The commercial trucking industry keeps our nation’s economy alive. Unfortunately, those large and heavy vehicles can often be dangerous on the roadways. If you or a loved one got in an accident with a commercial vehicle, a Georgetown truck accident lawyer can help.
You can turn to our team at Miller, Dawson, Sigal & Ward for help building a claim for maximum compensation. A Georgetown personal injury lawyer can assist with insurance negotiations or a lawsuit against the trucker, trucking company, or another party.
Find out more about your legal options by calling Thumbs Up Guys or completing our online contact form.
What Compensation Do You Get After a Truck Crash?
You may receive compensation for economic and non-economic damages after a truck crash. Our law firm can help you secure funds for your:
Medical Expenses
You may need immediate medical attention after a crash. Truck collisions often result in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries (SCIs), broken bones, and other catastrophic injuries. Our legal team can bring you funds for your current and future medical bills through a personal injury claim.
Property Damage
An experienced attorney can help you secure compensation to cover the costs of repairing or replacing your vehicle. We’ll pursue the at-fault party for fair compensation.
Lost Wages
Personal injury lawyers can bring you funds to cover our lost pay and diminished earning potential after a collision involving a dump truck, garbage truck, tow truck, or another large commercial vehicle. We push back if the insurance company tries to deny these losses.
Non-Economic Losses
A legal team may focus on the emotional distress and mental anguish you experience after a truck crash. We can factor these losses into your claim. You may also receive funds for your loss of consortium and loss of companionship.
Punitive Damages
You may also be eligible to recover punitive damages in certain truck accident cases. Punitive damages are one way to maximize the value of your injury claim, but they are not guaranteed.
Your Georgetown truck accident lawyer must persuade the court that they should apply to your case. It’s not always worth it to go to trial.
We Collect Evidence After a Truck Accident
Our team at the Thumbs Up Guys can build your personal injury claim by collecting evidence after a collision. We may:
- Speak to all eyewitnesses
- Get a copy of the police accident report
- Visit the accident scene
- Look for photos and videos of your crash
- Request information from the truck’s data recorder
Many commercial trucks have black boxes to record what happened at the time of a crash. These records are crucial evidence in your case because they could help prove that the truck driver was liable for your accident.
However, if we don’t take steps to preserve the evidence before an examination, someone could erase it. This evidence can help determine fault after a truck accident.
Therefore, hiring a truck accident attorney as soon as possible after your accident is crucial. You could have as little as two weeks before the data gets erased, and that can put your compensation in jeopardy.
Why Are Truck Accidents So Dangerous?
There are three reasons why truck accidents are so dangerous to other drivers.
The Truck’s Weight
The most important is the weight of the truck. Physics and the force equation tell us that the force of a crash increases with both mass and acceleration. Instead of bouncing back, like in a car crash, a truck crash can be like ramming a building.
The Truck’s Size
The second reason is the size of some of these trucks. Semi-truck drivers have to take wide turns and need more space to maneuver. They can alter certain road rules, like turning from the second lane over, for clearance. A smaller vehicle can get trapped easily if they’re not paying attention.
The Truck’s Height
The final reason is the height of trailers. Depending on the size of your vehicle, your front bumper can slide under the trailer. You could end up smashing windshield-first into the edge of the trailer. The results are quite often fatal for truck accident victims.
How Much Does a Truck Accident Lawyer Charge?
Personal injury attorneys bill their clients differently than many other types of lawyers. These attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. Instead of being charged for every minute your lawyer works on your case, the firm will receive a percentage of your compensation from the liable party.
If you don’t recover compensation, you don’t pay your lawyer. This type of payment structure offers many advantages for an accident victim. For one, there is no risk in hiring a Georgetown truck accident attorney because you will never pay a penny out of pocket.
Additionally, you can feel confident that your lawyer will do everything in their power to ensure you receive a large payout since their fee is tied directly to how much you recover through the legal process.
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim After a Truck Crash?
How soon do you have to file a truck accident claim in South Carolina? The statute of limitations for filing a truck accident lawsuit in South Carolina is three years. Failure to file within this time frame will nullify your right to compensation.
Hiring an experienced truck accident attorney in Georgetown shortly after your accident is the best way to ensure you meet all your deadlines. Hiring a personal injury law firm early will also put you in the best position to win your case.
Additionally, having an attorney in your corner can protect you from the insurance company. Insurers often try to take advantage of accident victims before they have the chance to hire an attorney. Decline to discuss your case or to take any settlement offers until your lawyer reviews the proposed deal.
Seek Advice From an Experienced Georgetown Truck Accident Lawyer
If you sustain injuries in a trucking accident, time is of the essence. The insurance companies know you could have the right to compensation and will do everything they can to minimize the amount. The Thumbs Up Guys will fight on your behalf to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Let a Georgetown truck accident lawyer get started on your case. You will owe us nothing unless you win. Start by contacting us by phone or using our contact form to schedule a free consultation. The sooner you act, the stronger your chances of winning.