In the days following a truck accident you may:
- Seek medical treatment for conditions such as whiplash, which the Mayo Clinic notes as the possible result of a vehicle collision
- Obtain documentation for injuries and medical treatment
- Document the progression of your injuries
- Ensure documentation of your accident and any injuries that resulted from your accident
- Consult with a lawyer
- Speak with insurance companies about your accident (after speaking with your lawyer)
You may not immediately decide whether you would potentially benefit from bringing a lawsuit, but the steps you take in the days following a truck accident could be important to preserve all of your legal options.
Truck Accident Injuries Can Be Slow to Emerge
It is possible that you will not become aware of certain injuries, or the extent of certain injuries, until days or weeks after your truck accident.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be among the injuries that you experience because of a truck accident, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that TBI symptoms:
- May include signs that you do not immediately recognized as the result of injury, such as mental fogginess, trouble concentrating, and problems with learning new things
- Could linger for a matter of weeks, or longer
- May be difficult to recover from
TBI may be particularly troubling because, while the symptoms may not be visible to others, they could absolutely derail virtually every aspect of your life. Per the CDC, some TBI symptoms that may impact your quality of life, and your ability to function daily, include:
- Persistent headaches
- Vision problems
- Changes in your mood which may include depression, irritability, generalized anxiety, and unpredictable emotionality
- A decline in your energy
- Sensitivity to light
You may want to monitor yourself for the symptoms of traumatic brain injury in the days following a truck accident. These symptoms could prove to be the most serious, and potentially costly, of your accident-related injuries, and you may need to report them soon after your accident for reasons relevant to any lawsuit that you later bring.
Injuries Can Cost You in Multiple Ways
The specific injuries that you or a loved one suffered in your truck accident may shape the nature of your losses. Some of the possible harm that may come from injuries include:
- Being unable to work for an indefinite period of time
- Being without your regular income during the period when you are out of work
- Being physically restricted, which could rob you of your independence
- Being in physical pain
- Suffering mental anguish because of physical pain and other stressors
- Potentially losing your job because you are unable to fulfill your professional duties
- Suffering disfigurement or scarring
- Being permanently disabled
- Suffering mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression
- Being robbed of opportunities which required full health to pursue
- A general decline in your quality of life
If a truck accident caused the death of a loved one, then your losses could include:
- The loss of comfort, guidance, and support that your loved one provided their family and friends
- The loss of financial support that your loved one provided to their dependents
- Pain and suffering caused by your loved one’s death, which may be a substantial loss
- Emergency care administered to your loved one
- Funeral and burial expenses
Calculating the losses that you and your loved ones suffered after a truck accident is among the services that a lawyer will provide in the aftermath of a truck accident.
A Lawyer Will Guide Your Path to Potential Compensation
You may turn to a lawyer after your accident to:
- Protect your rights against insurance companies
- Negotiate an insurance settlement
- Start a lawsuit on your behalf
- Provide general advice and counsel
A lawyer may allow you to retain their services for a contingency fee. This means that:
- You will not have to pay any costs up front
- You will not have to pay them from your own finances
- The lawyer will only get paid if you win
- Your lawyer’s fee will come as a percentage of your winnings
It is possible that you will not collect an insurance settlement, though you may do so. If your lawyer is not able to negotiate an acceptable settlement with one or more insurance companies, then you may turn your focus towards a lawsuit—either a personal injury lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit.
A Personal Injury Lawsuit Could Reimburse Your Losses
The American Bar Association (ABA) notes that a personal injury lawsuit:
- Could result in the person or people responsible for your accident compensating you for your losses
- Is a means of protecting you from harm caused by other people to your health and property, or the health of a loved one
Your lawyer will assess the losses that you sustained because of your truck accident. They may also project losses that you are likely to sustain in the future and use your total losses as the basis for the compensation that you seek from responsible losses.
In the process of completing your lawsuit, your lawyer will:
- Speak with witnesses
- Hire expert witnesses
- Collect and organize evidence
- File your lawsuit
- Document your injuries as proof of the harm you suffered
- Create written and oral arguments for how those named as defendants acted negligently (or intentionally), and how their actions or failures to act caused the accident resulting in injury to you or a loved one
- Negotiate a settlement with attorneys for defendants in your lawsuit
- Complete a trial if necessary
- File any appeal that is necessary
The goal of your lawyer will be to secure any compensation that you should be entitled to, either through a judgement or settlement.
Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC Today
The team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC offers contingency fee payments so that you may retain our services regardless of your financial status, and we do not shy away from tough cases. We want to help protect you from further harm, so call Ben Crump Law, PLLC today at (800) 235-0444 for a free consultation.
