Posted On May 25, 2011 Personal Injury

Seeking Compensation Following an 18-Wheeler Accident

Tractor-trailers are a necessary part of life in regard to the transport of goods across America. Consequently, semi-trucks and commercial vehicles are constant companions to any driver on the road. Unfortunately, because of their size and the tons of cargo they’re most often carrying, 18-wheelers can cause great amounts of damage when they’re involved in an accident. As such, 18-wheeler accidents occur with an alarming regularity that can result in costly property damage, severe personal injury, or the tragic loss of life.

Midland truck accident attorney Michael Grossman provides the following information regarding semi-truck wrecks so that you can be better informed should you decide to seek compensation for your pain or loss as a result of an accident caused by a commercial truck. When a tractor-trailer driver is involved in an accident, they are likely working for an employer. As such, that employer will likely have an expensive insurance policy to cover their trucks in the event of an 18-wheeler wreck. Commercial trucking insurance policies are often worth more than 50 times as much as passenger vehicle policies. As a result, trucking insurance companies are loathed to simply pay out that insurance policy without putting up a significant fight. Where commercial trucking accidents are concerned, which can likely result in thousands to millions of dollars worth of damage, the compensation likely due to an injured plaintiff can be quite high. As an experienced Tyler truck accident lawyer, Michael Grossman understands the high stakes often involved in seeking compensation against a commercial trucking company. Without experienced legal representation, an injured plaintiff may not understand how much may truly be at stake in regards to their truck accident injury lawsuit. These trucking insurance companies will use their most seasoned insurance adjusters to work the claims made against their clients. Since these adjusters have worked many similar cases in the past, they are likely all too familiar with the ways in which they can work to absolve their clients from any or all liability for a semi-truck accident. They will likely employ certain tactics in order to get a victim to admit to some, or even all, of the liability in an accident so that their company has to pay little to no compensation. If they cannot place blame onto a victim for a big rig wreck, they will attempt to place blame onto any other party involved in the wreck. These types of insurance adjusters likely do not have a victim’s best interests in mind and often desire to save their company the most amount of money possible. Furthermore, the trucking insurance company will likely have defense attorneys on call that can respond to an accident very quickly, sometimes within minutes. These attorneys then begin building a case against a victim, sometimes before the victim has been able to even talk with their own legal representative. The defense attorneys will work to establish as stout of a case as possible against a victim so that their client does not stand to lose a likely sizeable sum of money. Additionally, the driver of an 18-wheeler is likely not going to assume blame.

In fact, there have been instances where a commercial truck driver has knowingly lied about their involvement in an accident out of fear that they may lose their job for causing such devastation. In such instances, having the help of capable 18-wheeler accident attorneys that can seek the truth in such cases can be quite important towards recovering the compensation you’re due. Essentially, seeking compensation following an 18-wheeler accident is seldom a simple or easy process. Unlike most passenger vehicle accidents, there can be multiple parties at fault for a trucking accident. Additionally, as previously stated, insurance policies that cover commercial trucks are often quite high compared to policies that cover passenger vehicles. The damage that big rig accidents can cause is also quite high compared to the damage that passenger vehicle accidents can cause. Due to these factors and more, the issues involved in 18-wheeler accident litigation serve to increase the challenges often faced by a plaintiff seeking compensation following an injury trucking accident or a fatal commercial vehicle accident. Consequently, seeking the help of an experienced, knowledgeable, and reputable 18-wheeler accident attorney is a beneficial first step toward ensuring that a victim’s rights are protected against aggressive defense attorneys and well-trained insurance adjusters. While there are certain challenges, as outlined above, in pursuing compensation if you’ve been injured in, or have lost a loved one to, an 18-wheeler accident, the possible benefits outweigh the initial obstacles. With the help of an experienced commercial truck accident attorney, an injured or bereaved victim can stand to receive a sizable sum in compensation that can help them get financially back on their feet.