Crashes involving large commercial trucks are very likely to cause life-changing injuries, particularly if the truck collides with a smaller passenger vehicle. It is not uncommon for trucking accidents to cause permanent injuries or injuries that take months or even years to heal.
If you are involved in a truck accident, an important thing to understand is that these types of crashes tend to be more complicated for a number of reasons, which we will discuss below.
Multiple parties may be liable
In a crash that involves only two cars, you’re usually only dealing with your own insurance company or the other driver’s insurance company. But in a crash that involves a large commercial vehicle, there may be several parties who are potentially liable for the accident. Those parties include the trucking company, the truck driver, the party responsible for maintaining the truck, the party responsible for loading the truck, and parties that manufactured parts of the truck. Because there are more parties involved, the insurance issues become complicated very quickly, as each party tries to avoid paying out the compensation you need.
That is why you should have on your side a truck accident attorney as soon as possible after a crash. You should not try to handle your case without skilled legal guidance there to protect your interests.
IMPORTANT: One of the first things you should do after a truck accident is contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in complex insurance and car accident cases. The sooner you put a truck accident lawyer on your side, the sooner you can focus entirely on your health and family in the aftermath of the crash. A skilled lawyer can handle all the legal and insurance matters — and help you get the financial compensation you need to move forward.
Big insurance policies (a lot is at stake)
The trucking industry involves a lot of risk. Large trucks travel at high rates of speed and can do immense damage, so trucking companies and other parties in the industry must have sizeable insurance policies that can potentially pay out large sums of money to injury victims. Because there is so much at stake for trucking companies and their insurers, they often have a legal team ready to work on minimizing or denying your compensation right from the start. Don’t let that happen to you. Put your own legal team on the case so you can get the proper medical care and compensation you deserve.
IMPORTANT: The truck insurance company may quickly offer you a payout that appears enticing, but you should not accept a settlement offer before you speak with a personal injury attorney. Truck insurance companies are not your friend. They are notorious for lowball settlement offers that actually do not cover the full cost of the victim’s injuries. Talk to a personal injury attorney before accepting a settlement offer. A skilled personal injury attorney can help determine the full impact of your injuries now and in the future — and help you get the maximum available compensation for your injuries.
Please see our Georgia truck accident overview to learn more about trucking industry violations that can lead to serious crashes.