If you’ve been hurt by a reckless truck driver, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. But where do you begin, and what can you do to recover from this accident?
The lawyers at Baratta Law, LLC are here to help. Reach out to a Philadelphia truck accident lawyer if you’re hurt and unsure where to start when it comes to getting fairly compensated.
Trucking Accident Injuries Can Be Devastating
A large vehicle collision is particularly dangerous, especially for victims like motorcycle riders, passenger vehicle drivers, or pedestrians. When these crashes occur, you may have questions and severe injuries. The injuries suffered in a trucking accident can have a lifetime impact on your financial and medical future unless you have an advocate to fight for your cause.
There has been an increase in trucking accidents causing injuries and fatalities in recent years. The most disturbing statistic is the percentage of fatalities that have resulted from large truck crashes, relative to the numbers of these types of vehicles on our roads.
Truck drivers’ failure to uphold their duty of care to the public often results in serious injuries compensable by insurance companies. Unfortunately, many factors contribute to large vehicle or truck cases, often complicating liability and prolonging pain and suffering for catastrophic injury victims.
The representation of skilled accident consultants will provide guidance through these areas of Pennsylvania laws and courts. Victims need the experience and assistance of a Philadelphia truck accident lawyer on the path to being awarded justice.
Determining the Cause of Your Philadelphia Trucking Accident
Establishing liability and proving a driver’s negligence can present a particular challenge in trucking accident cases. Some large vehicles are backed by companies with lawyers who handle accident claims in association with insurance agencies. They’re not concerned with whether injured victims are paid reasonable settlements for the actions of negligent drivers.
In a state government like Pennsylvania’s, comparative negligence laws also factor into trucking accident lawsuits. Injured victims may be given the designation of partial fault for a collision due to relatively small factors such as minor speeding. Insurance companies know how to use contributing factors and comparative negligence to reduce the settlements offered to victims.
Lawyers with experience handling large truck matters will prepare your claim for a winning outcome from beginning to end. That representation involves the following:
- Timely collection of evidence
- Obtaining various types of information and documentation
- Seeking detailed witness statements
- Resources to investigate all factors of the accident
- Commitment to proving the other drivers’ liability
Compensable Damages in Trucking Accident Cases
Victims of truck accidents are compensable for their losses under the same laws and rules governing other types of personal injuries. That includes those sustained on business premises or medical malpractice, or a normal passenger vehicle accident. However, there may be a considerable increase in the expenses incurred by a collision with a large vehicle.
Trucking accident injuries are often catastrophic enough to change several areas of life due to the size and weight of the vehicle. It is only rightful for insurance companies to pay victims on a reasonable basis for every individual, compensable damage they’ve suffered due to a truck driver’s negligence. Accident victims are entitled to several forms of compensation:
- Medical Bills – Both immediate medical attention and unpredictable future care needs can be quite costly. In big truck accidents, injuries can be devastating. Burns, paralysis, broken bones, long hospital stays, amputation, and disfigurement require years of medical treatments like occupational or other rehabilitation and a continued need for the use of prescription drugs.
- Property Damage – In a collision with a large truck like a tractor-trailer or 18-wheeler, passenger vehicles stand little chance of not being totaled. While you await a reasonable property damage settlement from an insurance adjuster, you may have rental car or other transportation expenses. These are compensable losses in large truck cases.
- Lost Income – The types of serious injuries suffered in trucking accidents often cause victims to miss out on wages from potentially hundreds of hours they are unable to work due to a driver’s negligence. A decreased household income can make a difference in your quality of life. Financial strain can make a stressful and painful situation worse.
- Pain and Suffering – Some damages are a challenge to calculate or quantify, such as mental anguish or ongoing trauma. As your physical injuries and property are repaired, you may also experience invisible but considerable pain and suffering or emotional distress. A skilled attorney can help you evaluate, calculate, and pursue non-economic damages for pain and suffering.
- Punitive Damages – In Pennsylvania, a judge may award compensation beyond economic and non-economic damages if the driver’s actions qualify as outrageous or willfully malicious. This type of damage is awarded to punish negligent parties for their carelessness and deter others from deciding to operate a vehicle improperly or while under the influence, distracted, or tired.
- Incidental Expenses – Predicting the future costs of severe injuries is tough, so accident lawyers must evaluate all expenses. That can include thousands of dollars in home or vehicle modifications, in-home medical assistance, reduction in future earning potential, or even lodging near a medical provider. You deserve to be paid every penny.
Circumstances of your specific accident injuries can change the compensable damages you’ve earned. An effective trucking accident lawyer will collect information and evidence needed to calculate reasonable settlements. Once our attorneys have reviewed your case, they can answer important questions and give a more comprehensive picture of your compensable damages.
What Assistance Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Provide?
Some people may view hiring lawyers as a simple matter of convenience, letting someone else handle their accident claims. But your attorney has built a career on a foundation of knowledge of personal injury laws. That includes laws like Pennsylvania’s modified comparative negligence law that allow companies to take advantage of victims by offering lowball settlements.
Unsure how to get insurance companies to accept accountability for their drivers’ negligence? Here are some of the many ways our team of lawyers and assistants provide the assistance trucking accident victims need.
Review Your Claim and Represent You at No Charge Unless We Win
Trucking accident lawyers take cases on a contingency basis. For your case, that means once they’ve reviewed and accepted your possible claim, they won’t charge you anything upfront or at any time during their representation.
Contingency fees are fixed percentages of final settlements or verdicts agreed upon at the beginning of a case. That means we don’t get paid unless we achieve sufficient success for our clients.
Evaluate Damages Claimed
Once a truck accident lawyer has reviewed your possible claim, they can provide a picture of the compensable damage you’ve suffered.
From the time they represent you, your attorney will continually follow your relief care, increasing your peace of mind by answering questions about your case. They can use that knowledge to negotiate with insurers or achieve winning verdicts in trials.
Handle Accident Claims and Insurance Negotiations
When you’re dealing with pain and recovery from serious injuries after a truck accident, the last thing you want to do is file insurance claims, answer an adjuster’s questions, pick up a police report, or order your medical records. Worse, you may be afraid of making a mistake.
These are all important steps toward a winning outcome. There are countless benefits of hiring a professional to handle the legal details and factors of your accident.
Maximize Insurance Settlements and Court Verdicts
One major advantage of hiring an attorney with a reputation for excellence in accident cases is that they have the abilities, knowledge, and resources to make sure you are awarded the maximum amount possible for your injuries. Although we give insurance agencies every chance to reach reasonable settlements, we’re prepared to use the courts to pursue justice if needed.
Schedule a Consultation with a Philadelphia Truck Accident Lawyer at No Charge Today
Although our lawyers cannot guarantee a specific outcome in your claim or fix all your problems, Baratta Law, LLC is interested in your trucking accident story. Each attorney in our office is a top-rated national leader in personal injury practice areas with decades of experience. More importantly, our clients can always rest assured we have worked our hardest and communicated with them diligently.
If you’ve been seriously injured in a trucking accident, schedule a free consultation with our lawyers today by calling 215-914-8132 or filling out the form below. Ensure you and your loved ones are covered by the guidance of a skilled professional and a friendly legal team. Contact a Philadelphia truck accident lawyer dedicated to winning outcomes through quality service to our clients.
