Sullivan’s Island Truck Accident Lawyer

Large trucks are one of the biggest hazards on the roadways due to their excessive size and weight. When a passenger vehicle collides with one of these oversized trucks, severe injuries are almost a guarantee with a high potential for fatalities.

If you have been injured in a truck accident, it is essential to recover fair compensation to pay for all the damages associated with your accident. The financial toll of a truck accident can be significant. However, the physical and emotional impact is often even more pronounced. Contact our Sullivan’s Island personal injury lawyers today.

Determining Liability Can Be Difficult in a Truck Accident Case

Determining liability after a truck accident is often far more difficult than in other types of car accident cases. That is because the list of potentially liable parties in a truck accident is quite extensive. Parties that may be responsible for damages caused include:

• The truck driver
• The trucking company
• The truck manufacturer
• The company responsible for servicing the truck
• The company that loaded the truck
• A third party driver whose actions initiated the crash

These potentially liable parties will often try to shift blame around with a lot of finger-pointing. Uncovering the truth can be quite tricky. Fortunately, an experienced truck accident lawyer knows what to look for in these situations and will investigate your crash to determine who is liable for your damages.

Building Your Case with a Truck Accident Attorney in Sullivan’s Island

Once your lawyer has determined who is liable for your accident, they will work to build up your case against this party and assess the total value of your claim. They will gather supporting evidence by visiting the accident scene, interviewing witnesses, speaking with various s, and reviewing any documentation related to the crash and your injuries.

A Truck Accident Lawyer in Sullivan’s Island Can Help You File a Lawsuit or Insurance Claim

Once your lawyer has gathered enough evidence and evaluated the true value of the damages you have suffered, they will either file a lawsuit against the liable party on your behalf or file a claim with their insurance provider.

Negotiating a Settlement

As your lawyer goes through all of these steps, they will also be in contact with the legal counsel for the opposition, attempting to negotiate a settlement deal. The vast majority of truck accident cases end up settling out of court, as it is generally in the best interest of all parties to do so.

However, if a fair settlement deal has not been reached by the end of the pre-trial process, your attorney will then argue your case in court.

The Cost of Hiring a Sullivan’s Island Truck Accident Attorney

Hiring a truck accident attorney is not the same as hiring an attorney in many other legal proceedings. Truck accident lawyers are a subset of personal injury lawyers. Generally speaking, personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This payment model means that your lawyer will only get paid if they are able to recover compensation for you.

When your lawyer is working on a contingency fee basis, you will never pay them directly. Instead, they will receive their fee as a pre-agreed upon percentage of your final compensation package.

This payment structure helps ensure that all accident victims can afford to hire an experienced legal representative. Additionally, it provides victims with the peace of mind that their lawyer will do everything in their power to win as much money as possible since their financial standing is tied to that of their client.

Damages You Can Claim After a Truck Accident

After a truck accident, you are likely going to be eligible to claim a wide variety of damages for which you can recover compensation. You can recover money for both economic and non-economic damages. In some cases, you may be eligible for punitive damages as well.

Economic damages refer to the financial costs you incur as a result of your truck accident. The money you can receive for these costs is designed to directly offset any financial impact of your accident. Ideally, you should be compensated dollar-for-dollar for all the money you have lost or will lose in the future as a result of your accident.

Non-economic damages are the costs to your person, both physically and emotionally. These things can not be fixed with money, but since that is the only form of compensation the court can give you, they tend to award quite a lot. In most truck accident cases, non-economic damages account for the most significant portion of a settlement package.

If the liable party acted in a manner deemed criminally negligent, you could potentially receive punitive damages as well. Punitive damages are different from other damages because they are not about the victim. The focus of punitive damages is to punish the party who acted with disregard for the safety of others.

Make Sure to File Your Lawsuit on Time

If you wait too long after an accident, you may miss your window of opportunity for recovering fair compensation. Every state has a statute of limitations when it comes to personal injury lawsuits. In South Carolina, that period is three years from the date of the injury.

Even if there were no ticking clock and you could file a lawsuit decades later, it would still be in your best interest to get started as soon as possible. Your case will likely be more likely to yield positive results the sooner it takes place.

Getting started right away can ensure that all the evidence that supports your case is preserved. Additionally, your witnesses will be more reliable when giving testimony soon after the event in question.

Hiring an Experienced Sullivan’s Island Truck Accident Lawyer

The best thing you can do for your truck accident case is to hire a lawyer with plenty of experience. A Sullivan’s Island truck accident attorney with a clear track record of winning significant settlements for truck accident victims can help ensure that you receive the money you need and deserve.

Contact the law firm of Miller, Dawson, Sigal & Ward to schedule a free consultation today. We will review all the facts of your case and answer any questions you may have for us. We can then offer opinions about the strength of your claim, as well as your options for pursuing compensation.