4 Reasons to Choose a Dedicated Trucking Attorney

Large truck crashes are very different from other types of motor vehicle accidents. A typical semi-truck or “big rig” can often weigh up to 80,000 pounds — which means that being in a crash with one is like getting hit by 20 average cars at once. Wrecks involving these massive vehicles tend to create much more damage than a typical car crash, and they lead to severe injuries or even fatalities much more often. These crashes tend to create much more devastating long-term effects for the victims, and the legal cases that follow involve more parties and much higher damages compared to a typical car accident. Due to their destructive effects, cases involving trucking accidents frequently involve damages of several million dollars, but the trucking company’s insurer doesn’t want you to know that. Insurance companies encourage and incentivize their adjusters to settle cases as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Unfortunately, in the haze of grief after a truck wreck, victims and their families may not think about the true and lasting costs of a catastrophic accident. They may feel pressured to accept an inadequate settlement offer that doesn’t come close to addressing the wide-ranging consequences of the crash. These consequences include, but aren’t limited to, current and future medical expenses (including treatments based on breakthroughs in medical technology), ongoing long-term care, increased cost of living, modifications to homes and vehicles to accommodate disabilities, lost wages and productivity, pain and suffering, and loss of companionship.

Because of the staggering costs created by a trucking accident, victims and their families need to consider all options after a truck wreck so they can move forward on the best and most secure path. One of the best ways to accomplish that is to hire a dedicated trucking attorney — not a jack-of-all-trades personal injury attorney who says they can “handle” a trucking accident case without any real experience in this complex area of the law.

The following are four compelling reasons why you should contact a dedicated trucking attorney for your case.

1. Expertise

An attorney who focuses exclusively on the trucking industry and truck accidents knows the right questions to ask when approaching a case. Since the federal government regulates the trucking industry, your attorney needs to be familiar with federal trucking regulations as well as state laws. If the at-fault trucking company is from a different state than where the accident occurs, it can complicate the already-challenging landscape of a case.

A dedicated trucking attorney will also have the staff and expert resources needed to dig deeper and perform a full investigation into your accident, which is critical in the world of trucking crashes since they often turn into multi-car wrecks that create complex accident scenes. This investigation will help your lawyer obtain technical and detailed information a victim and their family may not be privy to, such as:

• The truck driver’s background information, including their training and licensing.
• Regulatory standards—such as an accurate log book, rest breaks, physical ability, etc.—the driver is required to abide by.
• The truck operator’s medical and driving history.
• Negligent activities on the part of the driver or the trucking company.
• Maintenance inspection records for the trucks as well as recalls on parts.
• Other federal and state regulations that could apply to your case.

These details could create a picture of liability on the part of the truck driver, the trucking company, a truck parts manufacturer, or any combination of the above, which could in turn have an enormous impact on the direction and outcome of your case.

2. Resources

Most trucking companies have resources that regular people do not, like a team of lawyers on retainer and an insurance company with its own legal team and investigators. Regardless of the sizes of the trucking and insurance companies in your case, though, one thing you can expect without fail is that the company’s insurer will try to compensate the victims of the crash as little as possible. Often, their first offer won’t even cover all current medical bills, lost wages, and other damages, let alone the enormous future costs.

RELATED: What Should You Do at the Scene of a Trucking Accident?

By retaining a trucking attorney after a truck wreck, you will have a range of resources on your side, including expert testimony and evaluation, a dedicated research team, and more. Not only that, but your attorney will be able to draw on past experience with trucking accident victims and expert knowledge of the medical field to deliver a highly accurate estimate of the true costs of you or your loved one’s injury. They can evaluate any settlement offer in this context and guide you toward the outcome that’s most likely to address all the costs and the losses you’ve suffered when it comes to financial compensation.

3. Proven Track Record

You don’t want your case to be an experiment for an attorney who’s decided to try something new. A dedicated trucking attorney should have a proven track record of successful outcomes for their clients, and they should be able to point to specific cases they’ve handled that give them the ability and know-how to handle yours.

Due to his or her experience and history of success, a trucking attorney will know exactly how to deal with insurance adjusters, law enforcement agencies, and state and federal transportation authorities. A dedicated trucking lawyer will have experience handling multiple levels of insurance and the various rights, obligations, duties, concerns, and triggers in multi-level insurance cases. They’ll also know how to address the gamut of obstacles facing their clients, such as medical bills, lost wages, physical and cognitive disabilities, and emotional distress. They can refer you to the best doctors for treatment, but they’ll also be able to view your case from a holistic standpoint, helping you find the help and emotional support you need in a trying time.

4. An Advocate on Your Side

The trucking company will have lots of advocates on their side from the moment an accident happens. Victims and their families need their own powerful advocate to balance the scales. When you hire a dedicated trucking attorney, you can rest assured that you will have focused and thorough ally on your side to fight for the settlement you and your family need and deserve.

It can be tempting to take the insurance company’s initial offers to pay for your medical care or other accident-related expenses, but don’t be fooled: they are there to make sure they get the best deal, not you. Hiring a lawyer to advocate for you can delay or draw out the settlement process, but the rewards of working with a dedicated trucking attorney for your case can prove invaluable in the long run, especially when the emotional health and financial stability of your family is at stake.

The Law Offices of Morgan Adams: Dedicated Trucking Attorneys

The Truck Wreck Justice team knows that most truck collisions are no “accident.” If you a loved one has suffered injuries in a large truck or bus crash, Truck Wreck Justice Attorney Morgan Adams is here to help. With years of experience as a dedicated trucking attorney, Morgan Adams has the skillset, expertise, resources, and track record needed to tackle the complex challenges of your unique trucking accident case.

Worried you can’t afford a dedicated trucking attorney? Rest assured that we handle cases on a contingent fee basis, which means that you won’t pay for fees or case expenses unless we achieve a financial recovery in your case. We also offer free, no-risk consultations to discuss the details of your case. Please contact Truck Wreck Justice at (432) 265-2020 or fill out our online contact form if you need legal representation or assistance.