What Steps should You take after a Truck Accident? How much is My Case Worth?

How a Florida truck accident lawyer can help

(Palm Beach, Florida) ­– December 28^th, 2015 – Accidents involving trucks can cause serious injuries or even death. This is largely due to their massive weight and size. Semi-truck accidents are quite unlike that of usual car and vehicle accidents since they bring to the forefront various issues. This includes the people involved in the accident, different sets of laws, driver fatigue, drug use by truck drivers, and the possibility of severe injuries.

Factors that cause truck accidents

Palm Beach, FL truck accident lawyers (http://accident.usattorneys.com/florida/) state that there are several causes specific to truck accidents, which include:

• Driver fatigue
• Reckless or aggressive driving
• Excessive speed
• Drug use
• Mechanical errors

Laws and regulations enacted for semi-trucks and their drivers remain extensive. In addition to varying state laws, this includes federal regulations like the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation rules.

Understanding these complex set of regulations is vital in cases involving truck accidents since it is most often a breach of these laws that actually cause such accidents. Establishing a violation of any of the safety rules is one sure way to show negligence, and a fine way for you to win your lawsuit right before you and your South Florida truck accident attorney hug each other and/or shake each other’s’ hands.

However, the more you wait to handle a claim, the better the chances of the semi-truck driver misplacing, losing, or totally destroying such records. This could raise some suspicion on the court’s or the mediator’s part but if you take months and even more than a year to file a lawsuit they could just say there was no reason to save records for that long since that information was not needed for anything. You may not have too much of a comeback either since you did seem to procrastinate and delay the lawsuit filing.

Vehicle maintenance records, mobile phone records, and driver’s logs are the most crucial evidence to determine liability in a truck accident.

What to do after a truck accident?

The first thing you must do after a semi-truck accident is to seek urgent medical treatment, for any type of injury. If you are undergoing emergency treatment, you may not be in a position to do much immediately. However, you can always ask someone to gather as much proof as possible from the accident scene. If you aren’t seriously injured, then you ought to start collecting evidence on your own.

Cussing out everyone around you, including the police and emergency personnel, after you have been hit by a truck is just not wise. That will not make your Palm Beach, Florida truck accident lawyer's job any easier. What is easy though, is finding legal help. Use this digital tool to begin your case: http://truck-accident.usattorneys.com/florida/. 

Collecting evidence

It is important to collect names, phone numbers of witnesses, and photos of road conditions and property damages. Obtain the personal ID as well as insurance information of all those who are involved. In addition, make sure to gather information about the trucking company along with their clients.

How much is your claim worth

Palm Beach, FL truck accident lawyers recommend that you should never admit liability or talk about the accident with anyone, including witnesses or anyone else. Never provide any recorded statement on the accident. If the insurance company asks for one, decline politely. In addition, never sign any papers with the insurance company since you will not be able to sue them later since that paperwork could mean that you are agreeing to their terms and their payout.

Let your claim include your current medical bills as well as compensation for your pain and suffering. You must also consider any possible future medical treatments while calculating the settlement. Added to these is the time taken off work and lost pay, along with any expected time off work in the future. These are termed economic damages.

There are also non-economic factors such as shame, embarrassment, loss of companionship, as well as loss of consortium or relationship with your spouse, and any other relevant factor as recommended by your South Florida truck accident lawyer. You may even quality for worker’s compensation. Do not rule anything out!