After you are injured in a trucking accident, there are many ways a trucking accident lawyer can help you seek financial compensation. A trucking accident or personal injury lawyer from our firm may:
- Prove the at-fault party’s negligence
- Build a solid case file
- Conduct information and fact-gathering sessions with you, the at-fault party, and accident witnesses
- Identify the responsible party
- Assign an accurate monetary value to your potential compensation package
- Define and comply with the applicable statute of limitations in your state
- Regularly update you on the progress of your lawsuit
We Can Assign a Value to Your Injuries
Calculating the financial expenses and losses that stem from a trucking accident can involve a myriad of records, reports, documents, and receipts. Compiling and calculating these costs can be daunting, because you need to prove causation for each and every type of compensation you sue to recover. Your recoverable damages may include:
- Medical and rehabilitative care until your recovery is complete
- Travel expenses related to receiving medical care
- Loss of income resulting from your injuries and their treatments
- Property damage or property loss
- Mental, emotional, and physical pain and suffering
- Any long-term or permanent physical disfigurement
- Any long-term or permanent physical or intellectual disability
- Overall reduction in your quality of life due to loss of independence or ongoing symptoms
You do not have to pursue financial compensation from the at-fault party without assistance. A personal injury lawyer from our firm might be able to help prove the cause, cost, and financial impact of the accident, and establish your potential right to monetary recovery due to negligence.
Personal Injury Versus Wrongful Death
The damages discussed above may apply to both personal injury and wrongful death cases. However, there are some types of damages that only wrongful death victims may sue for, including:
- Loss of society and companionship – in short, the intangible benefits that your loved one brought to their relationships with relatives
- Funeral expenses or other end-of-life expenses
- Loss of the income your loved one would have earned over the course of their career
We May Help You Identify the At-Fault Party
In a trucking accident, knowing who to pursue for financial recovery can be challenging. For example, potential liable parties might include:
- The truck driver, if their negligence led to the collision
- The truck driver’s employer, if undue pressure or improperly loaded cargo led to the collision
- The truck’s manufacturer, if the truck malfunctioned or one of its components failed to function as expected
- The truck’s maintenance team, if faulty maintenance caused the truck to malfunction at a critical moment
A lawyer from our office might be able to determine who bears liability for your injuries. To define the liable party, we may use:
- The official crash report of the accident (injury accidents must be reported within 10 days, per VAT § 605)
- The truck’s maintenance records
- The truck’s inspection records
- The driver’s logbook
- Photos of the accident scene
- Photos of the loaded cargo
- Surveillance footage or other video footage
We May Request Evidence
One of the most important ways that a trucking accident attorney from our firm can help you is by collecting enough evidence to build a strong, persuasive case. Using evidence such as the following, we might be able to get the liable party’s insurance company to offer a prompt and fair settlement.
Crash Report
The official crash report – the document that local law enforcement created after responding to the accident—can establish many basic facts, including:
- The accident date (this can prove you are complying with the statute of limitations codified at CPLR § 214)
- Contact details for the at-fault trucker and their employer
- Accident witness contact information and their statements
- Where each vehicle was impacted
- Where each injured party was seated
- The severity of damage to each vehicle
- The severity of the injuries sustained by each party
Our firm can request a copy of your crash report on your behalf. We can use it both as evidence in its own right and as a guide that tells us where other potential sources of evidence may be located.
Depositions
We can conduct depositions that allow us to question parties related to the accident under oath. This may include:
- The at-fault party
- Eyewitnesses
- Experts, such as medical or economic professionals
Medical Records
Along with your crash report, we can request copies of your medical records. They will contain details about:
- Your current and prescribed medical care
- Each location where you were treated, referred for treatment, or sought follow-up care
- What types of injuries you sustained and how serious they are
- Symptoms that you experienced and sought care for
All of this can help us assign a value to the medical portion of your injury lawsuit.
We May Negotiate a Settlement
The insurance company might be reluctant to offer you a settlement that meets all of your current and projected needs. They may even try to blame you for your own injuries so that they do not have to pay as much.
The truck accident attorneys at our firm are not intimidated by insurance company lawyers. We are familiar with the types of tactics they may employ and can counteract them by:
- Arranging a time and place to meet for negotiations
- Presenting the evidence we have collected
- Vigorously defending your rights and insisting that they pay a fair amount
- Drawing up the necessary paperwork once a settlement is reached
- Preparing to take your case to court if they do not offer a fair settlement
- Representing you in the courtroom by presenting evidence and oral arguments
We Can Fight for Financial Compensation
A trucking accident might leave you with physical injuries that lead to serious financial consequences. Instead of shouldering these costs alone, you might be able to assign that responsibility to the appropriate at-fault party. Find out how a trucking accident lawyer can help by contacting the truck accident team at Morelli Law Firm. Call us at (212) 751-9800 when you are ready to start with a free consultation.