Commercial trucks are the most massive vehicles on the road. Mostly weighing from fifty to eighty thousand pounds, these trucks are hundreds of times more substantial and more dangerous than the average car. Because of their size, they put more people at risk when things go wrong. If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, you may feel helpless. Not only is the truck driver involved, but so is their company. This problem can make everything messier and complicate your ability to heal or overcome the crash.
Here are the steps you can take to get through the subsequent lawsuit to let you come out unscathed on the other side.
Gather Evidence
Photo evidence and eye witness accounts can decide how a case goes. Although your immediate concern after a crash should be taking care of anyone injured– it’s also essential to gather the information that will support your case. Take photos of injuries against any people or vehicles, and pay close attention to showing how the crash may have occurred.
Work to find any eyewitnesses who may have seen what happened. Witnesses will be able to support you in court and can be more readily believed than your exposition.
Determine Fault
Take the time to decide who’s at fault. If you find yourself at fault, you may be taken to court. If not, then you’ll have to consider your next steps. The error can appear through who caused the crash, although that’s not always clear. Consider if there was a rear-ending if one of the drivers was speeding or broke other traffic laws.
Decide Who to Sue
With commercial trucks, it can be difficult to tell who you should sue. Although the driver was the person who was driving the vehicle, the company is the entity that hired and insured this driver, as well as supplying the vehicle in most cases. The option to sue both the company and the driver is one that many take. By suing both the company and the driver, you can give yourself a better chance at winning, while also ensuring a dangerous driver is taken off the roads.
Seek Compensation
With proper legal counsel, you can look into getting compensation for your injuries. A good St. Louis truck accident lawyer can help you through this process, giving you a better chance at winning your case. Don’t just seek compensation for the physical effects of the crash. More than only your vehicle and body may have been hurt. The mental trauma can hold you from moving on with your life in the way you lived before. You should seek compensation for that since mental health is still a large part of your overall well being.
Follow Through
See your case through to the end. Although you may be offered a settling amount, please don’t agree to it only because it’s the easy way out. If they’re not offering the amount that you’ll need to recover, don’t accept it unless your legal council says it’s the best offer you’ll get. You deserve to heal and be able to move past this crash without being bogged down by the financial crisis.
