When a truck accident takes place, victims are left facing unthinkable circumstances. Along with being emotionally traumatized by the severity of the crash, they are also dealing with various types of serious injuries including broken bones, lacerations, head injuries, and much more. All of this, along with knowing they will miss significant time from their job and face months of rehabilitation, all add up to a life that may be forever changed. Because of this, it will be important to hold those responsible for the accident accountable for their negligence. To do so, they will need to seek out the best personal injury lawyer to help them gain maximum compensation. If you are the victim of a large-truck accident and need compensation for your injuries and other damages, here are some questions to ask your attorney during your initial consultation and afterwards.
Will I Need to Pay Upfront?
Before you ever decide to hire a California truck accident attorney, always make sure you are very clear as to their fee structure. With most attorneys who specialize in personal injury, they work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning they don’t get paid unless they win your case. When this happens, they usually take a percentage of the judgement awarded you, which often falls in the 25-40 percent range.
Do You Have Experience in These Cases?
Since large-truck accidents can be very complex and involve extensive negotiations with insurance companies and others, it is vital you work with attorneys who have years of experience handling such cases. Because these cases often come down to many different types of evidence related to the crash scene, you should always work with lawyers who can point to a track record of success in winning these cases. Whether it is examining police reports about the accident or working with analysts who perform accident reconstruction and can testify in court as to what took place, always make sure your attorney uses every resource available to them to win your case.
How Much Compensation Should I Seek?
Since truck accidents account for nearly $200,000 in damages from a typical accident, you should always work very closely with your attorneys from West Coast Trial Lawyers to obtain maximum compensation for your injuries and other damages. Therefore, always make sure you and your attorney spend a significant amount of time discussing how much compensation you and your family will need. This should include such areas as current as well as future medical expenses, lost wages from now as well as the future, property damage, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and even the prospect of gaining punitive damages, especially if the actions of the defendant were deemed to be especially negligent and careless.
Will My Case Go to Court?
While it is true many personal injury cases do make it to trial, statistics show far more of them never see the inside of a courtroom. Instead, clients rely on their best personal injury lawyer to negotiate out-of-court settlements with the defendant’s insurance company. Due to these negotiations sometimes lasting weeks or longer, it is imperative you remain patient throughout this process. Also, since insurance companies are rarely eager to pay out compensation no matter the circumstances, always make sure your attorney has an ample supply of evidence to work with before beginning these negotiations. By doing so, they can be aggressive from the first day of negotiations and put pressure on the insurance company to settle sooner rather than later.
What Should I Say About the Accident?
When you ask this question, your experienced and knowledgeable California truck accident attorney will tell you to say as little as possible about the accident while your case plays out in court or during negotiations. For example, if you are contacted by police for a follow-up interview about the accident or are contacted by insurance representatives wanting to discuss a potential settlement, always direct these parties to your attorney. If you don’t, there is a good chance you may say something that could possibly hurt your case. Should you simply tell an insurance company representative “I’m fine” or “I’m doing okay” during the course of a conversation, they will probably turn this around to say you admitted not being seriously injured. If this happens, you may have a harder time winning your case. Therefore, while trying to be cooperative, it is best if you direct all conversations directly to your skilled and knowledgeable attorney.
Is Documentation of My Injuries Important?
Whenever you are pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, it is absolutely imperative you have as much documentation as possible regarding any injuries you sustained in your truck accident. To begin with, always make sure you allow paramedics at the accident scene to evaluate your injuries and begin treatment, since this will demonstrate you were indeed injured in the accident. Along with this, always allow yourself to be transported to a hospital for additional treatment and testing, since you likely experienced serious injuries that required immediate treatment. If you follow these recommendations, there will be no doubt that all of your injuries and the treatment you received then will be documented in your medical records. Should there be questions later on as to the extent of your injuries and the treatment they required, your best personal injury lawyer can have various doctors testify in court on your behalf.
Can I Still Get On Social Media While My Case is Active?
While you think getting on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter will be harmless while your case plays out, the truth is it can be a death sentence for your case if you say or do the wrong thing. For example, since you will still be upset about your injuries, you may post angry comments about the defendant or insurance company, or even post details about the accident that could be used against you. In addition, you may decide to post photos of yourself as you recover at home from your injuries. However, if these photos make it appear as if you are having no difficulty performing certain physical tasks, an insurance company may use these photos to strengthen its argument that you were not seriously injured in the accident. Since it is very likely your social media accounts are being monitored by insurance company personnel, the defendant’s attorneys, and probably investigators hired by either of these parties, be very careful about getting on social media. To get the best results, take the advice of your California truck accident attorney and stay off social media until your case is completed.
What are My Chances of Winning the Case?
When you have your initial consultation with an attorney, it will be important to discuss the various details of your accident so that they can get a clear idea of what transpired. By doing so, they can use their knowledge and years of experience to formulate an objective opinion as to whether or not you do indeed have a personal injury case that needs to be pursued. Since you will have many questions regarding your accident and how to gain compensation for your injuries, schedule a consultation as soon as possible with West Coast Trial Lawyers.
