Commercial trucks are quite large in size than any other personal vehicles. As a result, the impact of an accident with a truck is far catastrophic than with other vehicles. Victims incur massive physical as well as emotional injuries.
While filing a lawsuit to retrieve compensation is important in the case of a truck accident, victims are usually too flabbergasted to take the right measures after the accident. A number of queries and concerns arise while filing a lawsuit. An awareness of the rules and regulations as well as a knowledge of the law is important to ensure that appropriate steps are taken.
In this article, we are going to address the concerns of victims and provide a complete idea about the steps involved in details.
When to File the Lawsuit
Every accident case is different. Since a number of factors are involved in a truck accident, the complexity is high. Therefore, before determining when to file a lawsuit for your truck accident, it is important to contact a competent truck accident attorney. An attorney can determine the right time to file the lawsuit.
Expenses for Attorneys
Usually, law firms do not charge any money for an initial evaluation of your case. If you live in Houston, you can get your accident case reviewed by skilled Houston 18 wheeler accident lawyers. They will conduct a thorough investigation of your case and determine whether you have a viable claim.
Usually, most firms work on a contingency basis. This means that you will be charged only when you win the case.
Talking to Representatives of the Truck Company
Usually, truck companies send a representative at the accident scene. They might ask you to give a statement regarding the accident. It is important to keep in mind that whatever you tell them will be used against you to prevent you from filing the lawsuit or reduce the amount of compensation to a lot less than what you are entitled to. Therefore, you should be careful to give the statement of the accident to the right authorities only.
It is common for truck companies or their insurers to offer compensation to you after the accident. These actions are usually carried out if the insurance or the truck company owes you a lot more than what they are offering for the settlement. Before taking any such offer, you should have it reviewed by experts.
Securing the Right Evidence
In the case of a truck accident, it is highly crucial to gather the right evidence that can help you build your case. For this, you can consider talking to the witnesses to take down their statements. You should also note down their names and contact information.
Apart from that, taking photographs of the accident scene also helps. Sometimes, aerial photography is carried out to get a clearer image of the accident scene. Retrieving the black box data is also vital since this contains valuable information like the speed of the truck, frequency of braking, usage of the seat belt, performance of the truck driver and so on.
That being said, the evidence should be secured as early as possible since delaying it can result in tampering.
Duration for Resolving
It is quite difficult to establish a time frame during which your case will be resolved. All cases are different. So, this duration varies from one case to other. Defendants usually, try to settle the case before it goes to trial. This may take up a little time, thus prolonging the duration of the case.
Medical Examination
Truck accident injuries are quite serious and may even have long-lasting effects. Even if the injury is not visible immediately after the accident, these can cause major problems if they are not tended to. Therefore, it is important to visit the doctor right after the accident. S/he will be able to diagnose the injuries and provide expert medical help.
You should keep all the records for the medical expenses that you have incurred for the accident since this can be highly beneficial to establish your case and obtain the right amount of compensation that you deserve.
If there is any query or doubt regarding your case, you should always have a discussion with your lawyer about it because transparency is crucial.