These days, large trucks hauling goods are a common sight along the roads. In states like Florida, trucks are often hauling goods within and outside the state for large companies like Amazon or Walmart. Due to their size and weight, their presence on the road can be intimidating to other vehicle drivers and their accidents can be catastrophic.
Injuries resulting from truck accidents can be either severe or fatal, therefore truck accident victims need the services of an excellent personal injury lawyer who specializes in truck accidents. The effects of the accident can last a lifetime, requiring long term medical treatment and rehabilitation. Even when the injury is minor, it can have adverse effects on the victim’s life and that of their relatives.
Truck accidents are different from other vehicle accidents. Because of the sheer size of the trucks the victim may sustain more serious injuries and will need to obtain higher damages to pay for their recovery. You would think you only need to sue the truck driver, but that driver may blame other parties: the freight loader, the company he or she works for, etcetera. In addition, because truck drivers are usually well insured, insurance claim limits tend to be higher but each insurance company will want to blame another party for the wreck.
Do you sue the driver or the owner of the truck? How do you even figure out who to sue???
It usually takes some work to figure out who to sue and that’s a really important step. Several factors are considered in filing a claim against the driver or the trucking company or both. If the driver is an independent contractor for the company that owns the truck, you may only be able to file against the driver, but if the driver is an employee of the trucking company, the trucking company is generally responsible for the acts of its employees. The driver may blame the manufacturer of the truck and claim that the manufacturer is at fault. You may be successful in filing a lawsuit against the trucking company even when the driver is an independent contractor is if the company failed to adhere to trucking regulations. The physical and mental agony and loss associated with a truck accident is not something to take lying down so make sure your lawyer knows the tricks of the truck trade.
Truck accident lawyer to the rescue
Obviously, truck accidents are quite unique and complex; it is not something you want to manage by yourself without a capable truck accident lawyer. A competent lawyer should be able to dedicate the required time and resources to winning the case.
A competent truck accident lawyer has the skills to identify every line of insurance coverage available due to the multiple parties involved, and hold them liable.
With proper investigation, your lawyer can conduct discovery that will aid in the case. Truck accident cases require extensive investigations which requires resources. Your lawyer should be capable of handling all the intricacies of a truck accident successfully.
There may be more than one source of compensation in a truck accident. An experienced truck accident lawyer knows to pursue each of these sources to a conclusive end.
The injuries from truck accidents are usually devastating, so the compensation should be sufficient to take care of the medical expenses, wrongful death, loss of income, and diminished quality of life of the injured party. Insurance companies will want you to settle for as little as possible, but let a truck accident lawyer turn the tables against them.