Calculating the value of your 18-wheeler crash is an extremely complex process that depends on dozens of variables unique to your crash. These include identifying everyone who was responsible for the crash, exploring every source of compensation, and documenting all your losses, and more. This process requires a great deal of skill, and lawyers must train for years to do it well.
Now, let’s explore some factors that will affect your case.
The Severity of Your Truck Wreck Injuries
Every truck crash injury is different. While minor bumps and bruises will lead to a modest settlement, a wrongful death claim or a catastrophic personal injury case will have much higher value.
When you have severe injuries from a truck crash, you must account for future costs. Unfortunately, when you’re just trying to survive a stressful situation, it can be all too easy to prioritize your present need over your financial future—especially when the insurance company is pressuring you to settle now.
When you work with an experienced injury attorney at Will Adams Law Firm, we carefully review your medical records, consult with your doctors and other experts, and dig deeply into your diagnoses and need for ongoing care. Our goal is to clearly understand the extent of your injuries, how they’ll affect your life (and ability to work), and how much your care will cost.
We take a thorough approach and often encourage injured people not to settle until they and their doctors are sure they won’t need additional surgery. It’s our goal to make sure none of our clients settle without every cost accounted for, past, present, and future.
How Many Legal Claims You Have
When a big rig makes an unsafe lane change and hits your car, the obvious culprit is the truck driver. However, you might have additional legal claims, depending on the facts. Our legal team has a reputation for uncovering every one of our clients’ legal claims and fully pursuing them.
In addition to claims against an at-fault trucker, you might also have cases against:
- Trucking companies that employ negligent drivers
- Businesses that improperly load tractor-trailers
- Mechanics that fail to make safety-critical repairs
- Bars and restaurants that knowingly overserve drunk drivers
- Your personal insurance company (if you have personal injury protection or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage)
- Manufacturers and distributors that design, make, or sell dangerous parts or vehicles
It’s critical that people with severe truck wreck injuries identify all the insurance policies and cases that they have. Otherwise, you might not get the compensation that you and your family deserve.
Whether You Preserved All Your Evidence
When you file an injury lawsuit, you must prove your case—and you’ll need strong evidence. This might include your medical records, police report, expert testimony, and other proof of wrongdoing.
However, the insurance companies won’t make it easy for you. Even before you file a claim, the insurance company is trying to save money. When 18-wheeler crashes occur in the Greater Katy Area, insurers often rush adjusters and lawyers to the scene, hoping that they can influence the authority’s investigation and reduce your case’s settlement value. Sometimes, evidence disappears and stories change.
Furthermore, trucking companies only have to keep their logbooks, maintenance records, damaged vehicles, and GPS data for a limited time. If you and your personal injury lawyer don’t act quickly enough, this valuable information might be lost forever.
