Understanding What You Should Do When You Get Involved Into An Accident With An 18 Wheeler
Accidents cannot be prevented completely, especially when it comes to road transport. Most people think that all accidents are equal and are treated the same by the law, but this is not the case with 18 Wheelers.
When having a case of getting into an accident with an 18 wheeler, the legal presentation might differ from the legal representation of other accidents and also the kind of compensation you get differs from the one you would get when involved in another kind of accidents and also it would be different from one 18 wheeler to another. Since you need compensation that would help you heal and continue living again, you need lawyers to represent you in the court of law since these cases are very complicated and different from normal cases. After an occurrence of these accidents you should first find more about your legal options so that you can decide the kind of representation you need to claim your compensation.
Cases involving 18 wheeler accidents are very complicated because there different parties to deal with which includes the truck driver and the truck owner and sometimes third parties if the owner of the truck is not the owner of the trailers and cargos. Since the truck company has to hire the driver, the two are separate entities and the laws of the state applies to them differently and different from the third parties involved hence you should have the basic knowledge of who is the truck company, truck driver, the cargo owner and any other information relating to the 18 wheeler. When negotiating for a compensation against an 18 wheeler crash, each and every impact of the crash should be revealed and whether the truck was following all the rules of the road and if not, which one led to the crash.
The law requires that the truck driver to have the commercial driving license, take timely and adequate breaks and rests and the truck should have air brake system which is working properly in accordance to the law.
Despite the fatal consequences of an 18 wheeler accident such as making people mentally disabled, crippled and disrupting their lives in general, most insurance companies offer a small settled of the case, and therefore you should have an experienced attorney to help you get out of this trick and get the compensation you deserve.
It is worth considering the number of physical injuries you have received from the accident before determining the method of settling that accident. Since the insurance company has to pay for your medical bill and any wages that you should have received if you were working, but you cannot receive in the process of recovering from the accident, you should also put them into consideration. You should also consider the stress you are getting as a result of the accident for example loss of sleep because of the pain and suffering or lack of companionship because maybe your partner or your family died in the accident and get compensated of the same.
Whenever you get involved in an 18 wheeler accident, seek for a best-skilled attorney who will help you get compensation of the losses you are going through, and it is not your fault.