After a truck accident, you may recover compensation for the harm you suffered. Obtaining that payment isn't easy or automatic, however. A Philadelphia truck accident attorney can handle your claim and seek damages to pay your expenses while you focus on healing, recovering from your trauma and planning for your future.
Your Rights to Compensation for Truck Accident Injuries
If you are the victim of a truck crash, you have the right to hold the parties at-fault liable for your injuries and losses. Multiple individuals, businesses, or institutions may have liability to you, and you could claim significant damages for the harm you sustained.
Parties With Potential Liability for Your Losses
Anyone whose poor decisions, dangerous actions, or careless failure to act resulted in a truck accident can be liable for a crash victim's losses. One party may bear all the blame for injuring a truck accident victim, but multiple parties often share liability. You may pursue compensation from all responsible parties.
The specific facts and circumstances of the truck accident determine who will face liability for injuries and losses the victims suffered.
Liable parties may include:
- A careless truck driver who caused a crash by falling asleep or becoming distracted behind the wheel.
- A driver's employer, especially if they failed to train the driver properly or ensure the truck was in good working condition.
- The owner of an unsafe truck component, such as a trailer, that a business failed to properly maintain.
- Anyone responsible for loading a truck's cargo improperly, which led to the driver's loss of control.
- The owner of cargo that was inherently hazardous and liable to cause a dangerous condition.
- Other motorists who failed to share a road safely with the truck.
- A truck manufacturer whose defective products contributed to the accident.
- A municipality or private road owner responsible for allowing unreasonably dangerous road conditions that made truck travel unsafe.
Several parties could owe you damages for the losses you suffered in a truck crash. An experienced truck accident lawyer will determine this for you.
Potential Compensation You Can Claim
Victims of truck accidents generally have the right to receive compensation for all tangible and intangible losses they suffered. It may surprise you to learn how broadly your rights range.
Although every truck crash case differs, injured victims like you can often demand payment from at-fault parties and their insurance companies for:
- Past and future medical expenses relating to your injuries.
- Other costs relating to the accident and your injuries, such as property damage or in-home assistance with everyday tasks.
- Lost pay and benefits from missing work while healing.
- Loss of future earnings and opportunities due to disability.
- Physical pain and emotional anguish.
- Loss of independence or diminished quality of life.
- Scarring, disfigurement, or loss of bodily function.
You may also seek punitive damages if the at-fault party engaged in extreme or malicious conduct. These payments punish that party and deter others from committing similar actions.
The compensation you can realistically hope to receive depends on various factors, such as the severity of your injuries, the strength of the evidence supporting your claim, the skill and reputation of the lawyer you hire to handle your case, and the financial capacity of the at-fault parties to pay your losses, either through their assets or liability insurance coverage.
To find out if you qualify for compensation after a truck accident, contact an experienced attorney immediately.
The Unique Complexity of Truck Accident Cases
There's no guarantee you'll receive payment from the at-fault parties or their liability insurers after a truck accident. A skilled truck accident lawyer can handle your claim while protecting and asserting your rights.
Truck accidents are more complex than other accidents for multiple reasons. They tend to cause far greater damage than other vehicle accidents due to the sheer size and weight and the force they impart when they crash. The injuries victims sustain in a truck crash are often severe or fatal. The harm the average truck crash causes, in other words, tends to be significantly consequential.
The legal repercussions and implications of a truck crash frequently extend further than those of a passenger car accident. Extensive regulations govern the trucking industry, covering drivers’ working hours, maintenance standards, and cargo securement, among other topics.
Compliance with those rules (or lack thereof) can substantially influence the determination of who bears liability for a truck crash and the legal and financial risks they face.
Another unique aspect of truck accident cases is the likely involvement of multiple liable parties. Trucks are commercial vehicles. Numerous businesses and individuals can have a legal and financial interest in a truck's operation and financial exposure to victims if it crashes.
Each of these parties usually has insurance to protect themselves from that liability. Liable parties and insurers, however, routinely try to avoid or minimize their financial responsibility to the victims. They might, for example, blame other parties, hide or destroy evidence, or seek bankruptcy protection.
A truck accident frequently causes harm to multiple victims, which adds complexity to a truck crash claim. Each victim has rights to compensation against at-fault parties, and all will likely pursue payment from a single, finite pool of resources, consisting of the at-fault parties' assets and insurance coverage.
A lawyer can quickly and efficiently manage the process of seeking compensation for you. Hiring a lawyer can increase your chances of receiving an adequate settlement.
Services a Truck Accident Lawyer Provides
Given the multiple layers of complexity in truck accident cases, hiring an experienced attorney is essential.
To handle a claim successfully, your lawyer must understand trucking industry operations and regulations, be commercially sophisticated and legally agile, know how to negotiate with multiple insurance companies and defense lawyers simultaneously, recognize the importance of meticulous evidence-gathering, and be ready to take a case to court if necessary.
When you hire an experienced truck accident attorney, they will employ these skills and talents to manage your injury claim.
A truck crash lawyer will take the necessary steps to seek fair compensation for your losses, which will depend on your unique circumstances.
When you hire an attorney to handle your case, they will be ready and willing to:
- Conduct a comprehensive, independent investigation of the crash to identify all liable parties and their insurance coverage.
- Coordinate with official crash investigations, offering insights, asking pertinent questions, and ensuring they represent your interests in official proceedings.
- Examine insurance policies that may cover your losses to understand their coverage, limits, and exclusions.
- Determine the full extent of your damages to ensure any action they take on your behalf seeks the maximum amount allowable by law.
- Handle all insurance communications, negotiations, and claim-filing issues on your behalf, protecting your rights and ensuring insurers pay what they owe.
- Prepare and file insurance claims and lawsuits seeking payment from liable parties and their insurers.
- Negotiate settlements, and advise you on whether to accept settlement offers.
- Take your case to trial in court or any other legal setting, advocating for your rights and fighting for a verdict in your favor.
- Recover all money due under a settlement, judgment, or jury award.
You Can Afford a Truck Accident Lawyer
Due to cost concerns, some truck accident victims hesitate to hire an experienced lawyer to handle their claims. Hiring a truck accident attorney is affordable to anyone, however, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Most truck accident attorneys offer an initial consultation free of charge. During this meeting, an experienced legal professional can assess the details of your case, explain your legal rights, and discuss potential options for pursuing compensation. You won't have to pay anything for this initial evaluation, even if you decide not to proceed with legal action.
Truck accident lawyers also represent their clients on a contingent fee basis, where they work for their clients in exchange for a fee contingent on the case outcome. This means that if the lawyer is not successful in securing compensation for your losses, you do not have to pay anything. They only receive payment if you win your case or receive a settlement.
The contingent fee structure enables victims of truck accidents to afford skilled, experienced legal representation without having to worry about paying hefty upfront costs or hourly rates. The attorney takes on the risk and works hard for the best outcome. Their payment relates directly to the success of your case.
Tips for the Aftermath of a Truck Accident
Knowing what to do and taking considered action can be crucial for protecting your legal rights and financial future after a truck accident. Here are some tips for handling the aftermath of a truck crash:
Concentrate on Healing From Your Injuries
Your priority after a truck accident should always be your physical and emotional well-being. Seek immediate medical attention, and follow all your healthcare provider's advice for what you need to do to heal.
Taking an active role in your recovery promotes better health. It demonstrates to insurance companies and potentially juries that you're committing to your well-being, which can protect the value of your claim. The medical records of your care can also be crucial evidence of the harm you suffered.
Hire a Lawyer Quickly
Timing can be critical in a truck accident case. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the greater their opportunity to gather important evidence and build a strong case on your behalf. Any delay in hiring a truck accident lawyer can undermine the strength of your case and put your right to compensation at risk.
If you hire a lawyer quickly, they can take the necessary steps to ensure you meet the statute of limitations for taking legal action against at-fault parties and their insurers. If you miss this deadline, you can lose your rights entirely.
Never Agree to a Quick Insurance Settlement
Following a truck accident, a liable party's insurance provider may approach you with a quick settlement offer. Be careful. Early offers from liability insurers are usually significantly lower than the potential value of your claim.
Never agree to a settlement or sign anything an insurance company sends you without talking to a knowledgeable truck accident attorney. A lawyer can often respond to the insurance company and negotiate a settlement far greater than the initial offer you received.
Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Today
You have valuable rights to enforce as the victim of a truck accident, but you can't expect to go it alone. If you want full, fair compensation for your losses, hire an experienced truck accident injury lawyer immediately.
Contact a personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia today for a free case evaluation.
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Gabriel Levin - Owner/Founder
Gabriel Levin is a highly experienced and award-winning attorney with over 10 years of practice in Pennsylvania. Known for his tenacity, he has represented clients in a wide range of civil matters and tried hundreds of cases. He prepares each case as if it will go to trial, ensuring meticulous attention to detail.
Unlike many firms that delegate tasks, Attorney Levin personally handles every aspect of each case and maintains open communication with his clients throughout. He has secured millions in compensation, making him a smart choice for those seeking legal representation.
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