Looking for a commercial truck accident attorney? Overwhelmed by the many options available online and offline? Perhaps the legal jargon most truck accident lawyers use is making it difficult for you to settle on the right one. Don’t worry!
We’ve prepared this easy-to-digest guide to show you what you need to look for in a truck accident attorney.
You can find the best representation if you or your loved ones were injured in a truck accident. You might want to seek legal compensation for all the pain and injuries sustained during and after the accident.
Why hire a truck accident attorney? Why not get a regular car accident or personal injury lawyer? Let’s discuss this in greater detail.
Why You Should Get A Commercial Truck Accident Attorney
You may be tempted to hire a regular car accident or personal injury lawyer instead of one specializing in truck accident cases. Steer clear of doing this. Commercial truck accidents are more complex than typical car accidents.
Let’s say a semi-truck veered off its lane and crashed into a personal car. What caused this?
Did the truck driver fall asleep behind the wheel, or did the steering fail? If the truck driver fell asleep, was it because they were intoxicated, or were they required to pull several extra shifts?
And if the steering wheel failed, was it due to a manufacturing defect, poor maintenance, or lack thereof?
All these causes of truck accidents mean different parties can be liable for your compensation. It could be the truck driver, trucking company, or truck manufacturer. It also means you might be owed settlement from multiple sources.
A typical car accident lawyer may find it difficult to determine all the liable parties and sources of compensation. But, a semi-truck accident lawyer can.
So you have higher chances of getting what you deserve by hiring a semi-truck accident attorney than any other lawyer.
Still, you must find the best truck accident attorneys to maximize your compensation. To do this, here are a few factors to consider.
What To Look For In A Commercial Truck Accident Attorney
There are five factors to look for when searching for a trucking accident lawyer. Let’s discuss these.
Expertise
You want to find a lawyer who can more accurately calculate the expenses of all current injuries and future pain and suffering. The keyword here is accurate.
Different commercial truck accident attorneys approach their practices differently, and some may not be very accurate when calculating your compensation.
Almost all truck accident attorneys know injured truck accident victims are entitled to compensation for economic and non-economic damages. It’s relatively easy for most truck accident lawyers to calculate truck accident victims’ economic or monetary damages since it depends on the injuries sustained.
Recalling the commercial motor vehicle crash example we used earlier, let’s say the truck crash victim sustained spinal cord injuries.
Any good semi-truck accident lawyer can work out the victim’s current and future medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity to determine compensation.
However, figuring out their non-economic damages, including their current plus future pain and suffering or mental anguish, may not be easy.
It takes a highly skilled semi-truck accident lawyer to estimate and evaluate the extent of such intangible damages accurately. In this case, you can receive the maximum settlement possible.
Determining Truck Accident Lawyers’ Expertise
To assess the expertise of potential truck accident attorneys, ask for their background in handling commercial truck accident cases. An experienced truck accident attorney should be able to demonstrate their expertise, citing cases they’ve handled that are similar to yours.
Also, confirm if they’ve successfully taken on seemingly tough truck accident cases from fatal truck crashes. A good example of this may be pursuing a settlement for pain and suffering due to wrongful death.
In wrongful death cases, families seek compensation on behalf of their loved ones who didn’t make it in a commercial vehicle crash.
Truck accident attorneys have to help the family prove similar facts as though their loved one had survived and pursued the claim on their own. Winning such cases may be a solid indicator of the lawyer’s expertise.
You can also check the lawyers’ reviews on popular platforms like Google Reviews. Most clients will explain their experience with a law firm and may even mention a specific truck accident lawyer they worked with. This may help you decide who to hire.
Resources
The best truck accident attorneys should have the expertise and resources to pursue various truck accident cases.
Car accidents involving commercial vehicles like semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, or tanker trucks are sensitive. They fetch a higher total value of truck accident settlement from insurance companies compared to accidents involving regular cars. This can be millions of dollars.
That’s because the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires commercial vehicles to meet a financial responsibility of up to $5,000,000. You can also get compensation from several insurance companies.
As a result, trucking and insurance companies often fight hard to show they were not liable for the accident. Trucking companies may try to destroy evidence following a truck accident. At the same time, insurance companies may bring commercial vehicle insurance adjusters to employ underhand tactics. So you settle for way less than what you deserve. You need to hire a law firm with enough resources to fight back.
Often, these resources extend beyond the truck accident lawyers to include a team of trucking industry investigators and expert witnesses. Expert witnesses here refer to economists, medical professionals, engineers, and truck accident reconstructionists. All these experts may have to work with an experienced truck accident lawyer to help you build a strong case against multiple insurance companies.
Evaluating Whether A Law Firm Has Adequate Resources
To determine whether a law firm has enough resources and can handle your case effectively, check how long they’ve been in operation.
Usually, a law firm that has been working on commercial vehicle accident cases for years has long-lasting relationships with the trucking industry’s top experts.
Also, ask how the firm approaches evidence collection and protection for commercial truck crashes and evaluate their response.
Do they have an on-staff team of investigators who visit the accident scene as soon as possible to collect evidence first-hand? Do they send demand letters, including spoliation letters, to legally prevent trucking companies from destroying evidence? If yes, that’s a good sign of adequate resource availability and efficiency in handling trucking accident cases.
Trial Experience
The compensation process following a truck accident begins with negotiations. But what happens if the truck accident claim negotiations fail and the parties involved don’t reach a settlement?
If this occurs, the proper action would be filing a truck accident lawsuit to ensure you get a fair trial. Truck accident lawyers can pursue a wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit, depending on the nature of the case.
However, not all lawyers are willing to go this extra mile into trial and help you get the settlement you deserve. Some truck accident lawyers prefer settling fast because pursuing a truck-accident lawsuit can be tedious.
You want to find a lawyer who’s not only willing to go to trial but capable of winning the personal injury case.
Assessing Truck Accident Lawyers’ Trial Experience
You can tell the trial experience of a commercial truck accident lawyer by looking at the history of their practice.
Have they been to trial for cases involving large commercial vehicles, e.g., semi-truck accident cases? How many such cases have they won?
Reviews can also come in handy here. Some clients may mention going to trial and whether their personal injury case was successful in their reviews.
Fees
Most accident lawyers in the trucking industry work based on a contingency fee. Meaning they’ll take a percentage of the total amount you get in a truck accident claim settlement or at trial.
For most lawyers, you won’t have to pay a dime out-of-pocket if they lose the case and fail to recover any compensation. But, depending on the case, others might require you to pay, even if you lose.
Some commercial truck accident attorneys may also charge copying costs, court filing, and expert witness fees separately. They’ll often deduct these fees at the end from the reward you receive in addition to the percentage contingency fee.
Nearly all truck accident attorneys offer a free no-obligation consultation to discuss your situation. Always ask them to explain their entire fee structure during the consultation to know how much you’ll pay. Be keen to ask questions and ensure there are no hidden or surprise costs.
Final Thoughts
Pursuing compensation following a truck accident is your legal right. It shouldn’t be a hassle. The right truck accident lawyers can help you get the maximum settlement smoothly. We hope this article helps you find the best lawyer to fight for you from the start to the end of your case.
Remember to protect your rights to compensation in the unfortunate event you get involved in tractor-trailer accidents. Don’t speak to any insurance company at the accident scene or anywhere else until you first talk to an experienced truck accident attorney.
If you want to stay updated with the latest news in the commercial trucking industry, check out our blog!
