When It’s Best to Hire a Truck Accident Attorney

It’s essential to seek treatment and recover from injuries following a truck accident, which is often far more severe than other types of vehicle accidents. In addition to healing from your injuries, you may be wondering about further steps to take after an accident, including if you should hire a truck accident attorney.

Whether you were involved in a truck accident in Chicago or on an Illinois highway, the facts and circumstances surrounding each accident are unique. Hiring a lawyer can be a good idea to provide you with guidance and expertise to reach the best outcome regardless of whether the accident involved a truck or another vehicle type. If you’re unsure whether you should consult an accident attorney, the following are some considerations to help you decide if this is the right decision.

The Statute of Limitations Could Affect Your Case

There is a statute of limitations in place in every state, which dictates the amount of time people have to file personal injury claims and lawsuits following an accident. If you wait too long to file, the statute of limitations could expire. While some states give you as long as several years to file a lawsuit, it’s in your best interest to avoid waiting, particularly if you want to receive compensation as soon as possible following the accident. In addition to a statute of limitations, you also risk losing evidence the longer you wait.

A Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help Build Your Claim

Many victims of truck accidents believe that they can negotiate claims with insurance adjusters without assistance. Unfortunately, the process can be more challenging, and insurance companies always try to get claimants to settle for the lowest compensation they’ll accept. Even in no-fault states, accident injury victims will still be able to pursue compensation if their injuries are serious.

Individuals may also need to interact with multiple parties throughout the claims process, including more than one adjuster, the truck driver’s insurance company, or the truck driver’s employer’s insurer.

If you’re unfamiliar with the claims process, as many victims are, it can be challenging to negotiate the settlement you truly deserve. Adjusters will try to reach the lowest settlement possible, but your case may be worth considerably more.

Truck accident attorneys can help you build a successful claim and work to recover the most reasonable amount based on the injuries and other damages sustained.

Truck Accident Attorneys Help with Every Step of the Case

Throughout the claims and lawsuit process, many steps are involved with which many victims may be unfamiliar. Having an experienced and knowledgeable truck accident lawyer by your side can help you navigate these steps, including:

Gathering Evidence

To recover the total amount compensable in a truck accident injury case, claimants need to prove that the other party involved was negligent and that this negligence directly resulted in the accident and subsequent injuries. Attorneys can help collect this evidence, including witness testimony, footage from nearby traffic cameras, truck driver logs, and drug and alcohol screenings.

Case Evaluation

Attorneys can also thoroughly evaluate your case to determine precisely how much your case is worth. Your lawyer will look closely at the circumstances involved and learn about all of the damages sustained as a result of the accident and the other party’s negligence.

The Recovery Process

Accident victims should always have time to recover fully following the accident. An attorney can work on your case and handle much of the legwork involved, giving you time to focus on getting better.

Insurers Often Attempt to Reach a Quick Settlement

As mentioned, insurance adjusters aren’t on your side when you file a claim. Instead, they will likely make a quick settlement offer soon after the accident took place, expecting many victims to accept the offer out of a desperate need for quick cash. However, many of these offers are for the smallest amount possible, even though the adjuster will say it is the best they can do. It’s important to keep in mind that you’re likely eligible to recover a more significant amount–don’t believe adjusters when they make that first offer.

Insurance companies tend to seek to settle quickly because the total amount compensable is likely to increase over time, as victims begin to recover and accrue medical bills and lost wages due to time taken off from work, among other costs. As a result, insurance adjusters like to try to persuade claimants to accept a lower offer as soon as possible, which prevents the company from having to cover more costs.

Before dealing with insurance companies, contact an experienced truck accident attorney best equipped to negotiate a better settlement. Suppose you accept a settlement before contacting a lawyer. In that case, the insurer will still require you to sign an agreement that renders them no longer liable for additional expenses incurred following the accident. Before signing that agreement or any other paperwork, reach out to an attorney for further guidance and advice.

Representing Yourself in a Lawsuit May Hurt Your Case

Accident victims, in many cases, believe that they can represent themselves throughout claims and legal processes. Not only can serious injuries make it difficult for individuals to effectively serve as their own advocates, but a lack of experience and expertise around personal injury cases could also put unrepresented litigants at risk of losing their chances to recover full compensation.

A dependable accident attorney will learn the ins and outs of your case and have experience with both the claims and trial processes involved in accident injury cases. Your lawyer will understand what your case is worth and be able to guide you through the settlement to help you recover the maximum amount of compensation you may be eligible to receive.

Attorneys will also handle all communications with insurance companies and others involved, and they can also deal with all paperwork that these cases entail. In turn, you can spend the time recovering and restoring your life to the way it was before the accident occurred.

Consult with a Truck Accident Attorney to Get the Representation You Deserve

Regardless of your case’s circumstances, it’s always best to speak with an experienced attorney before proceeding with a claim or lawsuit. To learn about your options and what kind of compensation you may be able to recover following a truck accident, consult with a reputable attorney for a case evaluation and potential representation.