What is a Truck Accident Settlement? How Long Does It Take To Settle A Truck Crash?
It might be an ordinary day for you as a truck driver until you suddenly crashed another vehicle, causing severe damages. So, what should you do about this? What should the car driver do? What benefits can the victim get when the truck driver is proven liable? Before we dive into that, you should know first what a truck accident settlement is.
What is a Truck Accident Settlement?
When truck collisions and other truck-related accidents occur, the one at fault should be shouldering the necessary expenses to compensate for the victim's suffering. Thus, a truck accident settlement is a monetary compensation given to those victims who have been hurt or injured due to truck collisions that usually occur due to traffic rules negligence and recklessness. These settlements actually depend on how serious the collision is and the circumstances.
When it comes to severe or major accidents, the truck owner should cover any costs of the victim's permanent disability, vehicle damage, medical expenses, loss of wage, and his or her pain and suffering. Suppose you are just a hired truck driver. In that case, you are partly liable for the damages you have caused to your victim/s, and the truck company can also be partly liable for your mistake.
However, suppose you are a truck owner yourself. In that case, you have to shoulder your victim's immediate hospital expenses and all other expenses that might follow when the jury finds you at fault for the accident. Don't worry because a highly qualified lawyer will assist you throughout the legal process and discuss the case's nature.
What is the First Step of a Truck Crash Settlement?
Although it is uncommon for insurance companies to blame the disabled victim, there is still a possibility that they would deny their claims to escape from the large sums of the amount that should be paid. This happens when the victim is obviously partly at fault for the incident. For example, when the victim or the plaintiff was listening to loud music while on the road or is drunk, they can be withheld from any benefits they can get from their insurance policy.
However, to keep things fair and attain justice, experts will conduct a thorough investigation, which is the first critical step in arriving at a final verdict. This is the reason why both the plaintiff (the person who filed the case) and the defendant (the accused one) have the right to hire a lawyer so they could receive appropriate legal assistance. Lawyers will take the necessary steps in extracting pieces of evidence to prove their clients' innocence.
How Long Does It Take To Settle A Truck Crash?
A professional investigation can indeed cause the settlement process to be more time-consuming. This is because they should take the legal steps or undergo due processes before presenting all the pieces of evidence to the court. The time duration of the settlement process will also depend on the case's severity. If the case is too complex (such as insufficient evidence on both sides and lengthy insurance company processes), it will take 2 to 3 months after the accident.
How Much Do Truck Settlements Cost?
It is atypical for trucks to have a million-dollar worth of insurance coverage. But, when trucks do really have such insurance coverage, insurance companies have aggressive schemes to lessen the substantial monetary amount that exists on the truck's insurance policy.
However, when it comes to a higher set of requirements that are associated with the insurance coverage, the multiple defendant's claims can exist. For example, a truck can have $1 million worth of insurance coverage that caters to all the truck damages, including another $1 million worth of coverage for its attached trailer.
Because these kinds of trucks cause severe damages and injuries, lawyers will have to spend more time uncovering any possible recovery source and thoroughly identifying all applicable laws for truck companies.
Will the Victim's Injuries and Vehicle Damages Affect the Length of the Claim?
Yes, of course. Aside from lengthy professional investigations, the justice system's due processes, insurance company policies, and the amount of time your lawyer needs to gather sufficient pieces of evidence to increase the victim's benefits, there's one more factor that can highly affect the settlement's duration— the victim's medical treatment. This is an important factor in estimating your claim's duration.
Physical injuries can usually be resolved by the time the victim has already recovered fully or has already been discharged from the hospital. However, when it comes to truck collisions, the damages inflicted on victims can be a lot more severe than other vehicle accidents. Thus, the treatment period can take longer than expected, which can directly impact the settlement duration.
Although it is tempting for the victim to try to settle their claims even while they're still treating, this should never be advised. Why? It is because the victim will never know about the long term impacts (such as discovering brain damage a few weeks later or a long-term psychological impact like PTSD) caused by accident.
Thus, it is advisable to allow the attorney to document the healing process so they could gather enough pieces of evidence to be presented to the court. These pieces of evidence can serve as proof for your diligence in adhering to the doctor's advice and the amount of money you've spent for the unmentioned damages. These pieces of evidence will also increase the likelihood for the defendant to be proven liable for the accident.
Conclusion
Whether you are the plaintiff or the defendant, it is necessary always to keep your eyes on the road and avoid unnecessary activities that take your attention away from environmental stimuli such as listening to loud music, texting, and calling while driving. Most importantly, do not drive if you are not in the proper condition to do so.
Also, never forget to bring your driver's license even if your destination is only a few blocks away from home. Any violations, minor or major, can disqualify you from availing the monetary benefits from your insurance policy.
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