What Does a Truck Accident Lawyer Do?
After a collision with an 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, flatbed or any other type of commercial truck, an accident lawyer with expertise in trucking litigation is invaluable.
Many people in Kearns, Utah, underestimate the difficulty in securing full compensation for losses in this situation. Accidents are incredibly expensive for trucking companies, as the average cost for a collision involving an injured person is just under $150,000. That being so, they have teams of attorneys who aggressively protect the bottom line and as a result, victims who represent themselves are at a serious disadvantage.
If you’ve been harmed in a trucking collision here in Kearns, turning to a trusted local truck accident lawyer, like Chris Cockayne at Cockayne Law, is in your best interests. Here’s how an experienced attorney can help with your case.
Gather All Relevant Evidence
Collisions with commercial trucks often leave victims seriously injured or permanently disabled. If that’s true for you, healing and coping with the trauma should be your priorities not collecting the necessary evidence to make a successful claim for compensation.
A skilled truck accident lawyer can handle this task, getting photos of the scene, recorded in-cab video footage, data from the vehicle’s electronic logging device (ELD), the results of drug and alcohol testing, copies of investigative reports and other crucial evidence. Additionally, an attorney can send a spoliation letter to the trucking company, requesting that all relevant evidence be preserved.
Taking quick action may be critical to the outcome of your case. An experienced truck accident attorney will know how to navigate the legal process and protect your rights.
Collaborate with Expert Witnesses
Regular witnesses, or those who are at the scene when a collision occurs, can provide testimony about the events they saw and what they heard. With a car crash, that may be sufficient but multiple experts might be needed to prove elements in a truck accident claim.
Expert testimony can be crucial to establishing causation of a trucking collision, the party or parties at fault, the severity of your injuries and the damages you’re owed. A resourceful attorney might bring in several types of specialists, such as medical experts, mental health professionals, vocational rehabilitation counselors, accident reconstruction experts and automotive engineers.
This list isn’t exhaustive. Leading truck accident lawyers use other specialists like financial analysts and highway safety experts to build a compelling case.
Answer the Question of Fault
The outcome of every motor vehicle collision case is contingent upon answering the question of fault and with truck accident claims, fault can be a complicated issue. Multiple parties can be to blame, and a skilled attorney can determine who is liable for a trucking collision based on the available evidence.
To answer the question of fault, truck accident lawyers investigate the individual driving the commercial truck for issues like speeding, distracted driving, tailgating or improper lane changes. Trucking companies might also be under the spotlight for improper hiring, exceeding lawful hours of service or poor maintenance practices. Others, including a parts manufacturer, mechanic or cargo loader, could also be at fault for a collision.
As for your collision, a seasoned truck accident attorney can work out how and why it occurred, identify the party or parties at fault and hold them financially accountable.
Determine the Damages
In Kearns, Utah, collisions with commercial trucks commonly involve economic damages, or quantifiable losses these include things like the cost of ongoing and future medical care, lost wages to date, loss of future earning capacity and repair costs or reasonable value of damaged property.
Along with the above, trucking collisions frequently involve non-economic damages, which are intended to compensate victims for intangible losses. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment in life, loss of consortium and disfigurement. Being subjective, with no paper trail to follow, all of these can be rather difficult to prove.
An experienced truck accident lawyer can identify all the economic and non-economic damages that apply to your case, maximizing the compensation you receive.
Fight to Maximize Compensation
Insurance adjusters can be tenacious, pushing truck accident victims into settling early on for an amount that doesn’t even begin to cover the total damages. Accept a settlement without first consulting with an accomplished attorney, and you may end up paying some expenses out of pocket.
Savvy truck accident lawyers know how to calculate the full value of a claim, and they’re aware of the strategies adjusters use during settlement negotiations. Having a legal professional in your corner means having an advocate who can fight on your behalf and if the parties involved refuse to agree to a fair settlement, an attorney can take the battle to court.
While trials are rarely necessary with accident claims, going to court may be inevitable if fault and liability are being disputed and to win, you need a lawyer with experience.
Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Today
When someone else’s negligence or reckless behavior causes you to suffer harm, you have the right to hold them financially accountable for your losses. At Cockayne Law, our legal team has what it takes to make that happen. For a free, no-obligation with a trusted truck accident lawyer serving Kearns, Utah, contact us today.
