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Before hiring an attorney for a truck accident case, you want to know what you can expect of your attorney. Here are some things you should expect of the lawyer you hire:
- Free consultation. All personal injury lawyers should be able to offer you a free initial consultation. Usually the complimentary consultation will take place at the law firm, but sometimes due to the extent of injuries, the consultation can take place at one’s home, the hospital, or over the phone. You should expect to get to know your lawyer during this meeting, be able to ask questions, and be advised of your rights during this initial consultation.
- Experience. You may or may not know this, but all lawyers are not equal. Some attorneys have years of experience and others are just getting their careers started. Some lawyers may practice personal injury law and others may practice a different type of law. Even if you hire a personal injury attorney following an accident with a large commercial truck, some personal injury lawyers may not have experience handling truck accident cases. The reason it is important to hire an attorney with experience in this field is that the laws surrounding truck accidents are very specific and may affect the outcome of your case. For instance, your case may hinge on a truck driver disregarding the hours-of-service law. If you hire an attorney who isn’t familiar with the laws that apply to trucking crashes, you may not get as much compensation as you probably deserve.
- Good reviews. Before hiring a lawyer for your injury case, you should be able to take a look at reviews and read testimonials from past clients. Many lawyers have testimonials right on their website so potential clients can find out what others say about their experiences with the law firm. Even if the lawyer you are considering hiring doesn’t have testimonials on the website, you should expect that if you ask for them, the attorney should supply you with past reviews and testimonials. It is very important that the law firm has several great testimonials and reviews that can be shared with you.
- Excellent communication. You should be able to contact your lawyer and expect to hear back from him or her on a regular basis. Although there will be paralegals and office support staff you will also hear from throughout your case duration, you should also hear from your attorney—especially if you have a question or matter that you would like his or her input on. You should expect your attorney to respond promptly to your phone calls and questions and to attentively listen to you. In addition, you should expect your lawyer to present all offers to you and inform you of your case status. And you should expect your attorney to take over communicating with all of the other parties involved—insurance adjusters, trucking companies, etc.
How Your Lawyer Should Work on Your Behalf
Not only is it important that the attorney you hire has experience handling truck accident injury cases, knows the laws and is accessible to you throughout the lawsuit, but you should also expect your lawyer to do the following for your case:
- Conduct a thorough investigation and obtain relevant evidence. Your lawyer should quickly get out to the accident scene to obtain as much evidence as possible and take photographs of the damages. Your attorney should collect the accident report, driving records for the truck driver and other parties involved, and request the downloadable information from the truck’s electronic control module (essentially the truck’s black box). Sometimes an accident reconstructionist will be needed. Other experts may need to be hired, and testimony from doctors will be essential. By obtaining all relevant evidence (even including your medical bills and records) and paying attention to detail, your attorney will be able to present a strong case to the insurance company.
- Prepare the case for trial. While not every case needs to go to trial, if your attorney is preparing the case for trial, the insurance company will know he means business and the offer will reflect it. You should expect your attorney to gather and document all evidence to strengthen your case. This means evaluating your losses such as your lost wages, mileage to and from the doctors, pain and suffering, and how your life has changed from the wreck.
If your hire our law firm, you can expect our lawyers to do all of this and more to help you win your case. We are committed to providing our clients with personal attention and preparing every case as if it was going to trial. Plus we know the federal laws governing commercial vehicle cases. Please contact us today, and we can help you pursue the compensation you deserve.
