What to Expect After a Commercial Truck Accident in Ohio

If you have been seriously injured in a commercial truck accident, it will be important to know what you can expect as you move forward. In this scenario, it is up to you to do what it takes to seek the financial compensation you deserve—and this makes it essential to have an experienced Columbus truck accident lawyer on your side.

Once you hire an experienced Columbus truck accident lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will be able to explain everything you need to know. Your lawyer will also be able to fight for just compensation on your behalf. But, even with an experienced lawyer on your side, you will still need to be careful to avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your financial recovery.

What to Expect After a Commercial Truck Accident

With this in mind, what can (and should) you expect after a commercial truck accident in Ohio? Here are some key factors to keep in mind:

1. The Trucking Company Will Put Its Interests First

No matter what happened, you can expect the trucking company to put its interests first. Trucking companies can face significant liability when their drivers cause serious accidents, and most trucking companies will fight to avoid liability by all means available.

2. The Insurance Companies Will Put Their Interests First

Just like the trucking company, the insurance companies will put their interests first as well. An insurance adjuster’s job is to protect the company’s financial interests first and foremost, and the insurance companies investigate commercial truck accidents with their own best interests in mind. If you let the insurance companies take control of your truck accident claim, it is all but certain that you will not receive the full compensation you deserve.

3. It Will Be Up to You to Protect Your Legal Rights

With these two factors in mind, it will be up to you to protect your legal rights. To seek the financial compensation you deserve, you will need evidence that proves the trucking company (or another at-fault party) is liable, and you will also need comprehensive documentation of your accident-related losses. As long as you contact an experienced Columbus truck accident lawyer in time, your lawyer will be able to assist with these two critical aspects of your claim.

4. Various Forms of Evidence May Be Available to Prove Liability

Proving liability in a commercial truck accident is often a multi-step process. Not only is it critical to investigate the scene of the accident as soon as possible, but in most cases, it will be necessary to gather evidence from various other sources as well. Depending on what happened, your lawyer may need to obtain the truck driver’s driving log, the truck’s maintenance records, and various other forms of documentation to prove your legal rights. If necessary, your lawyer can seek to obtain this documentation through the litigation process.

5. Preserving the Available Evidence Will Be Your Lawyer’s First Priority

Once you hire a lawyer to represent you, preserving the available evidence will be your lawyer’s first priority. Most importantly, your lawyer will want to send an investigator to the scene of the accident as soon as possible. Forensic evidence can disappear quickly, so you can expect your lawyer to try to preserve this evidence right away.

6. Your Lawyer Will Also Help with Documenting Your Losses

Along with working to gather the evidence needed to prove liability, you can also expect your lawyer to help with documenting your losses. The financial and non-financial costs of serious injuries can be substantial, and if you have a truck accident claim, you are entitled to just compensation for all of your present and future losses resulting from the accident. Understanding and documenting these losses requires experienced legal representation.

7. You May (or May Not) Receive a Fair Settlement Offer

When you are facing the consequences of a serious truck accident, receiving a fair settlement offer provides an opportunity to resolve your claim and begin the process of moving on with your life. While most successful truck accident claims settle, there is no guarantee that the insurance companies will make a fair offer in your case. Your lawyer will work to secure a fair offer on your behalf, and if an offer is on the table, your lawyer will help you decide whether to accept.  

8. It Will Be Up to You to Decide Whether to Settle

While your lawyer will help you decide whether to accept any settlement offers that are on the table, this is unequivocally your decision to make. When an offer is on the table, your lawyer’s job is to help you make an informed decision based on a clear understanding of the compensation you are entitled to recover and the likelihood that you would be able to recover additional compensation at trial.

9. You Will Have the Opportunity to Fight for Just Compensation if Necessary

If you choose not to accept a settlement offer (or if an offer isn’t on the table), you will have the opportunity to fight for just compensation in court. In this scenario, your lawyer will prepare your case for trial, and then your lawyer will present your case to a judge or jury. With that said, settlement remains a possibility at this stage, and it is not unusual for cases to settle on the eve of trial or even once a trial is underway.

10. You Will Only Pay Legal Fees if Your Case is Successful

If you hire a Columbus truck accident lawyer to represent you, you will only pay legal fees if your case is successful. This is known as contingency-fee representation. If you receive a settlement or verdict, your legal fees will be calculated as a percentage of your award. If you do not receive a settlement or verdict, you will owe nothing for your legal representation.

What Not to Expect After a Commercial Truck Accident

Along with knowing what to expect after a commercial truck accident, it is important to know what not to expect as well. For example, here are five things you should not expect as you move forward:

• You Will Not Have an Unlimited Amount of Time to Take Action – When you need to seek financial compensation for a truck accident, you need to take action before you run out of time. As we discussed above, important evidence can disappear quickly, and if you wait too long, you can lose your legal rights entirely.
• The Insurance Companies Will Not Have Your Best Interests in Mind – Since the insurance companies put their interests first, this means they do not have your best interests in mind. Unless and until you prove how much you deserve to recover, they won’t know the value of your claim, and their goal throughout the process will be to pay you as little as possible.
• The Insurance Companies Will Not Calculate Your Losses for You – Filing a personal injury claim after a truck accident is not like filing a claim for property damage after a car-on-car collision. You cannot rely on the insurance companies to calculate your losses for you—if you do, you almost certainly will not receive the full compensation you deserve.
• Your Lawyer Will Not Pressure You to Accept an Unfair Settlement – An experienced and reputable Columbus truck accident lawyer will not pressure you to accept an unfair settlement. Ultimately, your lawyer’s job is to help maximize your financial recovery, and an experienced and reputable lawyer will be prepared to fight for just compensation in court if necessary.
• Your Lawyer Will Not Leave You to Make Important Decisions on Your Own – Deciding what to do when you have a truck accident claim can be challenging. When you hire a lawyer to represent you, you will not have to make these decisions on your own. Your lawyer will provide the advice you need to make informed decisions, and this will allow you to feel confident that you are making the right choices for you and your family.

While these are all important insights for commercial truck accident victims in Ohio, they just scratch the surface of what accident victims need to know to protect their legal rights. An experienced Columbus truck accident lawyer will be able to provide legal advice custom-tailored to your specific circumstances, and if you have a claim, your lawyer will be able to help you make informed and confident decisions while fighting for just compensation on your behalf.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Columbus Truck Accident Lawyer Today

Were you seriously injured in a commercial truck accident in Ohio? If so, we encourage you to contact us promptly to arrange a free consultation at Malek & Malek Law Firm. Our lawyers represent truck accident victims statewide. To speak with an experienced Columbus truck accident lawyer about your situation in confidence as soon as possible, call 888-444-7440 or tell us how we can reach you online now.