Collisions involving large commercial vehicles are very different from other personal injury cases. The amount of factual detail to sift through is enormous. Also, many victims have catastrophic injuries which leave them permanently disabled. It’s harder to win a truck accident case—and the amount of compensation in play is higher, too. Call Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C. We have offices in Iowa City and Waterloo but can travel anywhere to meet with accident victims and their families.
Our Cedar Falls truck accident lawyers can listen to you explain what happened and analyze the law. Based on what we hear, we might recommend hiring our firm to help negotiate a settlement for your injuries. In this article, we look at some of the most common truck accident myths. We have practiced in Iowa for decades and have heard many misconceptions from the public. Call us if you’d like to schedule a consultation.
Myth #1: Truck Accidents are Like Car Accidents
Actually, they are very different. Truck accidents have more potential defendants:
- Negligent truckers who drive dangerously or are fatigued or distracted behind the wheel;
- A negligent trucking company that fails to perform adequate supervision or background checks before hiring a trucker;
- The company that loaded the cargo onto the truck, perhaps making it unstable;
- A mechanic or manufacturer, when a defective part leads to an accident.
Please call our Cedar Falls truck accident lawyer to fully analyze who might be on the hook for compensation in your case. Because there are so many potential defendants, figuring out liability is a challenge, and your attorney needs as much time as possible to comb through all the factual allegations.
Myth #2: Lawyers Are Too Expensive
Many victims are struggling financially in the months after a crash. Few people can dive straight back into work because they feel too much pain. For these reasons, they might try to negotiate their own settlement, which is a huge mistake.
A lawyer is a huge boon to anyone hurt in an accident. A lawyer can:
- Gather evidence when you’re too much in pain to get out of bed.
- Help document your injuries to prove the full value of your claim.
- Research recent truck accident settlements to see how much victims with similar injuries are receiving.
- Negotiate with the trucking company or other defendant to reach a fair settlement.
- Attend mediation, if necessary, to try and settle the case with the defendant.
Typically, a person with a lawyer will receive more in a settlement than if they tried to negotiate on their own. Get the help you need by calling our firm today.
Myth #3: You Can Wait to File a Lawsuit
Actually, Iowa has a statute of limitations which comes into play in accident cases. You will need to file your lawsuit within two years of the date of the accident. What if you go over this deadline? Then the defendant can get your case dismissed from court, and you’ll lose leverage in settlement talks.
Please don’t delay filing a lawsuit. Call our Cedar Falls truck accident lawyers as soon as possible. We will ensure your case is filed in court ahead of any deadline. You can also focus on your physical and emotional recovery as we handle the dirty work.
There is no reason to delay. Our consultations are free to anyone who has been hurt in a truck accident.
Myth #4: Any Lawyer Can Handle Your Case
The trucking industry has many specialized laws which could impact your case. For this reason, you should hire a lawyer who has negotiated multiple truck accident settlements. A lawyer with deep experience in truck accident provides many advantages:
- We know where to find evidence for your claim. Truck accidents rely on different types of evidence, including Daily Vehicle Inspection Reports, “black box” data, and employee records. We know how to find this evidence and ask the trucking company to preserve it for our inspection.
- We understand how government regulations impact a case. The trucking company could have violated federal or state regulations, which helps prove they were negligent. We understand the regulations better than most personal injury lawyers.
- Our lawyers will compare your case to others involving similar injuries. We can perform necessary research and ensure that your settlement isn’t low relative to other cases.
- We know how trucking companies and their insurers negotiate cases. This knowledge gives us a leg up when we sit across the table from them. There are no surprises.
A lawyer who handles only the occasional truck accident case probably has no idea how to do any of the above. Call Ball, Kirk & Holm today.
Myth #5: Insurance Companies Will Treat You Fairly
If that were true, no one would need a lawyer. Trucking companies and their insurers are united in one goal: to pay you as little as possible so they grow their profits. Any money you get for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering is coming out of their profits. They resent you for it. And, no, they don’t treat you fairly.
In fact, we have seen some insurance companies use bad faith tactics against accident victims. They might misrepresent a policy or drag their feet for no good reason and refuse to perform an investigation or make a settlement offer. There is no excuse for these bad faith tactics. Our firm will hold their feet to the fire and ensure you are respected.
Speak with a Cedar Falls Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck accident cases are complex, but we can simplify them as much as possible. The lawyers at Ball, Kirk & Holm have decades of experience assisting accident victims as they fight for compensation. The trucking company will have huge teams of investigators at their disposal and powerful law firms. You’ll need an advocate in your corner to make sure your voice is heard and your injuries are taken seriously.
Give us a call. We maintain an open-door policy and are available for our clients 24/7, without questions.