Small delivery trucks can pack a big punch if you get into an accident with one, and they always seem to be in a hurry. You are eligible to get compensation if you’re struck by one, but to get the most from your accident, you’ll need a lawyer.
Morelli Law has helped our clients get billions of dollars in compensation over our decades of service to the Bronx. Contact our delivery truck accident lawyers in the Bronx now for a free consultation to learn your legal options and how we can help you get justice and financial compensation.
You Can Make Multiple Claims
One thing that sets delivery truck accidents apart from other personal injury cases is that delivery drivers often work for an employer. If the delivery driver was performing their job at the time of the crash, you may have a valid claim against both the driver and their employer.
Multiple insurance claims give you a better opportunity of getting a fair settlement without going to court. Our Bronx personal injury lawyers will investigate what happened to determine who is liable and which insurance policies apply to your case.
Under New York law, your injuries must meet the serious injury standard or be worth more than your PIP coverage to qualify for a lawsuit. With delivery trucks, that’s quite possible because of their weight. Heavier trucks cause worse injuries and a higher chance of fatality, even at low speeds.
PIP Coverage and Delivery Truck Accidents
Assuming you carry New York insurance, your first place for accident compensation is your PIP coverage. This is no-fault insurance that covers personal injury costs up to a certain limit. You may also have additional coverages for other damages like vehicle damage.
The good thing about PIP is that you don’t need to prove fault to get compensation. The bad thing is that it’s limited. Some injuries are so severe that they’ll go far beyond the normal PIP policy limits. If this happened to you, you may be able to sue under the serious injury standard.
If your delivery truck accident lawyer in the Bronx can prove your costs after the crash go beyond the PIP limit, that can also open up the possibility of a lawsuit. Find out if your case qualifies by contacting Morelli Law for a free consultation right away.
What Damages Can I Claim in a Delivery Truck Accident?
You can seek compensation for any damages that you’ve suffered that are allowable under the law and proven by evidence. There are no special ones just for delivery truck accidents. You can get compensatory damages for things like:
- Medical bills for your injuries
- Vehicle repair and replacement
- Lost wages and lost economic opportunities
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death damages in fatal cases
In rare cases, you may also qualify for punitive damages. These are awarded by courts to victims when the act of negligence is so great that it deserves further punishment. Your case must go to trial in order to get these.
How Will You Win My Delivery Truck Accident Case?
Our delivery truck accident lawyers in the Bronx must prove four things in order to prove the driver acted negligently. We seek to prove these four things along with the value of your damages when we present a case. The four things are:
- Duty of care – Was the defendant(s) actually involved in the crash or legally liable?
- Breach of care – Did they do something that went beyond what a reasonable person seeking safety would do in the same situation?
- Causation – Did that breach cause an accident and not something else?
- Damages – Were you harmed in the accident, and how?
Once we have proven negligence, the other side now owes you compensation. The next phase is negotiating how much your compensation must be to reach a fair settlement. It’s almost impossible to get a truly fair settlement amount without the help of a delivery truck accident attorney in the Bronx like the team at Morelli Law.
Fatal Delivery Truck Accident Cases
A speeding delivery truck can easily cause a fatal crash. You may be suddenly facing both the loss of a loved one and a severe shock to your financial situation. No lawsuit can bring your loved one back, but a wrongful death claim can help you with financial problems afterward.
Wrongful death claims can pay for most of the damages above, plus special damages like final medical and burial expenses. However, these cases follow different rules than other personal injury claims. It’s in your best interest to speak with Morelli Law as soon as possible to learn your options.
Your case may need to deal with probate issues, like naming an executor of the deceased estate, before you can sue. This takes time, so you should start working with a Bronx delivery truck accident lawyer as soon as you can to start the process.
Will My Case Have to Go to Court?
Most personal injury cases avoid going to court because it’s risky for the insurance company. If a jury is in your favor, they may have to pay you far more than they want to pay. It’s the threat of this that gets insurers to pay a fairer amount.
Sometimes we have to start a case, and they’ll settle before the trial starts, but most cases settle out of court. If the evidence is clear, it will be easy to see if one side or the other was at fault. If it’s not so clear, then a trial may be necessary to get justice.
If a court finds that both you and the defendant shared fault in the accident, then your percentage of fault will reduce your compensation by that much. New York uses a pure comparative negligence standard, so you can still collect some compensation as long as you’re not 100% at fault.
Contact Morelli Law for Representation
If you live in the Bronx and you were in a crash with a delivery truck, it’s time to speak with a Bronx delivery truck accident attorney. The employer’s lawyers and insurers will try their best to pay as little as they can, and they’ll succeed if you don’t have representation yourself.
Morelli Law has secured over $1 billion in compensation for accident victims during our decades of service. Learn how we can help you with a free consultation call. Email or call us to schedule your appointment with our Bronx delivery truck accident lawyers.
