Thousands of truck accidents happen across the United States every year, resulting in catastrophic injuries and fatalities. If you’re injured in a truck accident, you may need to seek compensation from the at-fault party. This could be just against a driver, but also could include multi-party liability cases and trucking company liability with massive transportation companies, typically protected by a team of lawyers with the sole purpose of protecting their best interests. You need to know how to choose a truck accident lawyer who will stand beside you throughout the process and defend your legal rights.
At Munley Law, our team of truck accident lawyers has represented injury victims nationwide for the past 65 years. We understand how trucking regulations and requirements affect accidents like yours and how to strategically position your claim so you receive the maximum possible settlement.
What Criteria Can You Use To Choose a Truck Accident Lawyer?
When you choose a truck accident attorney, you should have a list of specific criteria to take to your first meetings with a law firm. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Years of experience working with truck accident claims
- Experience taking truck cases to court
- Effective communication and availability
- High value on the client relationship
- High client satisfaction and cases won
- No unrealistic guarantees
- Transparent fee structure
Each of these specific criteria can help you gain a better understanding of what working with that law firm could be like. Be sure always to read client reviews and ask for references so you can have a third-party perspective to gauge the lawyer’s reputation and the quality of their legal services.
What Is the Client Success Rate, and How Are the Testimonials?
Client success rates indicate the percentage of times a lawyer successfully settles a client’s insurance claim or wins a personal injury case. When choosing a truck accident lawyer, make sure that you evaluate their website, reviews, and testimonials to see how satisfied their clients have been with case outcomes and the overall process. Success is not only demonstrated by a monetary settlement, but in how the client was treated, how communication was handled, and other factors.
Reading through a law firm’s top settlements and verdicts can show whether the firm has worked on similar cases, what their results were, and if their clients would work with them again. When you sign on with a law firm as a client, you deserve confidence in your team’s ability to protect your rights. Some firms, like Munley Law, may even host a page for more in-depth case studies, where you can learn more about individual cases.
What is the Value of Communication and Availability?
A consistent issue with many large legal firms is their inability to be available and communicate with their clients. Communication is key to working closely with your legal team, and they should be easy to get in touch with. Do not end up choosing truck accident lawyers who send you through a phone loop with multiple answering systems. The right lawyer knows the importance of prompt responses and availability.
When you choose truck accident attorneys, seek one with whom you can easily communicate. You should not need Google Translate for Latin or legalese phrases in your conversation. Pick a lawyer that breaks down difficult concepts so that you clearly understand your rights and can make the best decisions.
How Many Years of Experience Do They Have With Truck Cases?
Truck accident cases are unique from typical motor-vehicle accidents. When you’re looking for the right legal advocate, you need to choose a truck accident attorney who has experience with these types of cases. They should know the many laws, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations, and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) requirements in the trucking industry that affect trucking accident cases like yours. In many cases, your attorney should also be familiar with local laws.
An experienced lawyer knows to look for truck-specific types of evidence to help prove your claim and hold the liable party responsible. Examples of such evidence can include driver’s logs, truck maintenance records, cargo loading documentation, and traffic camera footage. Evidence from a truck’s black box, also known as Event Data Recorders (EDRs) or Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), can prove vital, showing data points such as speed right up to the time of the crash.
Experienced truck accident attorneys build connections over the years with experts who can offer insight into accident reconstruction, perspectives on medical recovery time and expenses, and other areas of valuable knowledge. With a background of working with trucking accident liability, lawyers further collect resources to help you maximize your chances of successfully settling your claim.
At Munley Law, our nationwide team of truck accident lawyers has collected a wealth of knowledge about big rig accidents over our 65 years of experience with winning cases like yours.
What Are the Steps to Choose a Truck Accident Lawyer?
When looking for an attorney, start by doing research on truck accident lawyers. Ask friends, family, and anyone you know who has had a similar accident if they would recommend their lawyer. You can use their experience to avoid some of the missteps they made, like learning what they wish they had known before they chose their lawyer. If you don’t know anyone who has first-hand experience, searching online can be a good next step. Make sure to look up any credentials the attorney has listed. Make sure they still have their license and are in good standing.
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation To Choose a Truck Accident Lawyer
When determining how to choose a truck accident lawyer, you should evaluate multiple law firms to find the best fit. Make a list of your top choices based on truck accident case experience, client success rates, and the overall personality of the law firm shown on their About Us page.
Search through websites, making notes on questions you would want to learn from each specific law firm. Then, set up meetings with them to ask your questions and evaluate their communication face-to-face. Many truck accident law firms, like Munley Law, offer free case evaluations so that you can choose the right representation for you.
Discuss Legal Fees for Personal Injury Claims
Make sure that you understand the legal fee structure for each law firm. Most truck accident attorneys work on a contingency fee arrangement where the attorney will receive their payment as a percentage of the final settlement or judgment awarded in a court case. This means that while you’re still struggling with bills from your accident, you don’t have to worry about any upfront payments. If, for whatever reason, your claim or case is not successful, you should not owe anything to the lawyer.
A good law firm will make sure you understand what you’re getting into with a case, so prioritize discussing legal fees in your meeting. There may be court fees and other out-of-pocket expenses associated with your case, so be sure to ask what other expenses you may run into.
Can They Evaluate Difficult Liability Cases?
Truck accidents can be incredibly difficult in terms of determining liability. This is because they often include multiple parties who could be held liable for their negligence and responsibility for the accident. Our truck accident attorneys have years of experience with cases like this and understand the federal vs. state jurisdictions that can affect cases with national trucking companies. Parties that may be held responsible in multi-party liability cases can include:
- Cargo Loaders: Cargo loaders who fail to uphold cargo securement standards may cause an accident due to shifting loads, falling cargo, or other poorly secured freight.
- Trucking Companies: Companies may be held responsible for negligent hiring practices, lack of proper training, or pushing their employees to participate in dangerous practices, such as hours of service violations that threaten to cause drowsy drivers
- Parts and Vehicle Manufacturers: Truck manufacturers and parts manufacturers may be held liable if they create faulty products that fail, causing the semi truck to crash. This could include common part failures such as brake failures, power-steering problems, or truck tire blowouts
- The Truck Driver: Truck drivers themselves may be held liable for dangerous and negligent actions, such as speeding, drowsy driving, driving under the influence, ignoring traffic laws, distracted driving, tailgating, and more. The liable party can vary based on whether the driver is an employee or an independent contractor
- Truck and Auto Mechanics: Legally, a commercial truck needs to be maintained regularly, with records of maintenance and who performed it. If the mechanic was negligent, or if a driver recorded maintenance checks that did not really happen, liability may fall on the driver or mechanic who worked on the vehicle last
- Shared Liability: Truck accidents are also more commonly involved in multiple vehicle collisions, which could have you filing claims with multiple drivers, who are also filing claims against multiple other drivers. Your truck accident claim could also include shared liability on your part, which could block you from filing, depending on the federal vs. state jurisdiction that applies to your case
At Munley Law, our truck accident lawyers understand how to work with the complicated web of liability typical in crashes like these. We thoroughly investigate liability through all potential venues, so that you can hold the right parties responsible for their negligent actions. You deserve justice and compensation for your injuries. We go after all responsible parties to help make sure that they face consequences for their negligence.
Can Your Truck Accident Lawyer Maximize Your Settlement?
The amount you may be able to claim in a personal injury settlement always depends on the details of the case. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to injury claims after a truck accident, but that makes finding a lawyer who can maximize your settlement even more important. Your truck accident settlement should consider factors like:
- The severity of your truck accident injuries and the pain you’ve gone through
- Costs associated with recovery from your injuries, such as hospital stays, appointments, medical assistive devices, and prescriptions
- Damage to personal property such as your vehicle, phone, laptop, etc
- Temporary transportation if your car is not usable
- Lost pay if you were forced to take time off work
- Out-of-pocket costs associated with your accident
You want to look for a law firm that understands how to calculate the comprehensive value of your claim, including potential future expenses, especially if you are still recovering from severe injuries.
What Resources Do They Use to Provide a Full Valuation of Injuries?
A good law firm may bring in truck accident experts to provide testimony on specific details to provide further evidence supporting your request for damages.
For example, they may consult a doctor to give a better understanding of what to expect from recovery, the cost of possible treatments, and the potential for future complications. They may consider working with a psychiatrist or therapist who may be brought in to discuss the traumatic impact the crash has had upon your life due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental anguish.
At Munley Law, we know how to maximize your truck accident settlement so you have the best chance at a full recovery. You deserve the ability to go back to a normal life, or the closest you can get to that. Do not waste your shot at compensation by undervaluing your claim. Make sure you make the best choice when choosing a truck accident lawyer to work with you on your case.
Why Choose a Truck Accident Lawyer from Munley Law?
At Munley Law, our lawyers have 65 years of experience winning truck accident cases. Contact us today for a free case consultation to get all your questions answered. When you choose a truck accident lawyer from Munley Law, you secure your best chance at maximum recovery.
