all the evidence required to file the filing of a lawsuit.

Other kinds of information include logbook records maintenance and service records for the truck and the event data recorder (also called a black box) and more. A competent attorney will ask the driver of the truck and the trucking company for these types and other types of evidence, and then examine them to determine the cause of the accident.

Expert Witnesses

A professional witness can help your lawyer to prove different elements of your truck accident case. For instance medical experts can provide evidence that the crash caused your injuries. Your expert can also testify as to how your injuries will impact your future quality of life. Expert witnesses can assist your lawyer determine the worth of your losses, including lost income and loss of earning capacity in the future.

Your expert can review physical evidence and explain the impact of your injury on your future. For example medical experts can explain how your accident can impact you in terms of physical and mental well-being. A metallurgist is an additional type of expert who can determine the causes behind why a component failed. There are also experts who assess the ways in which weather might have contributed to the crash.

The primary role of your expert witness is to examine the evidence and give an unbiased opinion. However, certain expert witnesses could pose a liability risk in your case if they're biased or have connections to the defendant's businesses. Your lawyer can conduct an investigation into their background to determine these risks and ensure that you have the top experts in your case.

Apart from experts, your lawyer will also question you and witnesses, including people who saw the crash taking place prior to when it occurred. It is crucial to remember that the defendants' insurance firms will try to convince you to admit fault or to make claims they can twist and distort to deny your claim.

Litigation

Truck drivers must also adhere to traffic laws and use reasonable care when driving. If they do not fulfill this duty and their negligence leads to a crash, they may be held accountable for the injuries incurred by the victims of that collision.

Our attorney will collect evidence from eyewitnesses as well as oral or written testimony to prove that the defendant was negligent. lafayette truck accident attorney will also examine a wide range of other evidences, including skid marks or points of impact, as well as conduct crash tests.

Sometimes, the reason for the truck crash is complex and involves multiple parties. For instance, if the truck accident was caused by defective equipment or improper maintenance, we could seek to sue the producers of that equipment or the trucks themselves. We could also sue the mechanic or repair shop accountable for the repairs.

We will try to resolve your case without going to the courtroom. However, if the trucking company or its insurer refuses an equitable settlement then we will prepare to go to trial. During the trial the judge or jury will decide on issues that are disputed, like who was at fault for the accident and what amount of compensation you should be awarded. The total of your legal damages will be based on the losses you have documented, which include physical, financial and emotional suffering.

Statute of Limitations

While the legal process following a crash with a truck can be complicated, understanding how these cases usually go will help you understand what's ahead and provide you with a better understanding of how long your case will take.

Liability is one of the most crucial steps. If the truck driver was tired or distracted, for example then it is likely that they will be held responsible for the damages. There could be other parties that are equally responsible. If the accident was the result of poor repair or a mechanic, then a company that manufactured the truck or its components could be held responsible in the context of the law governing respondeat superior.

It's also possible that the liable party may have committed a more serious reckless act, which could be grounds for you to receive punitive damages. To be able to prove this, we must to prove that the liable party acted with reckless disregard to your safety, or that of others.

It's important to work with an attorney who is familiar with the complexities of truck accidents. Insurance companies and lawyers for the at-fault parties are often wolves in sheepskins and will attempt to convince you to sign documents that they later use against you. You can stay clear of these pitfalls by hiring an attorney to manage your communications.