After a trucking accident, there are many issues which can affect your insurance claim and any legal claim you may have. One of the best ways you can safeguard your rights and your ability to secure a fair claim is to hire a qualified Florida personal injury attorney to assist you. Your attorney can negotiate with insurers on your behalf and can investigate the accident on your behalf. There are many issues that your attorney may discuss with you or you may wish to discuss with your attorney:
1) Evidence. If you have any documentation or evidence related to the accident, you will want to share this information with your attorney. Your attorney will also likely launch an investigation into the accident to gather evidence that can reveal what has happened to cause the accident.
2) The resources of the trucking company involved in the accident. Your attorney will likely examine the resources available to the truck company involved in your accident. If you have sustained a serious brain injury or burn injury in a truck accident, for example, your attorney may investigate the accident and also the trucking company involved. If the company is found to be negligent and has large resources, your attorney will be aggressive in ensuring that you get a fair settlement that helps to pay for all your medical bills and lost income.
3) Liability. One of the most complex areas of trucking accident litigation is determining liability. Many things may contribute to an accident, including poor road maintenance, driver error, trucking company negligence, tire defects, truck mechanical failure and more. Although many accident victims do not consider liability issues extensively, these issues can be important. If an attorney determines that several parties were liable for an accident that has injured you, your attorney can seek claims against several parties, which better ensures that you will get a fair settlement that will cover all your medical bills, lost income, injuries, and other expenses.
4) Driver records. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations strictly limit how long drivers can drive a truck before resting. Drivers are required to keep a log to prove that they have had adequate rest and sleep. However, driver fatigue continues to be a leading cause of trucking accidents. In many cases, driver records can be falsified or skewed in order to allow a driver or trucking company to profit more. Attorneys can often investigate driver records to determine whether a driver followed Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. As well, attorneys can examine a driver’s records and qualifications to see whether a trucking company was negligent in hiring an unqualified or unsafe driver.
5) Trucking company rules. Most trucking companies have rules about driver behavior, truck maintenance, substance abuse, and other issues. However, attorneys need to carefully examine whether companies and drivers were carefully following these rules when an accident took place. Issues such as these can affect your claim.