Columbus Truck Accident Lawyers

How you handle the events immediately following a truck accident may determine the outcome of your claim once filed. We suggest all drivers who are well enough to move about follow these steps:

• Immediately call 911 to send law enforcement, medics, and firefighters to your accident. This is important if multiple vehicles are involved in your accident.
• Without removing evidence or pieces from the wreckage, attempt to help others who may need assistance. This includes the truck driver, passengers of your vehicle, and any injured pedestrians.
• Begin taking as many photos, videos and audio clips as your phone can handle. Make sure to get the entire scene, including witnesses and close-up shots of your wrecked vehicle. Videos will often capture audio; get as close to all vehicles as possible without invading an injured person’s privacy. Make sure to get the trailer number and DOT number from the truck, usually found either on the cab door or the trailer itself.
• Law enforcement will likely be on the scene, so request a report. Be as detailed as possible, including where you were prior to the collision, what it appeared the truck driver was doing, and so forth.
• If you’re well enough to move around, still seek medical attention. Serious internal bleeding and other delayed symptom injuries may actually take effect when the adrenaline has worn off.
• If you haven’t already done so, trade information with the truck driver. If they are uncooperative, get law enforcement to note that on the report.
• Immediately phone a Columbus car accident lawyer. The quicker this is done, the sooner this accident can be put behind you.
• Continue receiving medical care even after hiring your attorney. This is vital in proving the need for future medical benefits. Keep all receipts, even if you needed Tylenol to ease your pain, as this is a reimbursable expense.

Never flee the scene. Ever. This could not only jeopardize your injury claim but could result in serious criminal charges.

There are many reasons why you should hire an experienced personal injury attorney to help you if you’ve been hurt in an accident with a truck or other large commercial vehicle. Those reasons include (but are not limited to):

• Civil procedures in Ohio are complex, especially in tort law. The layman may not understand industry lingo, may miss strict filing deadlines and damage their case before it starts.
• Attorneys are trained negotiators and have established rapport with many insurers nationwide. An experienced attorney will understand how to communicate with the insurer and advocate for you.
• Compensation you may receive will be comparatively higher even after the attorneys take their fees off the top.
• Cases that head to trial require a special preparation process. For many untrained citizens, walking into court without counsel and fighting insurers, negligent parties and counsel for both is an often fruitless endeavor with disastrous endings.
• Truck accident attorneys can get to the bottom of any third-party involvement, including the trucking company’s maintenance department, suppliers of bad truck parts, the truck manufacturer or an outside logistics company who loaded the truck.

Injuries caused by truck drivers deserve compensation commensurate with losses the victim endured. Once your attorney has found the liable party or parties, discussing potential settlements is the first option after filing the case in court. Another option is simply filing the case, waiting for the initial hearing and requesting a trial by jury. From a procedural standpoint, most attorneys representing the insurer will not entertain settlement talks until the case is filed.

Regardless of what path is taken, you deserve justice and fair compensation. And, unless you’re more than 50% responsible in Ohio, you deserve every penny the accident is worth.

Compensation will be based on the economic losses (those which have paperwork with exact amounts you owe or spent, wage losses, auto repair estimate, etc.) and noneconomic losses (consortium losses, pain and suffering). Although not perfect, the calculation method used takes all losses and puts them into one figure. That number is passed to the insurer; from there, they can refute the claim (which they often will), accept the initial settlement offer (a rarity), or do nothing.

Each case has its merits, its pitfalls, and potential net worth. Your attorney will spend hours combing through evidence, recreating the accident and making sure the truck driver, insurer, company, and any third parties are held accountable for their participation in your injuries.