Atlanta Truck Accident Attorney

It is important to know what to do after an accident, but it is equally important to know what not to do. You should not discuss what happened with other drivers or parties who were involved in the accident. Ask if anyone needs medical care, and coordinate the exchange of insurance information (if the officers have not already done this), but do not talk about what happened. You must also be very careful not to admit fault. Even simple statements like “I didn’t see you!” can be used against you later. Be very careful about what you say on the scene of a car accident.

You should also not worry about gathering evidence if it is not safe to do so. If your medical condition allows, and you will not be in the path of traffic, feel free to get photos or video footage of the accident scene. Pictures of the damage to the vehicles can be helpful, as can a video of the entire accident scene. But your health and safety is the priority. So, if you need to go to the hospital or if the vehicles are in the way of traffic, do not worry about gathering this type of evidence.

The person who is “at fault” (liable) for causing a truck accident also has a legal obligation to compensate you for your injuries and losses. This is why it is important to determine who was at fault. It is also important to find all potential defendants since, in many cases, liability is split between more than one driver or assigned partly to pedestrians or bicyclists.

A company might also be liable for truck accident injuries, even if they were nowhere near the scene of the accident.

Common examples include:

• The transportation company that owns or operates the truck
• The company that employs the negligent truck driver
• A truck manufacturer that sold a defective vehicle

Liability can quickly become a complicated legal issue. If there are multiple liable parties, their insurance companies will often try to blame the others to get out of paying. The negligent trucker’s insurance company might even try to put the blame on you and claim that you caused your own injuries. That's why you need to work with our experienced truck accident attorneys. Huggins Accident Injury Lawyer has handled many complicated issues of liability. We know how to identify all potential defendants and prove their liability to ensure that you have access to the compensation you deserve.

A negligent driver who is at fault for an accident must compensate for all your losses—including property damage. Once the insurance company accepts liability, they will arrange for repairs to your vehicle. You can also seek compensation for a rental car or the loss of use of your vehicle if you choose not to rent a vehicle.

While this process goes smoothly in many cases, it is not always easy to get the insurance company to accept liability and pay for your damages. This is where an attorney can help you.

If the insurance company is taking too long to accept liability, your attorney can help prove that their client was at fault for the accident. (This must happen to process your Atlanta truck accident claim, as well.) If the insurance company has accepted liability but is not getting back to you about scheduling repairs or getting you a rental car, your attorney can work to avoid further delays.

Insurance companies have a legal obligation to process claims in a timely and reasonable manner. When they know that you have a lawyer who is holding them accountable for following these rules, they are more likely to get things done.

The short answer is as little as possible! Any information you give the insurance company could work against you later. If you say something as simple as “I’m feeling fine,” the insurance company might dispute your medical bills. If you say, “I could see the truck speeding toward me,” the insurance company might try to claim that you were at fault for failing to get out of the way to prevent the accident.

Do not allow them to turn your own words against you. Once the insurance company learns that you have a lawyer, they are no longer allowed to contact you about the accident. All communication must go through your attorney’s office. This protects you from saying anything that could hurt your claim.

Your attorney can open the claim for you. But if you choose to open the claim yourself, be alert that many insurance companies will ask to take a recorded statement about how the accident happened. You do not have to do this. In fact, you should decline to do this and tell the insurance company that you want to speak with your attorney first.

Insurance companies often use these recorded statements to attack liability, your injuries, your property damage, or even your credibility as a witness. Insurers use these statements to help their own cause—not to help you get the compensation you deserve under the law.

You should follow all recommendations from your medical providers. If you do not, the insurance company could claim that you made your own injuries worse by ending your treatment too early. Of course, the insurance company may also try to claim that you spent too long getting treatment—especially if you are receiving physical therapy, chiropractic services, or other treatment that relies on subjective indicators of pain and discomfort.

Your injury lawyer will handle the insurance company. Your job is to work with your providers to get the treatment you need. Work together to create a discharge plan. Once your providers sign off on the end of treatment, you will have documentation that you followed their instructions. This is also important for your health—if you end treatment against medical advice, you could make your own injuries worse and endure unnecessary pain and suffering.

Several broad categories of compensation are available to truck accident injury victims.

Truck accident claims usually include compensation for:

• Property damage (including damage to your vehicle and any personal items)
• Medical bills (including future medical treatment you will require due to the accident)
• Lost wages (including any future lost wages due to your injuries)
• Pain and suffering

Your attorney and legal team will work to get documentation of the time you missed from work and the cost of your medical bills. In many cases, this happens before your attorney negotiates a settlement of your claim, so you know the exact value of these tangible losses. But long-term injuries can result in future losses.

If, for example, you have permanent disabilities, you might only return to part-time work. The defendant is responsible for compensating you for the difference in your full-time wages before the accident and your part-time wages after the accident. You are also entitled to compensation for the projected future medical expenses you will incur throughout your life as a result of these permanent injuries. Your attorney will hire expert witnesses to project and prove the exact value of these future financial losses.