Going to Court for a Truck Accident - What You Should Know

Being involved in a truck accident is no minor event. There may be massive injuries, property damage, and multiple victims. There are more than 500,000 trucking accidents each year, and these cases often come before judges and juries to decide fault. If you will be going to court for a truck accident, there are a few things you should know.

Do Semi-Truck Accidents Always Go to Trial?

One of the first things that people think about when they are involved in a trucking-related accident is whether the case will settle quickly or go to trial. Most people want to avoid going to court, but there are times when it is necessary. In many cases, the attorneys can work out a settlement between the victims and the insurance companies, and the entire case is settled out of court. In the cases that the parties can't settle, however, you will have to go before a judge.

What Makes a Case More Likely to Go to Trial?

Damages: Insurance companies try to do all they can to avoid paying claims. While they will often pay out clear-cut claims, they will often fight to avoid paying out high-value claims like those in the six and seven figures. Since truck accidents involve large vehicles that can cause massive damage, the insurance companies will opt to go to trial to avoid a large payout. When they elect to go to court, they are often at an advantage as they have large budgets and teams of attorneys who can fight for months or years at a time.

Liability: When there is a dispute about who is liable in an accident, the insurance company will often force the case to trial to escape liability. This is why it pays to be able to present all of the evidence you have that shows who is most liable for the accident. Working with a truck accident attorney who can gather medical records, police reports, and witness statements can make it more likely that you can persuade the insurance company to settle out of court.

Reputation: If the trucking company wants to defend its reputation, it may prefer to fight it out in court to clear its name. On the other hand, they may also want to settle the case quietly to keep the company's name out of the news and to avoid negative publicity.

Preparing for Court

If your case does make it to court, you will need to be prepared. First, gather your evidence including medical records, eyewitness statements, surveillance video, and insurance damage estimates. Your attorney will argue on your behalf, laying out the entire incident and explaining who is at fault. This process can be lengthy and expensive, so the best possible scenario is to avoid it and opt for a settlement instead.

Understand What Compensation You May Receive

There are several remedies available to people who have been victims of truck-related accidents. First, you can ask for compensation for your injuries, medical treatment, and lost income. If you are unable to work, your settlement will include funds to keep you financially afloat until you can return to your pre-accident earnings level. In addition, you can get compensation for medical equipment, ongoing treatment, medication, and private nursing services.

If there is a pattern of avoidable accidents from this trucking company, you can receive additional putative damages since the company was negligent in preventing the accident.

Not every case is the same, so you have to consider that your deserved compensation can vary. Settlements include a lot of factors and one of them includes the local laws regarding truck accidents. For example, in 2018, in Alexandria, Virginia a terribe truck accident involved several pedestrians and one of them lost its life. The investigation took a while and the pedestrians had their right to get in touch with an attorney.

A truck accident lawyer can review all of these elements and factors with you and help to develop a case that will get you the money you deserve, and that includes Alexandria truck accident cases.

When you have been involved in a truck-related accident, you may be concerned about what happens next. Truck accident cases are handled every day by specialized attorneys and they can help you to fight your case and get the money you deserve.