A truck accident can leave you overwhelmed with medical bills, lost wages, and painful injuries. When insurance adjusters pressure you to accept inadequate settlements, you need someone fighting for your interests. Our attorney can investigate your accident, gather critical evidence, and build a compelling case against negligent parties.
Truck accident cases involve complex regulations and multiple potentially liable parties. At Hollis Law Firm, our attorney has 15 years of experience representing truck accident victims in Olathe and may be able to help you navigate this challenging process. Filing a personal injury claim allows you to pursue compensation for your economic and non-economic damages.
Who Can You Hold Responsible for a Truck Accident?
There are a few different parties that you can hold responsible for a truck accident, depending on the specific circumstances that led to your collision. Some of the most common parties to appear in truck accident claims include the following:
- Trucking agencies
- Independent contractors
- Truck packers
- Truck manufacturers
If you want to hold the right people accountable for the losses you sustained after an accident with a truck, you need to determine what evidence of negligence you have available to you. You can also ask an experienced truck accident lawyer to go through the contracts relevant to your case.
For example, if a trucking agency works with independent contractors, you may have the right to sue those contractors after an accident. However, independent contractor contracts may not allow you to use a trucking agency or corporation for your losses, even if you can file an insurance claim with those companies’ providers.
What Evidence Can Help You Make Your Case?
You cannot build a truck accident case unless you have evidence of negligence on hand. Fortunately, you can bring forward a wide array of data to make your case against a trucking agency, independent contractor, or affiliated party. Your attorney can ask investigators to sift through:
- Video footage, including footage from a truck’s dash camera
- Photos from before and after your accident
- Relevant witness statements
- Expert witness statements, including police reports and reports from emergency responders
- Physical debris
- Environmental damage
Trucks also have black boxes, which record a considerable amount of data about a driver’s behavior before, during, and even after an accident. A quick-acting lawyer can access a truck’s black box data and integrate it into your claim before a trucking agency or insurance provider tries to limit your access to it.
When Should You File a Truck Accident Claim?
If you want to file a truck accident claim, you need to act before the relevant statute of limitations expires. Most states do not allow you to bring a personal injury claim forward if the claim’s statute of limitations has already passed. In Kansas, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the accident date.Â
With that deadline in mind, truck accident survivors should consider reaching out to an attorney sooner rather than later. The faster you get an attorney on your side, the easier it may be to financially recover from your truck accident losses.
How to Ask for Fair Truck Accident Compensation
You have the right to include the cost of your economic and non-economic losses in the truck accident claim you submit for judicial consideration. Your economic losses will include the tangible bills you’ve had to pay in the wake of your accident, including the following:
- Emergency room bills
- Ambulance fees
- Prolonged medical care, including physical therapy and upcoming surgeries
- Lost wages
- Property damage and restoration
You can supplement those losses by accounting for the value of your non-economic losses. These may include your emotional distress, PTSD, and reduced quality of life. You can ask a truck accident attorney to help you assign dollar values to these losses, as they do not generate traditional bills.
What to Expect From an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer
Working with a truck accident lawyer doesn’t lock you into one specific course of legal action. You have the right to determine how you want to recover from truck accident losses. You can subsequently ask an experienced truck accident attorney to help you:
- File an insurance claim with a relevant provider
- Finalize a personal injury claim and summon a liable party for settlement negotiations
- Take your truck accident case to civil trial
A truck accident lawyer wants to put you in control of your recovery while making it easier for you to ask for the maximum possible compensation for your losses.Â
Explore Your Legal Options With Hollis Law Firm
Trucking agencies and their insurance companies often try to minimize your compensation after an accident with one of their drivers. You deserve to have an advocate in your corner while seeking the financial recovery you need. At Hollis Law Firm, our attorney may be able to help you navigate the complex legal process and stand up for your interests.
With 15 years of experience handling Olathe truck accident cases, our attorney can work to build a strong case for the compensation you deserve. We understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll these accidents take and remain committed to fighting for our clients’ rights throughout settlement negotiations or trial, if necessary. If you’re ready to learn more about your legal options after a truck accident, reach out through our contact form or call (800) 701-3672.
