Hiring an Attorney

When to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer

Seeking prompt legal advice can be critical for getting what you deserve if you or a family member is involved in an accident with a commercial truck. Trucking companies and insurers fight hard to escape liability in truck accidents. A truck accident attorney can level the playing field and signal to the other side that you are determined to fight for justice.

While legal advice can be highly beneficial following a routine car accident, having a trained lawyer on your side is crucial in a complex truck accident case. The Ammons Law Firm advocates for victims of truck accidents, helping them move forward after suffering significant injuries and damages.

Read on to discover six accident scenarios when getting an experienced truck accident lawyer into your corner can be critical for recovering the full value of your claim.

Contact us online or call us at (281) 801-5617 to speak with our trained truck accident lawyers and learn how we can protect your rights in a truck accident lawsuit.

You Suffered Severe Injuries in a Truck Accident

Accidents with heavy commercial trucks can have devastating consequences for those in passenger cars, who may suffer life-changing injuries, including:

Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
Amputations
Back injuries
Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Internal bleeding and organ damage

Serious injuries and the resulting financial consequences could impact you for the rest of your life. Working with an experienced truck accident lawyer can give you the best chance of getting what you deserve when your future is thrown into uncertainty.

You Have Significant Damages

When a lot of money is at stake, insurers, trucking companies, and other responsible parties often fight tooth and nail to pay out as little as possible. They may work with teams of lawyers to try and deny or minimize your claim. Moreover, to receive an adequate settlement or court verdict, you need to determine what your truck accident claim is worth. Your losses could include:

Economic Damages

Economic damages are designed to reimburse victims for actual costs they incurred as a result of the truck accident, which can include:

Medical expenses
Wage loss
Transportation expenses
Costs to modify your home or car
Out-of-pocket expenses

Non-Economic Damages

Severely injured truck accident victims could also qualify for non-economic damages, including awards for:

Chronic pain
Emotional trauma
Scarring and disfigurement
Permanent disability

You don’t have to stand up to a powerful insurance company alone. A truck accident attorney at the Ammons Law Firm can fight for what you need to move forward with your life after getting hurt in a truck accident. We don’t shy away from taking your case to trial if necessary.

Don’t risk leaving money on the table if you face astronomical expenses after a truck accident. Contact The Ammons Law Firm as soon as possible so we can assess your case and determine your next best steps.

An Insurance Adjuster Contacts You

Getting a call from an insurance adjuster means you need to seek legal advice immediately. Although they may seem helpful and friendly, they work for the insurance company and don’t have your best interests at heart. In fact, an adjuster could be looking for ways to deny or reduce your claim. For example, saying “I’m fine” when an adjuster asks how you’re feeling could be interpreted as your injuries being minor.

Don’t Accept a Quick Settlement Offer Without Legal Advice

Usually, first settlement offers from an insurer are an attempt to get away with paying victims as little as possible. Once you accept a settlement offer and sign on the dotted line, you are typically barred from seeking further damages, such as future medical treatment costs or wage loss. Therefore, before agreeing to a settlement offer, ensure that the amount is sufficient to cover all your damages now and in the future.

Unfortunately, most accident victims don’t know what they are entitled to and may walk away with far less than they deserve. Don’t let this happen to you. An attorney at The Ammons Law Firm can determine whether a settlement offer is fair. We can also handle all communication and negotiation with an insurance company to protect your rights. Most importantly, our experienced trial attorneys know when to stop negotiating and fight insurers and other at-fault parties in court.

Several Parties Are Responsible for Your Truck Accident

Car accidents are rarely complicated. Other drivers are often responsible for causing a crash and, therefore, “at fault” for the accident. However, truck accidents can be much more complex and involve several at-fault parties, including:

The Driver

Truck drivers often spend long days and nights on the road and maybe fatigued or under the influence of medications. Other driver-related crash causes can include:

The Trucking Company

Trucking companies are usually responsible for operations and must ensure that vehicles are safe, regularly serviced, and adequately maintained. The trucking company must also hire and train drivers responsibly, which can include:

Checking driver’s backgrounds and driving records
Ensuring drivers are sufficiently qualified for the job
Training new drivers properly

The company must also adhere to the various federal and state regulations regarding commercial vehicles. When trucking companies put profits before the safety of drivers and the general public, they could be liable for accidents.

The Truck Manufacturer

Sometimes, a truck or parts manufacturer may be responsible for an accident due to a defect in the truck’s design or manufacturing process. Faulty parts or equipment, such as brakes, tires, steering systems, and electronic control modules, can cause a truck to malfunction and result in an accident. When this happens, a truck or truck part manufacturer could be liable for victims’ damages.

The Repair Shop

A negligent repair shop could be responsible for a truck accident if it fails to repair or maintain the truck properly. Under the law, repair shops have a “duty of care” to ensure that repairs and maintenance are performed correctly and to a good standard. If a repair shop fails to do so, and the truck causes an accident, it could be liable for any injuries or damages that result.

If your truck accident involves several at-fault parties, working with an experienced truck accident lawyer can give you the best shot at getting what you deserve.

A Loved One Passed Away in a Truck Accident

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), fatal truck accidents increased by almost 50% in the last decade. Losing a close relative unexpectedly in an accident is always shocking and traumatic. Moreover, if you relied on your loved one’s income and help, the financial hardship that may follow their death can devastate your family’s future.

However, if someone else, such as a trucking company or manufacturer, is responsible for the crash, you should not have to pay for their mistake. You could file a wrongful death lawsuit and recover damages to cover medical bills, funeral and burial costs, and other losses.

The Ammons Law Firm Helps Truck Accident Victims Get Justice

A dedicated truck accident lawyer at The Ammons Law Firm can help you put your life back together when another is responsible for your accident injuries and financial losses.

Not all Law Firms Are the Same

Truck accident cases can be highly complex and challenging to understand, as various factors can contribute to crashes. The Ammons Law Firm is an industry leader in litigating truck accident cases. We work with professional investigators, mechanical engineers, and other experts to establish all potentially liable parties..

When we take your case, we aggressively pursue every avenue for compensation, giving you the best chance of receiving a fair settlement for your injuries and expenses.

How We Can Help You

The Ammons Law Firm leaves no stone unturned in getting clients what they deserve. We can:

Comprehensively investigate your truck accident to determine who is responsible
Help you receive adequate medical treatment
Gather evidence proving negligence
Assess all your past, current, and future expected damages
Build a comprehensive case against the liable party or parties
Negotiate a fair settlement with an insurance company
Fight for maximum compensation in or out of court
Present your case powerfully at trial

When you hire us, you have no financial risk as you pay nothing unless and until we win and recover damages.

Our Results Speak for Themselves

Our motivated trial attorneys have tenaciously pursued justice for thousands of clients to date, recovering over $1 billion in damages. We want nothing more than to help you get what you deserve after your life is turned upside down in a truck accident.

Contact Us Today to Protect Your Rights

Our attorneys see the devastating impacts of truck accidents every day. We understand that your home and work life may never be the same again after suffering a catastrophic injury. However, when another is to blame, you deserve justice and compensation; and you don’t have to go it alone. The Ammons Law Firm is here to help you understand your rights and options.

Our Houston truck accident lawyers are prepared to fight for you. Call us at (281) 801-5617 or contact us online for help identifying the cause of your truck crash.

If The Claim Does Not Settle, A Lawsuit Should Be Filed Against The Trucking Company

Most cases will not settle before filing a lawsuit. This is simply because the trucking company does not believe they are entirely at fault, or they do not believe your damages are as severe as you claim. When this happens, your attorney should file a lawsuit to begin a formal legal process overseen by a judge with authority over all parties involved. The judge will act as a referee to ensure your case moves forward fairly and equitably.

Once a lawsuit has been filed, your attorney will begin the discovery process and gather information relevant to your claim that is in control of the trucking company. For instance, the trucking company may have dash cam footage of the accident, providing a clear picture of how the accident occurred and who was at fault. Likewise, your attorney may request information related to the training of the driver and the company’s policies related to driver misconduct to better understand the trucking company’s commitment to safety.

During discovery, your attorney will be given an opportunity to depose those with information related to your claim. Your lawyer, for instance, will be able to depose the negligent truck driver to determine exactly what happened. Since a deposition is a sworn statement made under oath, it can be used in a court of law to discredit the trucking company’s defense and prove your theory of liability.

The primary goal of the discovery process is for each side to fully develop their claims and defenses by gathering all the information needed to understand how the accident happened and who is at fault. Throughout this process, your attorney will look for opportunities to settle your lawsuit.

Mediation Provides A Formal Opportunity To Settle Your Lawsuit

As the discovery process progresses and your claim gains more substance, the trucking company’s incentive to settle your claim strengthens. At the appropriate time, your lawyer will arrange a mediation where both sides can come together to seek a fair and just settlement.

At mediation, you and your attorney, the defense attorneys, representatives from the insurance company, and a neutral mediator will gather in a room for a short meeting where each side is given an opportunity to present a summary of their position on the case and the amount they are willing to settle for. The parties then separate, and the mediator works with each side to reach a fair settlement.

Mediation is more intimidating in theory than actuality. The defense attorneys have no personal vendetta toward you. Their job is simply to minimize the financial obligation of the insurer to maximize the insurer’s annual revenue. For an insurance company, the value of your claim is a business decision. However, for your attorney, it is much more than that.

You and your attorney understand how the accident affected your life and the harm it has and will continue to cause in the future. Before mediation, a skilled attorney will have conveyed this reality to the trucking company and demonstrated how a jury would likely value your losses. If the trucking company and its representatives believe a jury would value the case accordingly, it becomes a financially sound decision to settle your lawsuit for a fair and just amount.

The goal of mediation is to resolve your lawsuit without a trial, and skilled attorneys work hard to fully develop your case before the mediation begins to ensure you are provided the best opportunity to settle without a trial.

Lawsuits That Do Not Settle Should Be Taken To Trial

The overwhelming majority of cases settle before going to trial. However, sometimes the parties cannot agree on liability or damages, requiring a judge or jury to determine the outcome of your lawsuit.

A jury is a body of citizens who listen to all the facts and determine who is at fault for the accident. It is important to recognize that more than one party may be at fault, and both you and the trucking company (trucker) may have some responsibility for the crash. For instance, a jury may determine that you were using your cell phone when the truck pulled in front of you, preventing you from taking evasive action. This may lead to a jury apportioning 90% of the fault to the trucking company and 10% to you. Thankfully, under Texas law, this does not mean the trucking company escapes liability for its negligent conduct. Instead, the trucking company is responsible for 90% of the damages the jury determines you have suffered due to the crash.

Trial is an art and a skill, and it is wise to keep trial in mind when hiring your truck accident lawyer. Hiring an attorney with a track record of successful trials gives you a strong advantage throughout the lawsuit. Other attorneys know the trial attorneys and do not want to go to trial against them. Because of this, trucking companies have a strong incentive to settle the case for the value you and your attorney have determined to be fair and reasonable.

The Ammons Law Firm’s Attorneys Are Skilled Truck Accident Trial Lawyers

At The Ammons Law Firm, our attorneys have decades of experience litigating truck accident cases and have taken hundreds of cases to trial. Our firm has a reputation for success throughout Texas and is routinely called upon by other lawyers to handle their cases. The skill of our attorneys has helped injured clients just like you recover over one billion dollars in damages. If you want first-class representation, call The Ammons Law Firm today for a free consultation.

Our Houston truck accident lawyers are prepared to fight for you. Call us at (281) 801-5617 or contact us online for help identifying the cause of your truck crash.

“If you have a complicated products liability matter or really ANY complex matter, Rob will devote the resources necessary to sort it out and get the best possible result for the client.”
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We Wrote the Book on Tire Defect Litigation
Attorney Rob Ammons has not only handled some of the most complex tire defect cases but also wrote the book on how to properly litigate these types of cases.
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