Were you or a loved one injured in a commercial vehicle crash in Oklahoma? Check out these 5 common truck accident questions, then call us!
1) What steps should I take after a truck accident?
When you’re injured in a tractor trailer wreck, there are several things you need to think about doing. The first thing we worry about is our client’s health. We make sure our client gets to the doctors they need. We make sure our doctors are competent in these areas. We make sure our client gets a specialist if they need it. We make sure that the doctors get the therapy and they find doctors that will work with them with their business schedule. We make sure that our clients have everything they need to get their health back because, at the end of the day, this is all about our clients’ health and getting them back to where they were before the wreck. No amount of money we can bring them will change their health. In today’s world, being able to enjoy your life is the most important thing. Once we have our client situated, then we turn ourselves to investigating the case. The reason it’s so important to get right on these cases is because there’s so much evidence out there. The tractor trailer trucks have a lot of electronic equipment. They have devices there that tell you how fast they were going, when they were signaling, when they were braking, and how hard they were braking. They’ll have electronic logs that tell you how long the driver has been driving, and how many times he’s taken a rest when he needs to. It’ll help us understand how many of the safety rules the tractor trailer driver either broke or obeyed. It’ll help us determine how many of the safety rules the trucking company obeyed or disobeyed. It’s really important we investigate it. We hire investigators to go out, and take pictures of the scene. We hire accident reconstructionists to look at all the topics involved with that to make a mathematical inquiry of the speed and the various things that they do to come up with their opinion in what caused the wreck.
We hire tractor trailer safety experts who determine how this wreck might have occurred. Did it occur due to a violation of safety rules that have been laid out in the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Regulations? These regulations have been set out to keep the public safe. These are important things that have to happen. Tractor trailer companies are all over the country. They send tractor trailers all over the country, so you have to make sure you get ahold of all the witnesses. You keep their names, addresses, or emails. You have to safeguard this evidence. You have to make sure that in a year, when you want to find somebody, you have the proper contact information to call them. I’ve had several instances where I got a case late and I couldn’t find the witnesses; that hurts your claim. The only person who benefits from delaying starting the investigation and getting after a tractor trailer injury case is the tractor trailer company and the insurance company. It doesn’t benefit the injured person at all. Make sure you hire a lawyer, so we can start on the steps to a successful recovery for you in a tractor trailer injury case.
2) Are truck accident claims the same as a car accident?
I’ve been asked many times what the difference is between a tractor trailer injury case and an automobile wreck case is. They have a lot of the similar types of issues, but the tractor trailer injury case is more complicated. The tractor trailer driver is a professional driver. He has a lot more safety rules he has to obey. The tractor trailer insurance company has their own set of lawyers. The rules and laws about tractor trailer companies and their insurance companies are different in the tractor trailer injury case than an automobile wreck case, so you have another one or two attorneys involved. You have to understand, also, that if a tractor trailer ever runs into a car or a pickup, the tractor trailer’s always going to win. They’re going to win because they weigh 30 times more than the average truck or trailer on the road. Make sure that you understand the injuries are more severe, there’s a lot more insurance, there are more attorneys involved, and so it’s a lot more complicated and detailed. You don’t have to worry about that if you hire a lawyer early on in this case. They can help you navigate through this and answer all your questions.
3) Should I speak to the insurance company after a truck accident?
In tractor trailer injury cases, I do not recommend that you talk to the trucking company, the trucking company’s attorney, or the trucking company’s insurance adjuster. They are not your friends; they’re not trying to really help you. They’re trying to pay the least amount possible. There are so many things that go into these cases that you need to hire a lawyer or an attorney immediately, so you don’t have to worry about those issues.
4) Should I accept a settlement offer from the insurance company for my truck accident?
I’ve had clients ask me, “How long should I take before I hire a lawyer?” or, “How long should I wait to hire a lawyer after I’m involved with a tractor trailer injury case?” My response is always the same: immediately; not three months, not twelve months, and definitely not until the insurance company makes their first offer. Insurance companies always say, “Before you hire a lawyer, will you let me make a first offer? Will you promise me you won’t hire a lawyer until I make my first offer to you? I think we can get this case settled.” That’s exactly the mistake you don’t want to make. The insurance company and the adjuster are not your friends; they’re looking out for number one. They don’t want to pay you a fair settlement. Hire a lawyer who’s experienced with tractor trailer cases to help you navigate all the twists and turns of a very difficult tractor trailer injury case. Tractor trailer injury cases are complicated because the drivers are held to a higher standard, they have things they have to do, and sometimes it takes a lot of work to find out all the violations of the safety rules tractor trailer drivers make.
5) How long do I have to file a truck accident claim in Oklahoma?
In Oklahoma, you have two years to bring your claim and to preserve it. It’s called a two-year statute of limitations. Don’t wait two years. Hire a lawyer early on. Help them prepare your case in a way that will give you a fair, fighting chance to get you an equitable claim. Recoveries are difficult with tractor trailer cases, so they need all the information and evidence they can find. Don’t wait; hire a lawyer immediately.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured in a commercial vehicle crash in Oklahoma and have questions? After reading these 5 common truck accident questions, contact a Stillwater truck accident attorney at Murray Law Firm today for a free confidential consultation and case evaluation. Let our experience work for you.
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