Were you seriously injured by a negligent tractor trailer operator and have questions? Read these 5 truck accident questions, then call us.
1. What common mistakes do people make during their truck accident cases?
Truck accident cases are usually difficult in terms of the fact that you’re usually dealing with severe injuries and they need to be attended to by a trial lawyer who knows how to handle the claims. Oftentimes, these cases wind up in trial. We had a client in Tampa that was unfortunately involved in a very serious commercial truck accident, and he asked a very good question: What are some of the common mistakes that clients will make in these cases?
One of the biggest mistakes is not hiring a trial lawyer. These aren’t your regular garden variety type accidents. These accidents are usually, like I said, serious accidents, for the most part, with serious injuries. The insurance carriers for the commercial truck are very, very, very stingy, oftentimes, with evaluating the case. Their job is to get the case to go away. You need a lawyer with experience trying cases, for instance, because the cases present challenges that a regular auto case does not.
2. Should I talk to the insurance company after a truck accident?
We had a client in Tampa that was injured in a truck accident. On the phone when they called, they asked us, “Should I call the insurance company?” What we told them was to call their own insurance company right away and make a claim because you want to preserve that. You want to make a claim so that you can get into the hospital under the no-fault laws in Florida and go treat. However, with regard to the insurance carrier for the commercial truck, don’t take a statement. It’s too early in the case.
A lot of times, what the insurance carrier for these truck accidents want to do is box you in and try to settle the claim for as little as possible. One of the great benefits of hiring a trial attorney is that we will go and try to get maximum value on your case, but to do that takes time. Speaking with the insurance company for the commercial truck right away is oftentimes not a good idea and unfortunately puts you at a disadvantage.
3. How do you determine the value of my truck accident case?
Truck accident claims, unfortunately, usually involve serious injuries. We had a client in Tampa call us recently about their truck accident claim. They were involved in a very serious commercial truck accident and wanted to know how much the case was worth. As with most cases, it’s very difficult to fully evaluate your case at the initial conference.
The benefit of hiring a trial lawyer is that we can fully evaluate your case, examine all of the elements of the claim, and make sure that you obtain maximum value from the insurance carrier insuring those commercial vehicles. A lot of these accidents are serious accidents. You’ve got big trucks and you’ve got people that are injured, so you want a trial lawyer that’s going to communicate with you and effectively evaluate your case. Give us a call. We would love to speak with you about your truck accident claim.
4. How do I choose the right truck accident attorney?
There are so many options with attorneys in Florida, in the Tampa area, Tampa area. How do you select the best attorney? We had a client, unfortunately, in Tampa who was involved in a very severe commercial truck accident. What’s a commercial truck accident? He was in his car and he was hit by a driver who was driving a commercial truck. How do you select the best attorney? Whether it’s a commercial truck case, a slip and fall, or a regular auto accident, you need someone that is going to communicate with you.
Commercial truck cases in particular have very specific questions that need to be asked at the initial consultation. If you go to a consultation at a law firm and you’re not speaking to the attorney that’s going to be handling the case, and that attorney is not a trial attorney, you may want to think twice about it. You may want to go somewhere where someone’s actually going to speak with you, so they can answer your questions. You have to develop the trust bond in order to have a lawyer that you can count on to do a good job for you.
5. Can I sue the trucking company if the driver who injured me was driving drunk?
We had a very interesting question and a very good question from one of our Tampa clients recently. They asked us whether they could sue a commercial truck company. They were involved in an accident where, unfortunately, the driver of the commercial truck was under the influence of alcohol and got a DUI, and our client was very badly injured. The answer to that question is yes. It depends on what the commercial policy says but, generally speaking, the owner of the commercial vehicle is what we call vicariously liable for the actions of the commercial truck driver.
There are situations that render these types of cases extremely difficult, which means that you should hire an attorney that is experienced and is willing to go to trial. The insurance companies will fight these cases tooth and nail, especially where their driver was accused of driving under the influence.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured by a negligent tractor trailer operator and have questions about your truck accident case? Check out these 5 truck accident questions, then contact experienced Florida truck accident lawyers at Serrano Law today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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