Dealing with the aftermath of a serious trucking accident is an incredibly difficult and stressful time. In addition to the physical and emotional pain, numerous uncertainties can loom large. How will I pay living expenses if I can’t work? What compensation am I entitled to for everything I’ve lost?
Unfortunately, insurance companies understand the vulnerable state victims find themselves in. Their goal is minimizing payouts by any means, hoping people will settle quickly for far less than fair value. But giving in to pressure tactics ends up helping no one other than the insurance company.
Here, our goal is to provide you with guidance from experienced Davie Truck Accident Lawyer who have helped countless others negotiate and maximize their truck accident settlements. Let’s look at how to ensure your rights are protected as the process unfolds. You do not have to face uncertainty alone anymore.
Things to Consider When Negotiating a Truck Accident Settlement
Before you consider accepting a settlement offer from a trucking company or insurance adjuster, it’s important to understand the process and the future impact. A settlement offer is just that: an agreement to settle out of court.
Once you accept an agreement, you waive all rights to take any future legal action, even if your injuries and losses prove to be greater than you believed. Consider the following:
Insurance Tactics
It’s important clients are aware of common strategies insurers may use to lowball offers or deny portions of claims. Our attorneys have dealt with insurance adjusters for decades and have seen every tactic in the book.
We understand how they can subtly manipulate situations or cherry-pick unimportant details to weaken claims. This allows us to identify even the most discreet lowballing or denial attempts and blunt the impact of these tactics during negotiations.
Addressing Quality of Life Losses
Serious truck crashes often cause life-altering injuries that impact mobility, independence, and ability to enjoy hobbies and activities. When negotiating settlements, we create detailed analyses highlighting how crashes have diminished our clients’ quality of life.
This could include an inability to play with children or grandchildren, change careers, or travel freely. We ensure settlements account for and place adequate value on these losses of enjoyment of life in addition to direct financial costs.
Mitigating Future Risks
Settlements must consider long-term needs like ongoing medical costs, lifetime wage loss, and other economic factors. Our goal is to reach agreements that guarantee coverage for any complications down the road from accrued injuries.
More people choose The Schiller Kessler Group because they know that we’re a cut above other personal injury law firms.
What We Do to Strengthen Your Position in a Truck Accident Settlement Claim
You may wonder how an attorney might work to maximize a claim. Here are some of the ways we work to build an ironclad claim:
Gathering Strong Evidence of Liability and Damages
The steps taken in the immediate aftermath of an accident are critically important for negotiating a settlement. Our legal team includes experienced investigators who will rapidly respond to document accident scenes through detailed photos and measurements before physical evidence is altered or lost.
Witness information is time-sensitive, so we swiftly track down and take statements from those who saw what happened. We can draft a spoilage letter to preserve evidence and put the trucking companies on notice that evidence tampering is illegal and that you have retained representation.
Further, we may collect:
- EDR black box data
- History of driving violations for the truck driver
- Toxicology reports
- History of inspections and maintenance for the truck
- Hiring and training practices for the trucking company
- Traffic camera or surveillance footage
- Driver logs
This comprehensive evidence establishes fault and lays the groundwork for settlement talks.
Monitoring Your Medical Treatment
We will also closely monitor your medical care from the start. This ensures your injuries and treatment needs are properly documented for future negotiations.
Insurance companies will look for any opportunity to downplay the long-term effects of an accident. Our involvement can help prevent this.
Accurate and Complete Determination of Claim Value
With a strong evidence record in hand, our experienced attorneys conduct an exhaustive review, analyzing medical records, bills, tax returns, pay stubs, and more to determine a full accounting of the economic damages suffered.
We also consider intangible losses like past and future physical and mental pain and suffering. Based on this comprehensive demands calculation, our attorneys are then able to establish a well-supported settlement value figure reflective of the severity and life-changing nature of our client’s injuries and damages.
Rejecting Low Offers
Insurance adjusters are trained to lowball the first offer, hoping victims accept it out of desperation. We have the experience to recognize low offers and refuse on the spot, demanding fair compensation instead.
Litigation as Leverage
If settlement negotiations stall, our truck accident lawyers are fully prepared to file a lawsuit. Insurance carriers do not want costly court battles. The real threat of litigation often motivates them to increase settlement offers to a more reasonable level.
Contact Us Today to Learn How We Can Help Negotiate Your Truck Accident Claim
When negotiating a settlement after a serious truck crash, victims often face experienced insurance negotiators determined to pay as little as possible. Retaining legal counsel like the truck accident attorneys at Schiller Kessler Group can help ensure fair compensation.
We can fight for your right to recover full and fair compensation while combating insurance company pressure tactics, and we get results. Contact us today to see how we can assess your claim strengths and work to obtain the full financial recovery deserved.
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