Truck accidents are often more catastrophic than your typical vehicle accident. These severe injuries require ongoing care and lead to weeks or months off work. To get the money you need to pay for your care and make up for lost wages, you likely need to file an insurance claim. Unfortunately, this process is quite difficult and complex when you have to go against a trucking company.
However, you do not need to face this task alone. A personal injury lawyer in Arlington County can help. Call the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC today to discuss your case: 571-229-1800.
What Can I Recover from a Truck Accident Settlement?
In any injury claim, you can recover both economic and noneconomic damages.
Economic damages are any documentable losses resulting from your truck accident. Economic damages often include:
- Current medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Loss of income
- Physical therapy expenses
- Miscellaneous expenses (e.g., the cost of gas to get to a doctor’s appointment, parking fees at your doctor’s office, the cost of renovating your house or vehicle to accommodate your disability)
Noneconomic damages include:
- “Pain and suffering” and inconvenience
- Mental anguish
We can investigate your accident and help you estimate the value of your claim.
How Can I Prove Liability and Negligence?
Trucks are larger and more difficult to drive than your average vehicle. For this reason, different laws and rules apply to truck drivers. Violation of these rules can cause serious accidents. Some of the most common ways truck drivers behave negligently include:
- Driving while fatigued: Laws apply that restrict how long a driver can remain behind the wheel. If the truck driver in your accident violated those rules and drove longer than allowed, he behaved negligently and can be liable for your injuries. We can obtain the driver’s hours of service logs to prove he drove longer than the law allows.
- Texting or talking on the phone while driving: Laws prohibit truck drivers from texting or using a handheld device to talk on the phone. If we can prove the driver was texting or otherwise using a handheld device during or before the accident, we can hold him liable. We can subpoena the driver’s cell phone records and the truck’s surveillance video to prove the driver was distracted.
If we can prove the truck driver is at-fault, chances are, we can also hold the trucking company liable. This is due to the concept of vicarious liability that allows injured parties to hold employers liable for actions their employees take in the scope of their employment.
An Arlington truck accident lawyer might also be able to hold the trucking company directly liable if it was negligent in it hiring, training, or retention of the driver who caused your accident.
How Can an Arlington Truck Accident Lawyer Help Me?
A trucking company has a large insurer and legal team behind it, ready to defend against any injury claims. And if you do not have experience handling these claims, it will likely be much more difficult to win the compensation you deserve.
Truck accident attorney Jim Parrish of the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC has experience on both sides of the table. He used to represent insurers, so he knows how these insurers operate and the tactics they use to devalue claims. It also means he knows how to defend against them.
This is especially important in Virginia because it can be very difficult to recover compensation if the trucking company is able to prove you contributed to the accident.
Jim also has intimate knowledge of trucking regulations and the laws surrounding accident claims. He knows that trucking companies can destroy the evidence you need to win your case. He also knows how to prevent that from happening. If you get him involved early enough, he will do everything in his power to ensure the preservation of the evidence you need.
Is There Anything I Can Do to Help My Claim?
Yes. There are three things you can do to help your claim:
Continue Receiving Medical Attention
Continue going to your appointments and follow your doctor’s advice. If you disobey your doctor’s orders or skip appointments, the insurer will likely claim that you are contributing to or exaggerating your injuries. This can lower the settlement you deserve.
Put Any Evidence in a Safe Place
If you got a copy of the police report or took any pictures or talked to any witnesses at the scene, be sure to put this all in a folder in a safe place. If possible, make a copy of the documents to give to us.
Avoid Speaking About Your Accident
Watch who you discuss your accident with. The insurer can use anything you say to its adjusters or even on social media against you.
For Help Call an Arlington Truck Accident Lawyer
Our consultations are free, and our primary objective is providing you with the guidance you need to make a well-informed decision. Call us at 571-229-1800 to take your first steps toward receiving the damages you deserve.