Accidents happen – they’re almost inevitable, especially when your livelihood takes place and depends on the road. For truckers, accidents and complications are a fact of life. In fact, according to a study on taxicab and trucking fatalities, truckers alone deal with 12 percent of all work-related deaths. All work-related deaths – not just those caused by car accidents.
The risk is there – and it’s both a health one, and a financial one. With that in mind, when should someone call in a trucking accident lawyer? And what should one expect from a trucking accident lawsuit?
Do You Need a Lawyer?
First, you have to take into account that not every accident requires a lawyer. You can file a claim and get a damages payment on your accident without an attorney present to represent you. If you were most definitely not at fault during the accident and the other party has an insurance policy that can fully compensate you for the medical bills and lost revenue that you had to endure following the accident, then filing a claim should be a very simple thing to do.
Still, even in simple cases it’s never a bad idea to consult with a trucking accident lawyer. Hitting up a local Wheaton law firm like Woodruff Lawyers and asking for advice on dealing with opposing insurance companies can help you dodge situations where an insurance company may be trying to muddle the legal speak around your case and low ball you for a lower offer.
A Smart Precaution
When you’ve been dealt a bad hand and are faced with a more severe accident, causing a herniated disc or spinal damage for instance, then getting an attorney present is your best bet to making sure you’re properly compensated for your injuries. Higher claims require more legal power, as insurance companies will often fight harder to avoid full pay-outs for obvious reasons. Lawyering up in the case of a serious injury is a smart precaution, and may also help you speed up your financial and medical recovery.
Generally, the validation for having an attorney present to handle the negotiation of damages is when you’ve suffered severe physical and mental pain – if it’s simple property damage, then a routine insurance claim on the side of whomever was at fault (or on the side of the person carrying the damages in a no-fault state) should clear things up. But if, say, you’ve lost your eyesight during a severe car accident, then there’s more rigorous legal work involved.
