How a Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You?

Tractor-trailer and semi-truck accidents may be fewer in number, but they are almost always disastrous. Unfortunately, most deaths in semi-truck accidents are passenger vehicle occupants. Trucks often weigh 20-30 times the passenger vehicles, resulting in deadly accidents.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), truck accidents claimed 4,014 lives in 2020. And 15% of these deaths were truck occupants, 68% were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles, and 16% were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists.

Get Help from a Semi Truck Accident Lawyer in Utah

As you can imagine, semi-truck accidents often cause severe or even fatal injuries. In other words, you will soon pile up medical bills, putting your finances under immense stress. You could burn through all your savings in weeks, if not months.

These severe injuries can result in lifelong pain and major life changes. You may not be able to get back to work, depend on expensive medical equipment for life, and require long-term physical therapy. Get in touch with a Semi Truck Accident Lawyer as soon as possible to overcome these financial hurdles.

Here’s how a semi-truck accident attorney can help you.

1. File Your Lawsuit

Is your claim worth fighting for? Who would you claim against, your insurer, at-fault driver, or both? Although these questions seem simple, the answers are often more complicated than you think. Only an experienced semi-truck accident attorney can help you answer these questions.

A skilled semi-truck accident lawyer will evaluate every aspect of your case. Then, they will determine the defendants in your case and how much compensation you can claim. They will also file your claim before the statute of limitations expires, reducing the risk of your lawsuit getting tossed.

In short, the sooner you contact a semi-truck accident attorney, the better. Remember, lawsuits regularly get dismissed for naming the wrong defendant or missing out on the statute of limitations.

2. Investigate Your Accident

Once you decide to go ahead with your claim, your semi-truck accident lawyer will investigate your accident further. Your attorney will most likely bring an independent investigator to look into your accident to separate facts from fiction.

The investigator will –

Interview witnesses involved in your accident
Talk to the investigating officers
Review the police records and witness statements
Check truck driver’s phone logs, driving records, and vehicle inspection records
Visit the accident scene for an on-site investigation, like checking traffic camera footage
Reconstruct the scene of the accident if necessary

Your semi-truck accident attorney might discover new information or evidence that leads to a better settlement offer. That’s why semi-truck accident claims warrant legal help as soon as possible.

3. Negotiate On Your Behalf

Negotiating a fair settlement is necessary to prevent you from racking debt. Your semi-truck accident attorney will determine how much economic and non-economic losses you can claim. They will fight tooth and nail to get the best settlement offer for you.

However, negation is a skill that gets better with experience. Besides, insurance companies are always looking to pay you the bare minimum. So, you will need to find a semi-truck accident lawyer who has dealt with many insurance companies.

Negotiations can take weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of your claim. For example, negotiations will take longer if the accident results in deformities or complex injuries. You may also need several rounds of negotiations for claims involving more than one defendant.

In short, negotiations will continue until your case settles or reaches a resolution. An experienced semi-truck accident lawyer will know how to push for fair compensation without alienating the defendants. It’s always better to leave the negotiations to your semi-truck accident attorney in Utah.

4. Help You Decide When to Settle

This is probably the biggest benefit of hiring a semi-truck accident lawyer. Although negotiations can happen at any stage, they can’t go on forever. It’s wise to accept a reasonable settlement when you have the chance. Thanks to their experienced, your lawyer knows when is the right time to settle.

They will review the offer in detail, weigh its pros and cons, and decide if you should go ahead. Rest assured, your semi-truck accident attorney will ensure the offer adequately covers your medical expenses, loss of pay, and other financial needs. You will also understand how much your take-home recovery will be after the attorney fees and other legal expenses.

5. Work On Contingency Basis

Usually, a leading semi-truck accident attorney will work on a contingency basis. As the name suggests, the attorney fees are contingent on the outcome of your case. If the lawyer fails to recover damages for you, there will be no fee. Plus, you do not have to pay the lawyer out of your pocket. In other words, a truck accident attorney will work on a contingency basis only if they are sure to recover damages for you.

6. Take Your Case to Trial

Most semi-truck accident cases will settle. Trials are often time-consuming and expensive, not to mention unpredictable. However, sometimes, the settlement negotiations may not get anywhere, making it necessary for you to go to trial. Should that happen, your semi-truck accident attorney will fight for justice in court.

Your semi-truck accident lawyer is required by law to bring you every offer from the defendant. However, the final decision is always yours as the outcome will affect your life. At this point, your lawyer will play a crucial role as a legal advisor, explaining the pros and cons of going to the trial or settling the case. Be sure to consider your options carefully before making a decision.

In Conclusion

Semi-truck accidents often result in life-altering injuries. The medical bills will start piling up quickly, putting your finances under a lot of stress. The only way to alleviate some of this financial stress is to seek compensation for your economic and non-economic losses. That’s where a seasoned semi-truck accident attorney comes in. Hopefully, understanding these benefits will encourage you to seek legal help as soon as possible.

Are you seeking compensation for your semi-truck accident injuries? We can help. Henriksen & Henriksen Law is a law firm in Utah. Our attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve. Give us a call at (801) 521-4145 or fill out our secure online contact form today. We also offer a free 15-minute consultation.