Settling a Fort Worth Truck Accident Case
Negligence on the part of the injured person can affect the settlement amount. Thousands of accidents involving heavy trucks occur every year, and negligence is involved in many of those. A vast majority of the severe trucking accidents are preventable. Even if the injured person is partially at fault for an accident, they can still recover compensation from the other party. That is why it is so important to talk to an experienced truck accident attorney.
Recovering damages most commonly requires previous experience and a comprehensive understanding of all the federal commercial vehicle regulations and those specific to the State of Texas. A knowledgeable attorney could advocate on your behalf and help you understand the nuances of settling a Fort Worth truck accident case.
Factors to Consider When Negotiating a Settlement
When considering a settlement, the factors that influence them are wrongful death, types, and extent of injuries, property damages and medical bills encountered by the victims. Anticipated expenses concerning likely future medically necessary treatments and future wages that could or will be lost should also be taken into consideration. Another factor is the history of the negligent offender in causing accidents with injuries.
When wrongful death is involved, family members are often given burial and funeral cost along with replacement financial support of which they have been unfairly deprived because of the death of their family member.
Length of Time To Receive a Settlement
The general length of time it takes to receive a settlement can vary. Knowing the details of a person’s situation helps give a more accurate timeline because some cases are substantial and more complex than others. It depends on factors like the number of dependents, nature of the injuries, nature, and timing of medical treatment, the willingness of the defendant to make a reasonable settlement offer and how much evidence each side believes they have to support their case. The overall process may take up to several years, especially in larger courts that are heavily backlogged with prior cases.
Individual components of the process can take several weeks or more. The trial itself may last for weeks or months. The vast majority of claims never make it to trial, resolving instead through settlements beforehand. A diligent lawyer will work to make a person’s case move along as efficiently as possible but also take all the necessary measures to protect a person’s best interest and not rush to settle a person’s claim for less than it is worth.
Expediting the Settlement
This profit can be expedited through a quick settlement by the insurance company, but this is not recommended. Insurance companies are notorious for rushing injured people to settle their claims as soon as possible. Quick Forth Work truck accident settlements can negatively impact a person’s recovery for ongoing pain and medical treatment. Unfortunately, hiring a truck accident attorney will not speed up the process of a person’s truck accident claim.
Once the insurance company is aware that a person has hired an attorney, their tactics will change. Once a person hires an attorney, the amount of time it takes to settle their injury claim will depend on the following factors: investigation, injuries, treatment, negotiation, litigation, and trial.
Understanding Personal Injury Protection coverage
If a person has been involved in a truck accident in Texas, they will be looking to the truck’s insurance company for compensation, but one important component that cannot be overlooked is personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. The way PIP works is it pays a person for any medical bills and lost wages up to the amount of the coverage, and it does not have to be repaid.
The minimum coverage in Texas is $2,500. The most common amounts issued are $2,500, $5,000, and even $10,000. If an individual has that kind of coverage and has been involved in a truck accident, they can use that money to help pay a person’s medical bills or maybe their co-pay if they have health insurance in order to get their health care started.
Any compensation that comes from the trucking company is going to be a way down the road because they are going to fight that person tooth and nail. A knowledgeable truck accident attorney could review the injured claimant’s policy to see if they have PIP coverage.
Call a Fort Worth Lawyer About Settling Truck Accident Cases
Truck wreck attorneys could help with settlements by building a case. Truck drivers are expected to use the utmost caution while operating their big rigs. They have high standards for driving and must be well-trained and up to date on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
Truckers are allowed to drive per day and require them to complete driving logs to document the hours they spend driving and those they spend resting. The driving logs are often difficult for truck accident victims to decipher independently, but correctly interpreting this valuable evidence is crucial to winning a person’s case.
While building a case, a lawyer will look at police reports, driver credentials, witness statements, the scene of the accident, if traffic laws were obeyed, and if the necessary precautions were taken. It is crucial to have a knowledgeable truck accident attorney gather this evidence and have the knowledge to correctly interpret it and present it for the best chances of proving fault in a person’s semi-truck accident case. Schedule a consultation today to learn about settling a Fort Worth truck accident case.