If you were injured in an accident with a commercial truck, you may consider filing a personal injury accident claim to recover compensation for your medical bills and other expenses that have resulted. To make sure that you go through this process accurately and efficiently, you may want to hire a truck accident attorney who specializes in these types of cases.
An Atlanta trucking accident lawyer can help you know what to do when the insurance company working for the truck company calls. Many of these adjusters will try to undermine your claim or get you to agree to an inadequate settlement by using knowledge of trucking regulations and other information to confuse you.
How a Trucking Company May Try to Undermine a Claim
An insurance adjuster working for the trucking company will contact you after the accident for a statement. You should contact a truck accident attorney for help before you answer any questions or give a recorded statement. The things an adjuster might ask you or tell you include:
“Your attendance at work was poor before you were in this accident” – This is a tactic to avoid paying you for the time you needed to take off work to recover from the accident.
“You have no visible injuries” – Just because you cannot physically see an injury doesn’t mean it does not exist, especially in cases of emotional distress.
“You weren’t wearing a seatbelt” – While not wearing a seatbelt may be a bad idea on your part, it still did not prevent a truck from hitting you.
Many insurance adjusters are evaluated by their companies on how much they pay out each year, so they will try everything they can not to pay your claim or to get you to accept a low settlement. An Atlanta trucking accident lawyer can help you be prepared when an insurance adjuster calls so that you do not fall victim to manipulation. A car accident attorney with experience in trucking regulations can help you collect the right evidence and information to support you claim, should you have to go to court.
Information to Collect to Help Support a Claim
If you are taking on an insurance adjuster from the trucking company, you and your trucking accident attorney will need to have certain pieces of information to support your case. After an accident be sure to:
• take detailed photos of the accident scene;
• do not apologize or admit fault;
• seek medical attention whether you feel hurt or not;
• keep all copies of the police reports and medical records related to the accident; and
• get the contact information and statements of any eyewitnesses.
By having this information on hand, your Atlanta car accident attorney can help you create a strong case that can win you the compensation you deserve to help pay for medical bills and other losses. Don’t wait to contact an Atlanta trucking accident lawyer because you may only have limited time to file a claim.
Providing the Legal Help You Need after an Atlanta Trucking Accident
To learn more about the rights of accident victims and what you can do to protect your case, request one of Shane Smith’s books: 10 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Georgia Wreck Case and Property Damage Guide for Georgia. These books provide valuable tips from an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer and facts for Georgia injury victims and are available free of charge to Georgia accident victims and their families.
