Any vehicle accident can be traumatic and life-altering, but if you’ve been involved in a wreck with a semi-truck, the aftermath can be physically, financially, and emotionally devastating. As you’re dealing with the shock, the last thing you need to worry about is fighting the trucking company’s insurance company for the fair compensation you need to move forward.
Truck accident injuries tend to be catastrophic, and often they result in fatalities. Just as these accidents can be complicated, with multiple possible at-fault parties, the resulting lawsuits can also be exceptionally complicated. You need a Lake County truck accident lawyer standing by your side who can protect your rights from start to finish.
Truck accidents aren’t like accidents because trucks are insured differently. When a collision with a big rig occurs, it could involve multiple vehicles, police reports, witness testimonies, and several victims. Most people aren’t equipped to deal with such complex cases, especially when you’ve already got so much weight on your shoulders. That’s why we’re here to help.
How Much You Can Expect in a Truck Accident Settlement in Lake County
A settlement or court award is intended to give the victims of truck accidents and their survivors the funds they need to make themselves whole again to the extent that it is possible after an accident. When you are dealing with a truck accident, there is a good chance you are looking at serious medical bills and possibly a lifetime of care or the permanent loss of income.
Your semi-truck or other commercial vehicle accident compensation will be based on your economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are costs that have a set dollar amount, such as missed wages, doctor bills, or the cost of funeral and burial expenses.
Non-economic damages are meant to compensate for losses that aren’t as easy to measure in dollars, such as the loss of consortium, companionship, or a parent. Pain and suffering compensation is another type of noneconomic damages.
During your initial consultation with our truck accident lawyers in Lake County, we will review the circumstances of your claim, your evidence, and your damages. Then we can give you an estimate of how much your semi-truck accident case may be worth in Indiana.
We can fight for your compensation after any of the following types of truck accidents:
- Big rig rollovers
- Tractor-trailer wrecks
- 18-wheeler collisions
- Defective parts accidents
- Crashes in construction zones
- Wrecks caused by driver negligence
- Accidents at railroad crossings
- Crashes caused by improper cargo loading
- Commercial truck collisions
- Accidents involving delivery drivers
Why Another Party May Be Liable for Your Truck Accident Damages
The trucking industry in Indiana is heavily regulated, but sometimes truck drivers, trucking companies, cargo loading companies, truck part manufacturers, or other parties may make mistakes, cut corners, or otherwise behave in a negligent manner. Often, this is to save time and cut costs, but at whose expense? Far too often, it is at the expense of accident victims.
Although the reasons for semi-truck accidents are similar to the causes behind car accidents, the effects of a truck collision can leave a significant impact. When the rest of your life has changed or a loved one’s life has ended due to another party’s negligence, you should not be left holding the bills. The liable party or parties are responsible for compensating you.
Every situation is different but the most common reasons for truck accidents caused by negligence in Indiana are:
- Careless or reckless driving: When a truck driver speeds, changes lanes constantly, or tries to change lanes with another motorist in their blind spot, it can cause accidents. Speeding accounted for 2,699 collisions in 2019 in Lake County.
- Auto parts failure: In some cases, the drivers of the trucks bear no responsibility for a collision. The truck manufacturers may be to blame for producing vehicles with parts that weren’t checked or are in poor condition. Faulty brakes could be the difference between a close call and a major accident.
- Lack of driver training: Not every truck company does this but some may hire inexperienced drivers and fail to provide them with adequate training to cut costs. Driving a semi-truck requires a specific license and training because it’s not the same as operating a passenger vehicle. A driver who isn’t prepared to get behind the wheel of a truck is more likely to react poorly and cause accidents.
- Long hours: It’s typical for truck drivers to put in long or odd hours in order to get their cargo delivered on time. Lack of sleep can hinder focus and alertness behind the wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
Why Indiana Truck Accident Claims Are So Complex
Because the trucking industry is so heavily regulated, there may be complicated federal and state laws that come into play during your Lake County, IN, truck accident claim. When these laws are violated, your lawyer will need to prove how the laws were violated in order to establish negligence in your case.
When you are involved in a wreck that involves one or more semi-trucks or other vehicles, there may be multiple liable parties, and some of them may be located in jurisdictions out of Lake County or even outside of Indiana.
On top of these issues, the insurance companies of large trucking companies are not in the business of giving their money away to accident victims. In fact, far too often they will resort to anything to hold onto their profits – even at the expense of accident victims who are rightfully owed compensation.
Insurance companies may try to shift blame, deny responsibility, and exaggerate the victims’ degree of fault. In some cases, they may even falsify records or hide behind shell companies. Only a truck accident attorney with experience in these claims will have the legal knowledge and experience to stand up to the insurers to protect your claim.
Types of Injuries That Can Result in a Truck Accident Settlement
If you’ve been in a truck accident and sustained injuries, it’s likely they are severe. Even if your injuries are not major, however, you still have a right to seek compensation. Some typical injuries that result from truck accidents include:
- Limb fractures
- Internal wounds
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Skin burns
- Head injuries
- Spinal cord fractures (SCIs)
Why You Should See a Doctor Immediately After the Accident
Semi-truck injuries can be debilitating and may lead to serious consequences if not treated right away. We strongly encourage you to visit a doctor after you’ve been involved in a truck accident in Lake County. You might not notice any outward signs of injury but you could have internal complications. It’s also possible that your injuries will surface in the days or weeks following the accident.
Visiting a doctor right away is also important for insurance reasons. If you wait to see a doctor and later try to seek compensation for your injuries, your insurer or the other party could argue that you delayed medical treatment and thus your injuries aren’t severe enough to grant you compensation.
Damages You May Be Able to Recover After a Truck Accident
After experiencing a traumatic event like a truck accident, you understandably want compensation for your suffering. At Yosha Cook & Tisch, we work tirelessly to help you recover this compensation, and we have a proven track record for getting results.
You may be able to receive the following damages after a truck accident in Lake County:
- Medical expenses: Medical expenses include all the money you paid or must still pay for emergency room visits, drug prescriptions, medical treatment, therapy, hospital bills, and future medical costs.
- Lost wages: Losing the ability to work after your truck accident can be a stressful experience. How will you pay your medical bills and other expenses if you can’t work? If the injuries you sustained from the accident prevent you from going to work and you lost income, you may be able to recover those lost or reduced wages.
- Lost or reduced earning potential: Your injury might be so severe that not only are you prevented from working temporarily, but you also cannot return to work or must change jobs. If that’s true, you could also seek compensation for it.
- Non-economic damages: You haven’t only suffered financial losses because of your accident. You may also have experienced pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, disability, and other damages. Putting a dollar value on non-economic damages can be challenging so we will do it for you and fight to help you get what you deserve.
- Property damage: It’s likely your vehicle or personal property were damaged in the accident and require repair or replacement. You may be able to receive compensation to cover these expenses as well.
- Wrongful death damages: Losing a loved one in a truck accident is devastating. Although no compensation can truly make up for your loss, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death action. This could provide you end-of-life expenses such as funeral and burial arrangements and final medical bills. You may also be able to receive compensation that covers the deceased’s income.
The Time Limit on Your Semi-Truck Accident Case in Indiana
After you or a loved one has been in a truck accident, it’s important to start taking action right away. We understand that you may be struggling with medical bills, not being able to work, trauma, or grieving, but there’s a limit on the time you have to pursue legal action.
In Indiana, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit is two years from the date of your accident. If you or the victim was disabled or under 18 when the accident occurred, this time limit can be paused, however.
The sooner you start working with a truck accident attorney in Lake County, the better. It will take time to review your case and gather the necessary information. Your attorney will also want to ensure your case stays on track and that you don’t miss any important deadlines.
If you do miss these deadlines, you could lose the right to seek compensation for the damages you’ve suffered as a result of your accident.
After a Semi-Truck Wreck, You Need Accident Lawyers You Can Count On
With its rapid and expansive growth, Las Vegas has lots of roads and freeways for large trucks to move goods in and out of the city. You might encounter 18-wheelers and semi-trucks on the 215, I-15, the 95, and Summerlin Parkway. Not to mention the Strip and the major roads feeding in and out of town.
Truck accidents have a much higher potential for catastrophic injury than typical passenger vehicle collisions. Semi-trucks are significantly bigger in size, and therefore heavier than other vehicles. As a result, they can crush or even total smaller vehicles in a crash, seriously injuring passengers, or worse. Despite federal, state, and local trucking safety laws, trucking companies and drivers are often the cause of these tragic accidents.
Negligent, careless, or reckless practices cause hundreds of semi-truck accidents in Nevada every year. If you’re hurt in one of these collisions, talk to the Las Vegas truck accident attorneys at Claggett & Sykes Law Firm for legal assistance. Our injury trial lawyers have decades of combined experience helping clients successfully resolve their cases. And, we offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we charge no fees unless we win your case. Get in touch with us today.
How a Lake County Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You
After everything you’ve gone through, legal action may not be on your mind. Seeking justice for the damage that’s been done to you, a loved one, or your property can give you peace of mind, however. Filing a lawsuit and obtaining compensation can also help you get your life back on track if you’ve experienced debilitating losses from a truck accident in Lake County.
It’s difficult to pursue a personal injury or wrongful death case without proper legal training. When it involves a truck accident, the case becomes even more complex. With the help of a specialized truck accident attorney, you have a better chance of getting the justice you deserve.
When you choose to work with Yosha Cook & Tisch on your truck accident case, we will guide you through the process step by step and explain everything. We can advise you on the merits of your case and let you know what your legal options are for seeking fair compensation. We’ll also put all our best resources on your case, including forensic investigators to collect important evidence.
You can expect our attorneys to do the following as part of your truck accident case:
- Determine all the parties responsible for your truck accident, which may include the truck driver, the driver’s employer, the company that loaded the truck’s cargo, the truck’s parts manufacturer, the company responsible for maintaining the truck, the municipality that maintains the roads where the collision occurred, or others.
- Handle your insurance claims and negotiate with the insurers of the other parties involved.
- Gather and document witness testimony to support your account of events.
- Represent you in meetings with the opposing parties.
- Collect evidence such as the police report, video footage, photos of the vehicles, photos of the crash site, and photos of your injuries.
- Filing a lawsuit against the liable parties if no settlement is reached.
- Fighting for you in court if the case goes to trial.
Our truck accident attorneys in Lake County have the resources and expertise to support you as you seek justice.
Call Us Now for a Free Truck Accident Case Review in Lake County
At Yosha Cook & Tisch, we’ll be by your side every step of the way. Our truck accident lawyers in Lake County keep your best interests at the forefront of our efforts. We are ready to defend your rights throughout the entirety of the case, even in court if necessary.
We care deeply about getting our clients the justice they deserve, so we work on contingency. That means that you do not pay anything upfront. We only take payment from you if you recover monetary compensation for your semi-truck accident claim. We only get paid if you do.
Don’t fight your legal battles alone. Let our dedicated and experienced attorneys fight them for you. Call our firm today at (317) 648-5063 for a free consultation.
Our Lawyers Will Fight for Your Rights After a Semi-Truck Accident in Lake County
After a truck accident, you might feel like life will never go back to normal. Despite your mounting medical bills and significant physical and emotional pain, faceless insurance companies will try to devalue the quality of a life – whether it’s yours or a loved one’s. But, you don’t need to fight this battle alone.
Though no amount of money can undo what has happened to you, and you may be entitled to full and fair compensation under the law. Our expert team of legal professionals are here to fight for your brighter future and make your voice heard.
Let us know what’s happened to you and receive a free case evaluation as your first step towards justice.
