Truck Accident Injury Claims

People involved in commercial truck accidents tend to suffer serious injuries. If you’re one of them, you deserve justice for what you’ve been through. A Utah truck accident lawyer from Swenson & Shelley can demand the compensation you need to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other accident-related costs. Restoring your sense of financial security and personal comfort is what we do.

Our trusted legal team has recovered multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements in truck accident injury claims. No case is too big or small for us. We have the knowledge, resources, and skill to handle the most complex trucking cases. Call or contact us today for a free consultation.

Truck Accident Claims Process

Obtaining compensation after a truck accident is rarely simple for accident victims. You may need to file claims with multiple insurance companies to recover full compensation, and you can count on each insurer to dispute liability. Hiring an attorney to help you through the truck accident claim process can help you avoid falling into traps that could result in less money in your pocket.

A Utah truck accident attorney will begin by acquiring and preserving evidence related to the crash, such as:

• Photos and videos of the accident scene
• The police accident report
• Eyewitness testimony
• Hours-of-service logs and driver records
• Information from the truck’s electronic data recorder
• Proof of regular maintenance and inspections
• Medical bills
• Expert testimony on how your injuries will impact your life

Using this evidence, your lawyer will identify who is liable for your injuries and losses. Next, they will send a demand letter to the at-fault party or their insurance company. A demand letter details your financial and non-financial losses and requests compensation for you. After reviewing the letter, the insurer may accept your request, deny it, or make a counteroffer.

If the insurance provider agrees to your demands, case closed. But if not, settlement negotiations begin. Your attorney and the insurer may reach an acceptable settlement amount that provides you with the fair and full compensation you deserve. If they cannot agree, your lawyer may advise filing a lawsuit. In Utah, accident victims have four years from the date of a truck accident to file suit.

Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents

Truck accident statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show nearly 400 vehicles were involved in fatal large truck-related collisions in Utah in a recent year. In those tragic crashes, 38 people died.

The most common causes of truck accidents include:

• Driver inexperience or lack of training
• Speeding
• Driver fatigue
• Distracted driving
• Failure to obey traffic lights or signs
• Failure to yield
• Following too closely
• Failure to check blind spots
• Improper or incomplete maintenance
• Truck malfunctions, such as a brake failure or tire blowout
• Poor weather conditions
• Road defects or hazards

Understanding what caused a tractor-trailer crash is crucial to determine liability. The experienced truck accident lawyers at Swenson & Shelley conduct thorough investigations to ensure that every liable party is held accountable for victims’ injuries.

Compensation for Truck Accident Victims

A successful truck accident settlement or verdict can provide you with compensation for losses like:

• Past, current, and future medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity due to permanent disabilities
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Lost enjoyment of life

After reviewing the facts, an attorney can place an estimated value on your case. Every claim is unique, so the outcome of a similar claim does not guarantee the same result for you.

Assigning Fault After a Truck Accident

When insurance adjusters and attorneys investigate a traffic accident, they work to determine whose actions contributed to the collision and to what degree. They will then assign fault to each party based on their evaluations.

There are many potentially at-fault parties in truck accidents — some of whom might not have been present at the accident itself. The trucking industry is enormous, with multiple entities involved in moving goods from place to place. That makes assigning fault challenging. Exactly where did something go wrong, and who is to blame?

Possible defendants in a truck accident case include:

• The truck driver
• The trucking company
• The truck’s owner
• The vehicle manufacturer
• Mechanics and repair companies
• Cargo loaders
• Other drivers

In Utah, you can recover compensation as long as you are less than 50 percent responsible for a wreck.

What Should I Do After a Truck Accident?

The steps you take after a semi-truck crash can majorly affect your health and ability to recover compensation. You should:

• Call 911 – Paramedics can assess your injuries, and the responding police officer will complete a crash report.
• Gather evidence at the accident scene – Get the contact information for the other drivers and any witnesses. Photos and videos of the crash site provide valuable visual documentation of what happened. Later, an accident reconstruction expert may analyze your pictures to assess what the scene looked like in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
• Seek medical attention – See a doctor as soon as possible to rule out undetected injuries. No matter how minor your injuries may seem, adding them to your medical record and connecting them to the truck accident is essential. Without solid proof of an injury, you cannot collect compensation.
• Consult a Utah truck accident attorney – The sooner you hire a lawyer, the sooner they can get to work pursuing the money you’re owed.

Contact a Utah Truck Accident Lawyer Today for Help with Your Claim

If you sustained a severe truck accident injury, you need lawyers who will fight aggressively for compensation for your losses. Put an award-winning truck accident lawyer from Swenson & Shelley to work for you. We’ll take the time to listen to your story and learn how the accident impacted your health, happiness, and future. Then we’ll demand justice and accountability from every at-fault party.

Let’s get started today. Contact us now for a free case review.

Watch this video to learn about truck accident injury claims and why they differ from regular car crash claims. Call today for a free consultation.