Due to the sheer size and weight differences, truck accidents can have devastating impacts on the other vehicles involved. If you have been in a truck accident, you may be uncertain whether you need a lawyer or not right away, causing you to delay reaching out until you are certain. While this is understandable, the Pennsylvania truck accident lawyers with Munley Law can help determine if you need an attorney. If not, you can continue with nothing lost, but if you do, calling early can give you the best chance.
The Best Time to Contact a Pennsylvania Truck Accident Lawyer Is Immediately After Your Accident
Most trucking companies have legal departments at their disposal, meaning the driver and their company immediately have legal representation that you likely do not have. Many logistics and freight companies will require the driver to notify leadership immediately following an accident, allowing their team to gather legal resources from the outset. You deserve that same chance, so while there are steps you should take following the accident, such as:
- Call 911: Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes 75.37.46 requires drivers to report any accident that results in a fatality or bodily injury, renders a vehicle undrivable, or involves a highly automated vehicle.
- Avoid movement if you cannot do so safely, especially if you think you have head or spinal injuries
- Allow EMS to assess you, or seek an immediate evaluation at the hospital
Call a Pennsylvania truck accident attorney next once you have ensured your physical safety and addressed significant injuries. At Munley Law, we accept calls for consultation 24/7, meaning that if you have an accident at 2 a.m., you can still reach out to set up a consultation and protect your rights as an injury victim.
Waiting to Contact a Lawyer May Leave You Vulnerable
O
ur Pennsylvania truck accident lawyers may provide support and legal advocacy at any point in your case. However, if you wait to contact them, this can become more difficult for many reasons. Truck accident cases can be more complicated than other accident cases due to the often higher values and multiple involved parties.
To be most effective, we must work quickly to secure evidence that may not be otherwise preserved afterward. Many components, such as the event data recorder, can easily go missing if they are not explicitly requested, but they can provide key evidence for winning your case.
The other party’s insurance company will likely contact you a day or two after the accident. Without the guidance of an attorney, you may find yourself unknowingly saying or doing something that can damage your case.
While none of these things are guaranteed to be the downfall of your case, they may affect what you can recover, how long negotiations take, or if you end up taking your case to court. So, if you are waiting to determine when to hire a truck accident lawyer, the safest answer is as soon as you can.
Pennsylvania Imposes Time Limitations on Truck Accident Claims
Among the legal reasons you are better off contacting an attorney early on are time limit considerations. Civil cases in Pennsylvania are subject to a statute of limitations, which may only grant you between 6 months and two years to file a claim against the responsible parties. The Pennsylvania code allows most truck accident victims two years, though claims against government entities are limited to six months.
If your accident was with a private entity, you might think that two years gives you enough time that you don’t have to worry about acting immediately. Though this is technically true, truck accidents present unique challenges to effectively litigate. When you delay obtaining an attorney, you lose valuable time to build your case and firmly negotiate before feeling the pressure to pursue a lawsuit or accept an agreement. This is a pressure that insurance companies may use as leverage to reduce your settlement amount.
It Takes Time to Build, Negotiate, and Litigate a Pennsylvania Truck Accident Case
Two years to decide to sue for your injuries can feel like a long time. Truthfully, it is a good amount of time to simply file the paperwork. However, there are several steps that must be taken before a lawsuit, which can take months to complete, prior to making that decision. In many situations, a judge would not be pleased to see that you have not attempted to resolve the situation prior to taking it to the courts.
While the initial investigation may take some time, it typically involves gathering documents and photographs, as well as interviewing witnesses. This process can be unpredictable, making it ideal to begin as soon as possible. Some of this documentation will be related to the final costs of your treatment and the expectation of ongoing financial burdens you may incur due to your injuries.
Determining a Prognosis Can Take Months
In many instances, you may not be aware of the full extent of your injuries and whether they are permanent until you have sought medical treatment. Many of the injuries sustained from a truck accident may require ongoing or long-term treatment, and if you do not wait to determine your long-term needs, you may miss the opportunity to claim damages for anticipated future medical costs or changes in your quality of life.
Identifying All Responsible Parties
In a truck accident, there are often a number of parties that may be liable. Pennsylvania Statute 7102 lays out the comparative negligence guidelines in civil cases. These laws establish that an individual is eligible to collect damages for their injuries as long as they are not determined to be more at fault than all other parties combined.
It is important to identify all responsible parties to avoid the unfair assignment of blame and ensure you recover all eligible damages. If you find yourself limited on time to investigate fully, you may be unprepared to challenge the trucking company if they try to allocate blame to you when it should belong to another party.
Negotiations
One of the skills you hire an attorney for is negotiation. Most accident claims begin with simply negotiating with the insurance company. Generally, the insurance carrier will try to keep your case out of court, as there’s no predicting what a judge or jury may decide.
However, negotiations in a truck accident may take more time than other types of accidents due to the value of the case. Truck accidents often cause significant damage, and insurance companies typically aim to minimize payouts. Consequently, they may resist higher value claims more strongly, prolonging settlement negotiations or necessitating a lawsuit.
Munley Law Provides Effective Representation to Truck Accident Injury Victims Across Pennsylvania
If a Pennsylvania truck accident has left you injured, you should be able to focus on your recovery and returning to your life, not battling with an insurance claim. At Munley Law, our personal injury attorneys provide excellent legal services supported by a firm with 65 years of fighting for Pennsylvania injury victims. We offer free case consultations and work on a contingency fee basis. So contact us today to discuss your options and get the help you deserve.
