Don’t Accept an Insurance Settlement in Trucking Accident

Do not sign anything from an insurance company after a commercial truck accident. Speak to an Austin personal injury attorney first.

It goes without saying that anytime someone is involved in an accident with a big rig, the injuries are either very, very serious (catastrophic) or fatal. The massive weight of a moving semi is just too much for any smaller vehicle to stand up to and come out in reasonable shape. Those who do survive such horrendous accidents will have astronomical medical bills, lengthy rehabilitation, time lost from work or a lost job, property damage, vehicle damage and numerous other devastating financial consequences.

“If you want fair compensation; the kind that will guarantee you may live the rest of your life being properly cared for as a result of your injuries, you need to discuss your case with an Austin personal injury attorney. Don’t wait, as timing in these cases is critical. Your attorney will figure out who was at fault in your case and outline the process for filing for compensation or negotiating with an insurance company,” explained Beverly Aylmer, who writes for The Lee Law Firm in Austin, Texas.

While every state has a set of laws on their books about what victims can recover in a lawsuit, none of them are the same, with the possible exception of the plaintiff being able to recover all past and future medical costs. “Check with your Austin personal injury attorney to see what is applicable in Texas,” suggested Aylmer.

Generally speaking when it comes to compensation for medical costs, the courts take a look at two factors: the quality of your life before being involved in a truck wreck and what your life is like after the wreck. From there, the damages you may be able to recover are in two categories, economic losses (which speaks to lost wages and doctor’s bills) and non-economic losses (which speaks to pain and suffering you endured for your injuries).

A fact of life is that trucking companies carry substantial amounts of insurance in the event of a wreck. “Despite this being true, their lawyers and insurance company will try to reduce or minimize your claim. They will try to get you to sign things that might mean you’ll end up with a really lowball settlement. Do not sign anything an insurance company hands you until you speak to your Austin personal injury attorney. You may be signing away your rights if you don’t,” advised Aylmer.

To learn more, visit http://www.rwleelaw.com.

Tags: Austin injury attorney, Austin injury lawyer, Austin personal injury, Austin personal injury attorney, Austin personal injury lawyer

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 13th, 2010 at 1:25 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.