When Should You Get a Lawyer for a Truck Accident?

You may want to get a lawyer after any truck accident that causes injuries, property damage, or death. You may also need a lawyer for crashes that involve multiple parties, if you feel unsure about your legal options, or if you hold partial liability for the crash.

An attorney may help you get financial recovery for your losses through a personal injury claim. An Atlanta truck accident lawyer can answer your questions, guide you through the legal process, and help you secure compensation for medical expenses, lost pay, pain, suffering, and other losses.

Get a Lawyer After Any Truck Crash Causing Injuries or Property Damage

An Atlanta personal injury lawyer can help if you sustain injuries or property damage in a trucking accident, helping with all aspects of the legal process. More than any other type of accident, truck collisions can have severe consequences. Many are even deadly.

Semi-truck and 18-wheelers are enormous vehicles that often transport heavy and hazardous materials. If they get in an accident, it can be catastrophic for the victims.

If you were involved in a truck accident, chances are good that you are facing losses like:

• Medical bills, doctor visits, prescription medications, and other treatment-related expenses
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
• Vehicle repair costs (or a totaled vehicle)
• Mental anguish
• Emotional distress
• Pain that stops you from enjoying your life
• Loss of companionship or consortium
• Wrongful death damages

Accidents with serious injuries or that result in death can easily result in complicated lawsuits—or even multiple cases against different parties. You never want to try representing yourself in this type of situation because you will need legal expertise to see success.

When should you get a lawyer for a truck accident? You will want to hire a truck crash lawyer as soon as possible so they can make sure you are on track to seek a fair recovery if you have injuries and a lot of losses.

Serious Injuries Can Stop You From Working

A lot of truck crash injuries will keep you from working for a certain amount of time. Some injuries may prevent you from ever working in the same capacity again. If your injuries have impacted your work life, it’s time to contact a lawyer who can help.

A lawyer who specializes in truck accidents will know how to calculate what you deserve based on your injuries and how they will affect your ability to work both now and in the future.

Get a Lawyer for Crashes Involving Multiple Parties

Many types of accidents involve only two parties: each driver. However, truck collisions usually involve several parties, and there might be more than one party to blame for what happened.

Surprisingly, a lot of truck accident victims are unaware of all of the potentially at-fault parties in their accidents. 

Fortunately, a lawyer can identify all potentially responsible parties, ensuring that you do not miss out on additional compensation to cover your damages.

Parties Potentially Responsible for Truck Crashes

Who can be sued in a truck accident case? The truck driver is the most obvious person involved in a truck crash, but their trucking company will likely play a part as well. Other parties that may be involved include:

• Truck manufacturers
• Truck parts manufacturers
• Mechanic or repair shops
• Cargo companies
• Government entities
• Or another driver

The fact that your accident involved a truck driver already complicates the case. Plus, businesses in the trucking industry must follow specific state and federal laws regarding truck maintenance, inspections, qualifications for drivers, logging hours, and more. If anyone dropped the ball, it may have contributed to the accident that injured you.

When should you get an attorney for a truck accident? It’s best to work with an Atlanta personal injury lawyer who can investigate and account for all potentially liable parties. They will be able to identify any potentially responsible parties in the accident so you know where to turn to for compensation.

Get a Lawyer if You’re Not Sure Where to Start

A truck crash case can be very overwhelming, as there are a lot of moving parts. If you’re just not sure where to start or how to begin building your case, reach out to a trusted and experienced personal injury attorney. A lawyer can help you through each step of the process and will know how to protect your legal rights.

If you’re worried about the cost of hiring a lawyer, you can rest easy knowing that most injury lawyers do not take a fee unless they win you money. Then, if they do win you a settlement or an award, their fee is simply taken as a percentage of what they win for you.

Lawyers Deal with the Insurance Company

When several parties are involved in a truck accident case, it often means the claim will involve more than one insurance policy. For example, the trucking company will have an insurance policy, but the truck driver, the truck itself, and sometimes even the cargo in the truck might also have insurance coverage.

Dealing with one insurance company after a truck accident is overwhelming enough. When multiple insurance companies are involved, it can be impossible to know what to do. Insurance companies do not like to pay much on accident claims, so they will look for ways to reduce what they owe you.

It’s common for insurance companies to reach out to truck accident victims soon after their accident and offer a lowball settlement. The company may try to get information to use against you later. The professionals recommend that you work with a lawyer who can handle the insurance companies for you so the companies can’t take advantage of you.

Lawyers Handle Your Legal Strategy

While many truck crash cases get settled out of court through an insurance claim, the right strategy varies a lot from case to case. To make sure you’re pursuing the correct legal action for fair compensation, contact a truck accident attorney who can give you advice targeted to your situation.

Hiring a professional can help you secure maximum compensation for your economic and non-economic damages through the claims process.

So, when should you get a lawyer after a truck accident? An experienced attorney can help after any crash caused by someone else’s negligence. It’s worth hiring a truck accident lawyer to help in many cases. 

Hire a Lawyer if You Might Be Partially at Fault

If there’s a chance you may hold some fault in the truck collision, contact a lawyer right away.

In Georgia, under the state’s modified comparative negligence laws, you can still seek compensation if you are less than 50% at fault for the accident. However, you might have a harder time getting the compensation you deserve, so you should get a lawyer who can help.

Talk to Us After an Accident in Atlanta

When should you get a lawyer for a truck accident? You should reach out to a team of legal professionals for help after any crash that caused you injuries or property damage for personalized legal counsel.

At John Foy & Associates, we have 20-plus years of experience helping truck accident victims win what they deserve. We work only for injury victims—never for insurance companies.

If you need immediate help with your truck accident case, call us today for a FREE consultation or contact us online.