Truck accidents can leave survivors with lifelong trauma. How do you begin to recover from the psychological stress of these accidents, let alone the bills that come along with them? Time and care can give you the tools you need to address some of your losses but not all of them. If you want to financially recover from a truck accident, you need to go to civil court.
Franklin, IN, truck accident attorneys have decades of combined experience that they can put to use on your behalf. You can turn to Vaughan & Vaughan’s team in times of crisis to receive the consummate legal guidance that you need to recover. Our Indiana personal injury lawyers are ready to fight for your right to compensation in and out of court.
How to Overcome Truck Accident Losses
You can overcome your truck accident-related losses through the use of a variety of tools. For example, an insurance company can offer you some assistance. If you file an insurance claim with a provider within a few weeks of your accident, said provider may make you a settlement offer that lets you address your most immediate expenses.
Unfortunately, though, not every insurance provider wants to see you recover. Most want to protect their bottom lines. As such, a company may deny your claim or offer you an insufficient settlement. What can you do in the face of these bad-faith behaviors? You can file a personal injury claim.
Indiana Code section 34-11-2-4 gives you two years to file a personal injury claim against the party liable for your truck accident. You can also file a claim against an insurance provider after a bad faith claim denial, though most parties encourage you to appeal your denial first.
Regardless, the process of filing a truck accident claim with Indiana’s civil courts allows you to fight for your right to post-accident damages even as you recover from accident-related injuries and other losses.
Do You Need to Work With a Franklin Truck Accident Lawyer?
If you want to file a personal injury claim after a truck accident, you can do so on your own. You are not legally obligated to work with an attorney. That said, a lawyer can simplify the process of filing your claim.
We can take over your case while you focus on recovering from your injuries, thereby ensuring that your claim makes it to a judge before your statute of limitations expires.
Even so, you may find yourself reluctant to work with an attorney. That’s okay. You can meet with our team to discuss the range of our services before you commit to a specific kind of legal action. Ask any questions you like about the legal process and your right to compensation. Our team will do our best to answer.
You can even count on us to respect your post-accident financial situation. Vaughan & Vaughan works on contingency. We do not get paid for the representation we afford you unless we win you a fair settlement. You can ask our Franklin truck accident lawyers about our contingency fees when you first meet to discuss your right to a case.
Proving Liability After a Truck Accident
Attorneys have to consider two determining factors before assigning liability for your truck accident. The first of these factors consists of the evidence of negligence available at the scene. The second of these factors consists of the contracts that exist between a liable party and other affiliated institutions.
In terms of contracts, you have to consider whether you can make your case against an individual or a corporation. If you get into a truck accident with an on-duty employee, that employee’s corporation may bear the blame for your losses. If you get into an accident with a contract-based driver, though, said driver may have to represent themselves in court.
Documenting an Accident Scene Can Make Assigning Liability Simpler
It’s in your best interest to bring as much evidence of negligence from your accident scene as possible. Doing so can make it easier for you to assign liability when you move to take your losses before a judge. Some of the most valuable forms of data that you can leverage against a liable party include the following:
- Physical debris from the accident scene
- A truck’s black box data
- A driver’s cell phone data
- Videos of the accident
- Photos of the accident
- Documents pertaining to the accident, including police reports
You don’t have to gather this data on your own. Our attorneys can revisit your accident scene, compile evidence relevant to the question of negligence, and then analyze that data.
Defending Your Right to Truck Accident Damages
Before you submit a truck accident claim to Indiana’s civil courts, you have to consider what damages you want to demand from a liable party. You may find yourself entitled to economic and non-economic damages covering everything from your accident’s medical expenses to your pain and suffering.
You have the right to argue for these damages in one of two ways. Firstly, you can negotiate with a liable party, whether that be a trucking agency or an independent contractor. Secondly, you can take your case before a judge and demand a civil trial.
Each of these paths toward justice has its pros and cons. For example, truck crash trials can take a considerable amount of time to resolve. They also, however, allow a judge to punish a belligerent liable party. Comparatively, truck accident settlement negotiations may resolve faster than trials, though possibly at the cost of some of your desired damages.
You Can Book a Free Case Consultation With Vaughan & Vaughan Today
Are you being bullied by a negligent truck driver? Is an insurance provider refusing to answer your calls? Don’t take on your truck accident recovery alone. Let the truck crash attorneys in Franklin, IN, go to work for you.
Do you want to learn more about the rights afforded to you by Indiana’s civil statutes? You don’t have to try and break down the law alone. Whether you need immediate representation or want to discuss taking your case to court, Vaughan & Vaughan’s lawyers are here.
You can schedule a no-obligation, free-of-charge case consultation with our team today.
