Truck Accident Attorney
Are you wondering whether you should hire a truck accident attorney after your crash? There are more than 4,000 people killed in the United States each year during collisions. In addition, thousands more are left with temporary or permanent injuries that change their lives forever. If you are wondering whether it is time to find an attorney to represent you in your case, here are the top reasons why you should.
Practice in a Unique Niche
There are over 1.3 million licensed attorneys throughout the country. Because there are many different areas of law, each attorney should specialize in a specific practice. Therefore, after an accident, you need to work with a lawyer who has experience with truck accident cases. Large big-rig crashes are unique because they often involve elements of state and federal law.
This can make prosecuting personal injury cases a challenge. Be sure that the law firm you pick has experience handling commercial truck accidents. In addition, the truck accident lawyer you choose should have a winning track record.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
Whether you are in a bus accident, tractor-trailer, or another type of truck crash, multiple parties can be found liable. In accidents like these, truck drivers and their employees can be held responsible.
Each party should have insurance that is meant to cover damages. However, recovering these losses is not always easy. Your truck accident attorney’s job is to present how the crash negatively impacted your life and why you should be compensated for it.
Insurance companies are multi-billion-dollar businesses. This means they have no shortage of resources to defend against your personal injury claim. Therefore, they will push back and try to reduce your settlement, and they are often successful in doing so. That is because they can afford to work with the best defense attorneys. For this reason, you must pick a law firm with truck accident experience.
Preparation of a Demand Letter
A necessary step in your case is sending a time-sensitive demand letter. This letter is drafted by your truck accident attorney. However, you both will collaborate in writing it. Present the important parts of your case in writing and provide your lawyer with all the details.
Your attorney will write a letter that highlights the important facts about your case. Also, it will be stated which laws were violated and why you are owed compensation.
Examples of damages for reimbursement include vehicle repair/replacement, medical expenses, recovery costs, and any other relevant losses. In addition, medical records will also be with the letter so that the at-fault party can see the injuries they caused in the accident.
Lastly, a demand letter will include a deadline for payment of damages before a certain date. If the other side will not resolve the claims before that date, your attorney will begin preparing a lawsuit for filing in court.
Filing a Lawsuit
After submitting the demand letter, the accused party must respond. Then, if a settlement cannot be met, the next step in the process is to file a lawsuit. Choosing to file a lawsuit can be time-consuming. However, it’s an action that must be taken when trying to win your claim.
Your truck accident attorney will prepare a legal document called a complaint. The complaint is a pleading that gives the court and the defendant a general understanding of the facts and allegations raised by you.
After the complaint is ready, file it with the court. The clerk in that jurisdiction will issue a summons and send it back to your counsel. Your attorney must then serve a copy of the complaint and summons on the party so that they receive notice under the law. A defendant generally has 20 days after service of the summons and complaint to file a formal response with the court. However, this will vary by region and state.
Civil Procedure and Discovery
If a defendant answers the complaint and asserts affirmative defenses, the parties will begin the process of conducting discovery in the case. You should think of discovery as the “fact-finding process” each side takes in a lawsuit.
Discovery includes the taking of depositions, the service of questions and requests for production, and motion practice. Depositions are your attorney’s opportunity to ask questions of a witness or party under oath.
This gives truck accident lawyers a chance to weigh the credibility of a witness. It will also help them decide how to adapt the prosecution of your claims based on the facts at issue in the case. Paper discovery like interrogatories and requests for production help each side see what, if any, evidence each one has against the other.
Trying Your Case
Although in most cases it’s unlikely that your causes of action move forward to a trial, each side must always be ready for that possibility. Only consider hiring a firm with a strong reputation for winning cases. In addition, they need to have extensive experience in the courtroom.
An attorney cannot guarantee a result in any case but an insurance company needs to know there is a credible threat of a trial. This can help push the other side toward compromising and settling before going to court.
Hire a Top Truck Accident Attorney
A gifted truck accident attorney has experience handling these kinds of cases. They are also honest while they serve your interests. You need an advocate who is ready to represent you in and out of court. At Alpha Accident Lawyers, we put our client’s interests first in every case. We will work closely with you to keep you informed of your case’s progress.
Contact us today to set up a consultation and receive a free case evaluation.
