Tractor Trailer Crashes Are Devastating
Due to the massive size and weight of an 18-wheeler or tractor-trailer, when it collides with a smaller vehicle, the results are catastrophic for those inside the smaller vehicle. Unfortunately, severe personal injuries, permanent disability and death are the common result of these semi-truck and trailer crashes. In the blink of an eye, lives are changed forever.
Contact us or call us toll free at 1-888-329-2814 to discuss how we can help with your truck accident claim.
Trucking Accident Victims Have a Disadvantage
In our Georgia commercial trucking accident practice, we have seen too many instances where the trucking company, their insurance company and their lawyers rush to the accident scene before the crashed vehicles are even towed away. They are there to gather evidence to dispute a valid claim and try to limit the amount of money they will have to pay to accident victims. Therefore, accident victims and their families are at a disadvantage because they didn't have a lawyer at the accident scene protecting their legal rights.
This disadvantage can be overcome by a skilled Georgia tractor trailer accident lawyer. The attorneys at the Studstill Firm, LLP know how to protect your rights and obtain maximum compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, funeral expenses, property damage and other losses as well as compensation for pain and suffering caused by the collision. Even after deducting attorney fees, the net recovery for an individual who is represented by an attorney in a truck accident case will be greater than for an individual who tries to handle the insurance company alone.
Although a monetary recovery cannot completely repair the harm done by an 18-wheeler or semi truck and trailer, it does help to ease some of the financial burdens created by the accident.
Settlement Packages: A Scheme To Watch Out For
In our experience dealing with 18-wheeler crashes, we have seen just how far the trucking companies and insurance companies will go to minimize the amount of the settlement or recovery they are forced to pay accident victims. Here is the most common scheme we see:
- The insurance company adjusters will contact the victims within days of the collision and get valuable information before the victims have had a chance to talk to a lawyer.
- The insurance company doesn't want the injured victims to hire a lawyer so they tell the victims they will receive a settlement package that will provide total compensation for their injuries and/or property damage.
- But the settlement package is either very small or it keeps getting delayed over and over and the victims get nothing.
Why are the insurance and trucking companies doing this? The primary reason is that they are just buying time - they are waiting for deadlines to pass so that they can legally destroy critical documents that would otherwise be used to support the victims' claims. The longer they can discourage the victims from contacting a lawyer, the weaker the victims' case becomes.
Don't Wait To Hire A Georgia Semi Truck Accident Lawyer
Waiting too long to seek legal advice can seriously jeopardize the ability to receive full and fair compensation for catastrophic injuries or deaths from a truck wreck.
Current laws only require trucking companies and drivers of tractor trailer rigs to preserve certain documents after a crash for a short period of time – usually only about six months. Unless a knowledgeable Georgia trucking attorney forces them to preserve these documents, valuable evidence that is crucial to the victim's claim is destroyed.
When you retain the Georgia interstate trucking lawyers at the Studstill Firm, LLP to handle your tractor trailer crash, we will take immediate action to protect your legal rights. We will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of the crash, which is critical to success. In order to ensure that your rights are protected before critical time passes, contact our firm now and we will respond immediately.
Should I Settle?
This is one of the most common questions we are asked after someone has been in a tractor trailer accident. For a discussion of whether settlement may be the right choice, please read our article Should I Settle?
Free Consultation and Contingent Fees
At the Studstill Firm, LLP, consultations are free and all of our Georgia truck crash cases are handled on a contingent fee – this means there are no attorneys' fees or expenses until there is a recovery.
Contact us and our Georgia truck accident lawyers will respond to your request for a free case evaluation immediately.
Home and hospital visits are available for those who are unable to come to one of our offices (located in Macon, Georgia and Nashville, Georgia).
