In 2022, there were 6,878 crashes in New York involving large trucks. These accidents injured 4,854 people and caused 123 fatalities. Truck accidents can affect many lives.
If you are involved in a truck accident, you are likely eligible to seek compensation for your damages through an insurance claim. Do you need to hire a truck accident lawyer? You don’t have to, but many people do, for good reason.
Why Should You Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?
Truck accident claims can be extremely complex, and you have a much better chance of obtaining a favorable outcome if you hire a competent lawyer to handle your claim. Let’s take a look at some of the possible complications.
Multiple Potentially Liable Parties
In most car accidents, determining who is to blame is relatively straightforward. The guilty parties are usually the drivers, and these people usually own their vehicles.
With trucks, there are several parties that could share fault if the truck causes a crash. It is often necessary to investigate a truck accident to find out which party is responsible:
- Truck driver
- Trucking company
- Cargo loaders
- Maintenance companies
- Parts or vehicle manufacturers
You might not be able to discover which parties caused your accident on your own, especially if your injuries are serious. Fortunately, Cellino Law can.
Government Agencies
Various government entities are responsible for maintaining roadways and traffic lights. If poor maintenance contributed to causing your truck accident, you may be able to hold the responsible agency accountable. However, these claims often have shorter deadlines and strict protocols you must meet and follow.
Shared Fault
In many accidents, multiple drivers share fault. Every state has negligence laws that govern whether you can seek compensation from other liable parties if you share the blame for causing your accident.
In New York, we use pure comparative negligence. You can seek damages even if you are 99% responsible for your accident. However, you will see your payout reduced proportionally to your share of fault.
Ensuring that the percentage of fault assigned to you is fair is one of your attorney’s most important jobs.
Multiple-Vehicle Crashes
Many times, truck crashes turn into multiple-vehicle accidents. The more vehicles involved, the more complicated your insurance claim becomes.
Truck Accident Investigations
Investigating a truck accident has many necessary steps:
- Obtaining police reports, medical records, truck maintenance records and trucker work logs
- Interviewing the parties involved and eyewitnesses
- Reviewing photos and seeking video footage of the accident as it happened
- Potentially obtaining driver cell phone records or searching for establishments that served alcohol to drivers
- Following any leads to discover evidence proving fault
Investigating a truck accident thoroughly takes time, money and a lot of effort. You may not be equipped to conduct a full-scale investigation, but Cellino Law is.
High Damages
Many people sustain serious injuries in truck crashes. You may need surgeries, rehabilitation and an extended recuperation period. Your medical bills might be astronomical.
A long recovery means you can’t work, so you probably won’t have any income during this time. Combined with your medical expenses, you may face significant financial hardship.
While liable insurance companies should compensate you for damages caused by their policyholders, they frequently try to minimize payouts. This is particularly true for truck accidents when claimants have high damage amounts.
Case Worth
You probably know that you can ask for compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages and property damage. Did you know you might also qualify to seek several other types of compensation?
Every accident is different, and your attorney will calculate your damages using case-specific information. You might be able to obtain compensation for:
- Replacement services (for example, the costs of hiring caregivers)
- Pain and suffering
- Anxiety, depression and PTSD
- Other adverse impacts on your quality of life
An experienced truck accident lawyer can assess your accident, tell you what kinds of damages you could receive and how much your claim is worth. We can also fight to see that you get as much as you deserve.
Reluctant Insurance Companies
Insurance companies know how much your claim is worth. Unfortunately, they typically offer a lesser amount intentionally, hoping that you don’t realize you can negotiate for a higher payout. They might also deny your claim altogether.
Insurers frequently object to paying non-economic damages that should compensate you for quality-of-life conditions. You may need to hire doctors who can be expert witnesses to testify on your behalf in order to overcome insurance company reluctance and receive reasonable compensation.
Insurance companies have teams of intimidating attorneys representing them. The average person isn’t familiar with their tactics or how to negotiate effectively. We at Cellino Law have decades of experience dealing with these strategies, and we know how to negotiate and win.
Potential Trial
We settle most cases without needing to file a civil lawsuit and take it to trial. However, there are times when going to court is necessary. Even if you have handled your case to this point, you will likely need to bring an attorney on board if you plan to file a legal claim.
Does a Truck Accident Attorney Help in Other Ways?
Aside from being well-equipped to handle the challenges you might face with your truck accident claim, your truck accident lawyer from Cellino Law can help in several other ways.
Provide Information
Many people have never needed to file insurance claims after an accident and may not understand everything involved. Your recovery period may not be the best time to research the process.
When you contact Cellino Law to request your free case review, we will discuss the facts of your case and offer relevant information. We will also explain your legal options and can recommend a course of action.
Handle Administrative Tasks
There is a lot of case-related paperwork to complete, submit before applicable deadlines and gather in the aftermath of a truck accident. Cellino Law can take this responsibility off your shoulders.
Serve as Your Spokesperson
Insurance company agents, representatives, adjusters and investigators will likely contact you multiple times after a truck accident. You need to rest and recuperate from your injuries, not field intrusive phone calls all day. During these conversations, they may attempt to confuse or trick you into admitting fault for causing your accident or accepting a low settlement offer.
When you hire Cellino Law, your legal team can handle all communications with insurers. These people won’t bother you constantly, and we will not fall for their tactics.
Negotiate Higher Settlements
You deserve reasonable compensation for your damages. Your truck accident attorney will determine how much your claim is worth and fight to get that amount. We will negotiate with liable insurance companies in hopes of avoiding a trial, but we will take your case to court if needed to achieve a favorable outcome.
Why Choose a Truck Accident Lawyer From Cellino Law?
If you decide to hire an attorney, you need to choose a respected law firm known for winning cases similar to yours. Since 1958, a Cellino Law firm has helped injured New Yorkers win over $2 billion in settlements and millions more in recoveries. We have the resources you would expect from a large firm, but we give every client the personal attention you deserve. Best of all, you won’t pay us any fees unless we win money for you.
If you sustained injuries in a truck accident, contact Cellino Law today. Let us show you why so many people trust our firm to handle their legal matters.