Semi-truck accidents can have devastating consequences. If you’re living through the aftermath of an accident with a semi-truck, you are probably feeling lucky to be alive. The last thing on your mind after that experience is the sharpness of your negotiation skills and entering an adversarial engagement. WIth a long road to recovery ahead of you, you have to focus on your current and future day-to-day needs.
Insurance companies will capitalize on your vulnerable situation and pressure you to sign a settlement offer quickly, even before you’ve had a chance to realize the full scope of your injuries or speak with an attorney. This is not by accident, because they know you are vulnerable, scared, and stressed about how you’re going to financially recover.
Unfortunately you’re not alone. Many accident victims face similar experiences. They too have been presented with a low settlement offer, which if accepted, leaves no recourse to go back for additional compensation later. If you’ve been injured in an accident with a semi-truck, you need a qualified attorney to help you receive fair compensation.
After a serious accident with a semi-truck, you will have several immediate costs. Most of these are expected and compensation for these costs are usually part of the insurance company’s initial offer. It is hard to argue that the victim will face:
Medical Expenses: Medical expenses can be excessive after a truck accident due to the severity of the crash, and will usually include hospitalization, surgery, medication, and rehabilitation.
Lost Wages: If you are injured, you can’t work while you recover. Your settlement will need to include your wages while you were unable to work due to your accident, as well as future wage losses and impaired earning capacity.
Property Damage:Vehicle repair or replacement will likely be part of your settlement if you’ve been involved in an accident that was not your fault. Other damaged property, such as things you had in the car including car seats should also be factored.
Recovery from any accident can be extensive, but it’s common for victims of truck accidents to face long-term medical care for a full recovery, including disability aids, possible home modifications, and ongoing treatment and therapy. Unpredictable damages can be brushed off by the insurance company, who often focuses just on the immediate needs. An experienced truck accident attorney, with the assistance of your physician and a life care planner, can assess the long-term damages associated with your recovery to ensure that your settlement is enough to cover everything.
Missing work while recovering from your injuries is expected, and most insurance companies are willing to include lost wages during your recovery process. However, this is not where lost wage analysis ends for most victims of truck accidents. An injury attorney who has had successful truck accident settlements will need to assess your future earning potential to see whether that has been harmed, and include it in your settlement if appropriate.
Reduction in future earning potential is a hidden cost most victims don’t consider until it’s too late to seek compensation, but the reality is that your ability to work will be impacted. Usually this is either due to difficulty finding employment after a long recovery period or reduced earning potential due to limitations imposed by your injuries.
It’s hard to put a dollar amount on your quality of life, but when it is reduced after a truck accident, you will quickly realize that this comes at a price. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, and an inability to enjoy activities are faced by most victims of truck accidents.
You deserve a settlement that compensates you for your trauma.
Many insurance companies will try to avoid including compensation for these damages, so it is important to have an attorney who knows how to advocate for what you need and deserve.
Insurance companies are concerned about their bottom line and want you to make a quick settlement. They may imply that you share fault and risk getting no compensation at all if you don’t sign right away. They may even downplay the seriousness of your injuries, or they may deny liability altogether.
If you’ve been the victim of an accident with a semi-truck that wasn’t your fault, you deserve compensation. The severity of the accident, the negligence of the trucking company or driver, the long-term consequences, and the need to be compensated for all losses should all be considered, and your attorney will help you get what you deserve.
While you can negotiate with the insurance company on your own, it’s important to realize that this is what they are hoping for. An insurance company representing a commercial trucking fleet will have a team of lawyers, crash investigators, and others trying to minimize your settlement. An experienced attorney with similar resources can help with assessing the case and gathering evidence, calculating total damages and expenses including future and ongoing costs, negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf, and even representing you in court if necessary. While you may be concerned that you can’t afford an attorney, most truck accident attorneys work on contingency, meaning they only will get paid if you do. With an experienced attorney on your side, your settlement is likely to be substantially higher than if you were to try to fight on your own.
If you’ve been injured in an accident with a semi-truck that was not your fault, you need an experienced Toledo injury attorney on your side to fight for you and get you the compensation you deserve. We are here for injured accident victims because we know what you’re up against, and it’s not fair. Contact Arthur Law Firm (419) 782-9881 right away for a free consultation to discuss your legal options.