Why It’s Important to Hire an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney
After an accident with a big rig or tractor-trailer, a trucking company will do everything it can to avoid liability, and it’ll have considerable resources at its disposal to fight your legal claim.
You’ll have one shot at demanding compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress, and other damages. Hiring an experienced truck accident attorney to advocate for you can help you make the most of it.
Here’s why:
Truck Accident Cases Require Specialized Knowledge of State and FMCSA Trucking Regulations
The trucking industry is regulated by Illinois state law and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Truck drivers and trucking services must comply with a wide range of safety guidelines, including those related to:
- Minimum driver qualifications and hiring requirements
- Cargo securement procedures and protocols
- Hours of service limitations
- Vehicle inspection and maintenance requirements
- Logging and recording requirements
- Vehicle speed, especially in hazardous conditions
- Transporting hazardous materials
Even seemingly minor violations of these and other safety regulations can increase the odds of an accident. When you work with an experienced truck accident lawyer, they’ll have a working knowledge of trucking safety requirements and know how to determine if a truck driver or trucking service tried to cut corners or bend the rules. Without this specialized knowledge, you run the risk of not finding out why and how your truck accident happened, which could spell disaster for you as you pursue compensation for your injuries, costs, and suffering.
The Trucking Company Won’t Hesitate to Blame You For the 18-Wheeler Accident
The trucking service won’t bat an eye before saying that you’re at least partly responsible for an accident involving one of its drivers. In Illinois, these victim-blaming tactics can devastate a victim’s ability to recover compensation.
Under the state’s modified comparative fault law, damages are reduced proportionately to fault up to 50 percent. Once you’re deemed to be primarily at fault for a car accident involving a large truck, the trucking company will be able to walk away without paying you anything for your resulting damages.
As you might guess, trucking companies invest a lot of resources into shifting liability and building cases that highlight the ways in which victims – not the trucking companies – are at fault.
When you’re represented by an experienced truck accident attorney in Chicago, you’ll be protected against these (often baseless) tactics. Your attorney can anticipate attempts to shift liability, gather evidence to demonstrate how the trucking service and/or other parties are at fault, and protect this important opportunity for you to receive a sizable monetary award.
You Can Focus On Recovering While Knowing Your Truck Accident Lawsuit is In Good Hands
Truck accidents can be catastrophic, leaving victims to struggle with debilitating bone fractures, nerve injuries, spinal cord injuries, burns, loss of limbs, and even the wrongful death of loved ones. While you may have the legal right to pursue damages from the trucking company, asserting a winning legal claim can be tough – especially when you’re trying to recover from these types of severe physical wounds.
Hiring an experienced Chicago truck accident attorney can give you time to focus on yourself and offer peace of mind regarding your fight for compensation.
Your attorney will:
- Have experience navigating similar claims
- Work closely with truck industry professionals and other expert witnesses
- Gather key evidence
- Represent you during negotiations with powerful corporations, and
- Do everything possible to not only win your truck accident lawsuit, but also maximize your recovery.
Your choice of representation matters, which is why Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC is the top choice of truck accident victims in Chicago, IL. Call our personal injury law firm to discuss your truck accident case today for free.