Large commercial trucks are essential vehicles. However, these large vehicles can cause significant injuries and even fatalities when they collide with traditional passenger cars. The last thing that any driver expects when they get behind the wheel of their vehicle is that they will collide with a large truck. Unfortunately, these collisions do occur throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and crash victims need to consider seeking legal assistance from a Philadelphia truck accident lawyer as soon as possible in order to ensure they are properly cared for.
Why You need an Attorney Right Away
There are various reasons why a truck crash victim may need to seek assistance from an attorney soon after the collision occurs.
Evidence preservation
One of the most important aspects of proving liability in these cases is determining fault. However, determining fault typically relies on gathering as much pertinent evidence as possible. Some of this evidence-gathering begins at the scene of a crash before an attorney has a chance to get involved. However, truck collision incidents typically involved some deeper digging when determining exactly what happened.
An attorney can use their resources and legal expertise to obtain truck driver electronic logging devices (ELD), the hours of service logbooks, maintenance records from the trucking company, the truck’s “black box” data, and more. Additionally, an attorney can secure assistance from accident reconstruction experts who can use the evidence that has been gathered and piece together the story of what actually occurred.
Conversations with insurance carriers
Very soon after a truck collision occurs, insurance carriers for all parties will get involved. Any truck crash victim needs to know that the insurance carrier for the trucking company is not on their side. Claims adjusters for the other party’s insurance carrier will use various tactics to try to get the crash victim to admit fault or admit that they are not really injured. By involving an attorney as soon as possible, the crash victim will ensure that their legal counsel is the one who handles all conversations with other parties involved.
Negotiations
There will inevitably be negotiations regarding compensation amounts after a truck crash occurs. The truck company’s insurance carrier will likely send a lowball offer to the victim, but an attorney will work with trusted medical and financial experts to properly calculate the total expected losses and send an adequate demand to the insurance carriers.
If negotiations do not yield the desired compensation amount, an attorney will be ready to file a personal injury lawsuit against the truck driver and the trucking company and be willing to take the case to trial if necessary.
Truck Accidents can be Severe
Data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation shows that there were more than 7,000 total heavy truck crashes across the Commonwealth during the latest reporting year. Unfortunately, these incidents yielded 122 fatalities and many significant injuries. It is crucial that any truck crash victim or their family members seek legal assistance as soon as possible after these crashes occur in order to ensure that they are treated fairly. The unfortunate reality is that most victims in these situations do not have the resources or legal expertise necessary to stand up to well-funded trucking companies and their aggressive insurance carriers.