An accident involving a large truck is much more likely to result in fatalities or severe injuries than a collision involving a passenger car. These accidents can cause lasting consequences, and they should be handled by experienced attorneys. The guide below addresses the issues that can arise in a trucking accident injury claim.
Protecting Legal Rights
By law, if a person is injured in an accident that was not their fault, they can get compensation from the at-fault party. Depending on the accident’s cause, that party may be a driver, a leasing or loading company, a truck manufacturer or the city where the accident happened. A Truck Accident Attorney can help clients determine fault and liability.
Accident Investigations
When a large truck hits a passenger vehicle, consequences can be dire for the car’s occupants. If a person is injured, it’s important that supporting evidence is preserved. Immediately after a crash, a truck may be carried many miles away from the accident scene, and other evidence can disappear quickly. By calling a lawyer right away, an accident victim can get investigators to the scene quickly.
These investigators look at aspects such as impact location, debris fields, damaged parts and skid marks to determine how the accident happened. Trucking companies have their own investigative teams, and they try to pay victims as little as possible.
FMCSA Rules
The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is a separate part of the DOT. The agency’s coal is to reduce fatalities and injuries by making large trucks safer, and there are rules on driver rest periods, required maintenance and vehicle inspections. However, not every trucking company complies with FMCSA rules. An attorney who knows FMCSA rules can help a client determine whether the trucking company was following regulations at the time of the accident.
Settlement Offers and Trucking Accidents
If a person is injured in a trucking accident, it’s important that they don’t accept less than they deserve. It’s common for trucking companies’ insurers to offer low settlements in exchange for a waiver of future compensation rights. These initial settlements aren’t enough to pay for income loss, medical bills, pain, and suffering or disability. Before a victim accepts a settlement offer, they should ask a Truck Accident Attorney from Domain URL to review the offer and explain the various legal options.
