All parties injured in a truck accident, including you, have the right to hold a negligent truck driver accountable for their roadway misconduct. You can work with the truck accident lawyers in Shelbyville, IN, to bring your losses to a civil judge’s attention. Our Shelbyville’s personal injury lawyers can then represent you in a fight for post-accident compensation.
Non-Hoosiers might think Shelbyville only makes up one of the many satellite cities just outside of Indianapolis. While it’s true that it’s one of the large metro's southeastern neighbors, Shelbyville is its own unique city with its own unique set of traffic problems. Shelbyville specifically plays host to I-74, which can take trucking and other motor vehicle traffic to and from Indianapolis from both neighboring states of Ohio and Kentucky.
Who’s Responsible for Your Truck Crash?
You need to identify the party liable for your accident before you can demand compensation for your roadway losses. If you don’t know where to start, consider the evidence of negligence available at your accident scene.
For example, scattered car debris can help an attorney determine the severity of your losses. Video footage may put a truck driver’s negligence on display. Bystander accounts do tend to grow less reliable over time, but you can still submit those statements as proof of another party’s negligence.
All of these forms of evidence and others, like expert witness statements, can help you hold any of the following parties accountable for your losses:
- A truck driver
- A trucking company
- A third-party truck-loading company
- National and international corporations
- Government officials
- Construction crews
- Pedestrians
- Private motorists
- Bicyclists
- Motorcyclists
Contracts Can Reassign Liability
Unfortunately, assigning liability for a truck accident can be even more complicated than it initially seems. You must bring forward evidence of negligence if you want to take your case to court. That said, you also have to consider what contracts might exist between a liable party and the institutions around them.
For example, say that the evidence you’ve gathered gives you the right to hold a truck driver liable for your losses. If that truck driver works as an independent contractor, you’re in luck. Independent contractors have to represent themselves in civil court and cannot waive responsibility for their alleged negligence.
Matters change, though, if the truck driver works as a corporate employee. Corporations can assume liability for their employees after dangerous accidents. If a trucking agency steps in after a driver’s accident, you may have to sue that corporation for your due damages.
You can work with a Shelbyville, IN, truck accident attorney to determine what role contracts might play in your right to post-crash compensation.
What Damages Can You Demand After a Truck Accident in Shelbyville?
If you want to demand damages after a truck accident, you need to prove to the court that you can tie economic and non-economic losses back to your collision. This means you must present evidence of your losses, their relationship to your accident, and their value in your personal injury claim.
So long as you can accurately establish the value of these losses, you may have the right to request the following damages in your truck accident complaint:
- Coverage for accident-related medical expenses
- Compensation for wages lost throughout your recovery
- Restoration of damaged property
- Replacement of damaged property
- Rental fees for temporary property or services, if applicable
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Stress
A truck accident attorney in Shelbyville, IN, can help you establish the value of losses like stress and emotional distress.
How Can You Secure Truck Accident Damages?
So long as you file your truck accident claim within your statute of limitations, you can decide how to fight for accident compensation. For example, you can initiate private negotiations with a liable party. These negotiations can see you and the liable party work through your attorneys to reach a settlement agreement.
You can alternatively jump straight into a truck accident civil trial. This process will see you undergo the following stages:
- Discovery
- Opening statements
- Examination
- Cross-examination
- Closing statements and deliberation
You can expect a truck accident trial to take longer to resolve than private negotiations. A trial can help you communicate more effectively with a belligerent or uncooperative liable party. You can discuss which means of securing accident compensation suits your needs best when you first meet with Vaughan & Vaughan’s personal injury lawyers.
When to Finalize Your Shelbyville Truck Accident Legal Action
If you want to take legal action against a liable party after a truck accident, you need to do so before your statute of limitations expires. Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4 states that truck accident survivors like you have no more than two years to investigate your losses.
Should you fail to bring your claim forward before your statute of limitations expires, Indiana’s civil courts can deny you the right to a trial. You, in turn, may not get the compensation you need to recover from your truck accident.
The good news is that you don’t have to investigate your truck crash losses alone. Our team of attorneys can initiate an investigation into your crash within hours of the initial accident. In other words, when you have an attorney on your side, you can focus on your recovery without compromising your right to a civil case.
Our Shelbyville Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help
Vaughan & Vaughan understands that the thought of going to civil court in the wake of an accident as traumatic as a truck crash can seem incomprehensible. How are you supposed to research the statutes relevant to your case when you’re contending with truck crash injuries, not to mention the bills that come along with your recovery?
The truth of the matter is that you don’t have to research relevant statutes or even undergo your legal journey alone. If you want to fight for your right to damages after a severe truck accident, you can ask a Shelbyville truck crash attorney to do so for you. Our team can take the wheel and help you hold a negligent party responsible for your roadway losses.
If you want to learn more about our services, you can contact Vaughan & Vaughan to schedule a case consultation today.