Many people are afraid when they get passed by a semi-truck. It’s a healthy fear. These huge and heavy vehicles can cause devastating injuries if their drivers act recklessly or negligently. People in smaller vehicles rarely stand a chance of walking away without harm if they’re in a semi-truck crash.
What should you do after you’ve been hurt? Will you have to pay the costs of medical care, vehicle replacement, and more? If you have a Mt. Vernon, IL, truck accident lawyer on your side, you may not have to. Find out how we can help you file an insurance claim or lawsuit to get the cash you need to pay for your care.
Semi-Truck Accidents Pay More Compensation
Since semi-truck accidents can cause so much damage, their insurance policy limits are much higher than the minimum required for Illinois passenger vehicle drivers. Also, most semi-truck accidents have multiple parties you can sue, which can further increase how much compensation you can get.
Trucking companies are responsible for the actions of their employees, and they may even be liable if the driver is an independent contractor. If we catch the employer breaking regulations, then they share liability. For example, if they encourage their employees to break the maximum time they can drive by law, that would be an example of negligent behavior.
Morelli Law knows how to get the most out of any accident case. We’ve helped our clients win over 1 billion dollars in compensation over our decades of service. You deserve to get the maximum value from your claim, and we can help you get it.
Who Should I Contact After a Semi-Truck Accident?
There are four parties you need to contact after any semi-truck accident. You need to contact the police, a doctor, your insurance company, and a law firm.
Police
Most states require drivers to report any accident involving injury or death, or a certain amount of property damage. You may have to report it to the police or to the Department of Motor Vehicles. This report starts an official record of what happened in your crash, and we can use that report as evidence.
Doctor
You may have been taken to the hospital right after your crash, but if you could walk away, then see a doctor right away. The shock and adrenaline of the crash may hide your injuries and you can hurt yourself further if you don’t take care of yourself.
Insurers will also watch how long you take to see a doctor. If you take too long, they will have reason to think your crash wasn’t as bad as you say, or that your injuries didn’t happen in the crash. Try to see a doctor within 24 hours of your crash.
Your Insurance Company
Notifying your insurance company starts the claim process. Your insurance company will contact the trucker’s insurance company to figure out what happened. Telling your insurer about your crash is usually a condition for coverage.
If the other driver’s insurance company contacts you, be careful. They are looking for information to use against you. If you have already hired a Mt. Vernon semi-truck accident lawyer, you can tell the insurer to talk to them. If you don’t have one, try to avoid any statements that might put you at fault or imply that you’re not injured.
Contacting Morelli Law
Finally, contact Morelli Law and ask for a free consultation with one of our semi-truck accident lawyers in Mt. Vernon. Suing the semi-truck driver is a complicated process. You need an expert who can help you:
- Understand your legal position, give you advice, and guide you through the claims process
- Communicate with all other parties on your behalf
- Review all information and gather evidence about your accident to build a strong case
- Conduct a private investigation to discover more evidence and interview witnesses
- Identify all liable parties
- Handle all the paperwork necessary to process your case
- Negotiate a settlement with the insurance providers
- Take your claim to court if a settlement doesn’t happen
Mt. Vernon Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me 877-751-9800
Calculating Your Damages
Before filing your claim, we also need to calculate the financial value of your claim. Every accident presents a unique set of costs. Never let an insurance company decide how much your case is worth. Let us do it for you. You can pursue compensation for things like:
- Medical expenses
- Current and future loss of income
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disability
- Property damage costs
Once you settle your case, you cannot get more money from the same accident if it’s not enough. That’s why it’s vital to tally up the value of your case accurately before making the claim, and the best way to do that is to hire an experienced lawyer who can help you do that like the team at Morelli Law.
When Do I Need to Contact a Lawyer?
You may be in the hospital for some time while you recover. Should you wait until you’re out of the hospital before you contact a lawyer? You should contact a lawyer as soon as you can after your accident. Once you can hold a conversation, we can work with you even if you’re still in the hospital.
Illinois has a maximum time limit of two years after an accident to start a lawsuit. The longer you wait to work with a lawyer, the less time they’ll have to work on your case before you’re forced to sue. Waiting also gives the opposing lawyer more time to work against you.
If you try to sue beyond this deadline, called the statute of limitations, the court will say you took too long to file and dismiss your case. This will leave you with no compensation, so it’s crucial to call Morelli Law to learn your legal options right away.
Get Help With Your Semi-Truck Accident
Getting the full value of your accident claim is hard without the help of a lawyer. A Mt. Vernon semi-truck accident lawyer from Morelli Law can help you through the process. We work on a contingency-fee basis, so you will owe us nothing unless we help you win your case.
Contact us today to learn your legal options and how we can help you get the most from your semi-truck accident claim.