Truck accidents often result in serious injuries and complicated legal battles. Victims who try to handle their claims without professional help frequently make mistakes that reduce their compensation. Sometimes, they even lose their right to recover damages altogether.
Working with an experienced Norfolk truck accident lawyer can help you avoid these common pitfalls and strengthen your case from the start.
Understanding what mistakes to avoid is critical if you want to secure the full compensation you deserve.
Trucking companies and their insurers are well-prepared to fight claims aggressively. Victims without legal representation are often at a significant disadvantage.
Hi. In today’s blog, I will be talking about how some of the most common mistakes can ruin your truck accident case. So, if that is what you want to know, keep on reading till the end, and thank me later.
Common Mistakes in Truck Accident Cases
Here are some of the most common mistakes that you need to avoid if you are planning to claim for your truck accident:
Giving a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company
Firstly, one of the first calls you will receive after a truck accident will likely be from an insurance company. And that’s the trucking company’s insurance adjuster.
They may seem friendly and helpful, but their goal is to protect the insurance company’s interests.
Adjusters often request recorded statements in an attempt to get victims to admit fault or minimize their injuries.
Providing a recorded statement without legal advice can severely harm your case. Insurance companies can use your words against you to deny or reduce your claim.
A Norfolk truck accident lawyer will handle communications with insurers to prevent damaging mistakes and protect your rights.
Accepting the First Settlement Offer
Secondly, after a truck accident, victims are often eager to settle quickly to cover medical bills and lost wages. Insurance companies know this and often offer low initial settlements that do not reflect the true value of your damages.
Accepting a quick settlement without legal review can leave you with insufficient funds to cover a few things in the future. These include:
- Medical care.
- Rehabilitation.
- Lost income.
- Other long-term expenses.
An attorney will evaluate any settlement offers you receive and negotiate for a full and fair amount based on the complete extent of your injuries and losses.
Failing to Preserve Evidence
Thirdly, truck accident cases require strong evidence to prove liability and damages. Crucial evidence can include the following:
- Black box data.
- Driver logs.
- Maintenance records.
- Accident scene photos.
- Witness statements.
Without immediate action to preserve this information, evidence can be lost or destroyed.
Victims who delay contacting a lawyer risk losing access to key evidence that could strengthen their case.
A truck accident lawyer will send preservation letters, gather critical documents, and work with experts to secure the evidence needed to build a solid case.
Not Identifying All Liable Parties
Fourth, truck accidents often involve multiple parties who may share responsibility for the crash. In addition to the truck driver, the trucking company, a maintenance provider, a cargo loader, or a vehicle manufacturer could all be liable.
Victims who attempt to handle their claims without legal help may focus solely on the driver. In this way, they might miss opportunities to pursue compensation from other responsible parties.
A Norfolk truck accident lawyer will conduct a thorough investigation to identify all sources of liability. And guess what? In this way, you will be able to maximize your chances of a full financial recovery.
Underestimating the Value of the Claim
Realizing the accurate value of a truck accident claim through other considerations besides the simply summed-up medical bills is indeed possible.
This, besides the fact that it entails taking into account future medical expenses, long-term therapy, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
Those victims who do not have a lawyer to represent them do not see the actual worth of their claims. Additionally, they often settle for way less than they should.
The injured person’s lawyer will work with medical professionals, financial experts, and life care planners to make sure that the full amount of your damages is what you get paid.
Missing Deadlines for Filing a Claim
Let’s bring an example from Virginia law. This law says that two years is a definite time within which a person can file a lawsuit in a personal injury and truck accident case.
Failure to file within the two years can result in no remedy at all under the West Virginia Law.
Interpreting the law without having a lawyer working on your case means that chances are high for you to overlook major deadlines and procedural requirements.
The legal counsel for Norfolk truck accidents will ensure that you are able to submit all documents on time and complete them accurately. Thereby, they will be able to protect your rights as per the law.
Handling Complex Litigation Alone
Without any successful negotiations, a truck accident claim may turn into a lawsuit.
Litigations in this field are much more prejudicial if you compare them with those of common car accidents. And there are demands that claimants need to meet. Some of these include:
For example, some of these include:
- Holding the plaintiff responsible,
- Participating in depositions.
- Establishing the fact.
If the injured parties decide to be their own attorneys in the litigation, they will have very big problems because they will face opponents who are the best in the law business i.e. attorneys of the corporate world.
It is the duty of the lawyer to lead the process of litigation which frequently requires the following: filing motions, conducting depositions, presenting evidence, and representing you in court.
Overlooking Future Damages
Victims of truck accidents only look at their immediate needs that consist of paying the bills on the emergency medical services.
Nonetheless, some severe wounds may require far-reaching treatments, surgeries in the future, and constant rehabilitation.
Your lawyer will predict forthcoming medical expenses and financial losses for you to make sure that your case is settled to completion.
If you don’t look into the upcoming (most important – beforehand) the damages part, then you can be left with the financial burden even two or three years after the case is closed.
Allowing the Insurance Company to Control the Narrative
By using different techniques, insurance companies are able to record the facts of an accident in their favor really quickly.
They might defend the idea that it was your fault, partially. Or else, your injuries are not as serious as they are declared.
The claims processing procedures may become a single-party activity if you don’t have a fighting back attorney.
By sharing all the facts and backing them with the most reliable evidence involved in your car accident, a lawyer for your truck will be able to establish everything clearly and tell your side of the story.
Not Seeking Immediate Medical Treatment
Some of those who are injured in road accidents may choose to avoid receiving immediate medical help as they find their injuries are just minor or are likely to heal quickly.
Moreover, the insurance company may exploit the late attendance of the doctor to assert that the injuries were not severe or that they had nothing to do with the accident.
The reason for seeking urgent health care is not just to safeguard your health; it actually becomes a major part of the evidence to establish the link between the accident and the injuries.
Your advocate will take this data as the backbone of the lawsuit. This will be helpful both in the talks and in the course of judicial processes.
Wrapping It Up!
If you want to file a claim after a truck accident of Norfolk, you can make fewer mistakes, and with the help of a competent lawyer, your chances of getting the money you need for your physical, financial, and emotional recovery will be higher.
I hope that you found this blog to be of help. If you have any other question related to the same, please feel free to let me know in the box below!
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