Tractor-trailers and other 18-wheelers weigh 20 to 30 times more than your typical passenger vehicle. When these vehicles cause an accident, those driving sedans, SUVs, or other smaller cars suffer disproportionately. They can experience severe or debilitating injuries, like paralysis, or a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
There are ways for truck accident victims to secure compensation after a crash, though. Through either an insurance claim or a lawsuit, you could receive settlement money. A Bel Air truck accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow can help you in your fight for compensation.
Do I Need To Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?
Maryland allows litigants to pursue a lawsuit without legal representation. Similarly, you can settle with an insurance company on your own. We do not recommend this course of action.
The Challenges of Pursuing a Lawsuit
Pursuing a lawsuit is not a straightforward affair. To succeed, you’ll need to make sense of a labyrinth of state codes and regulations.
These are a few legal terms that must become a part of your vocabulary if you fly solo:
- Plaintiff
- Defendant
- Subpoena
- Deposition
- Discovery
Many civil lawsuits are settled before trial, too, through a process called mediation. Mediation entails negotiating with the at-fault party with the help of a third-party mediator. To secure an adequate settlement, you must convince the at-fault party that you’re deserving of compensation, all on your own.
The margin of error in truck accident lawsuits is razor-thin in Maryland. This state uses contributory negligence, meaning if the evidence shows that you’re even 1% responsible for your truck accident, you could be prevented from receiving a settlement.
Insurers Aren’t Always on Your Side
It’s the insurance company’s job to help you pay for your medical expenses, right? Only kind of. Insurance companies are for-profit entities meaning you are not their primary concern.
Insurers are often more worried about their bottom line. They may try to save costs by:
- Offering you an unfair settlement
- Using available evidence to suggest that you don’t deserve compensation
- Ask you for a recorded statement, and then use said statement to reduce your settlement
Maryland has a minimum third-party liability insurance requirement, too. These values are:
- $30,000 per person involved in an accident
- $60,000 per accident
- $15,000 for property damages, like a totaled vehicle
Even the totality of the insurance limits may not be enough to cover your medical expenses. For example, TBIs, a potential truck accident injury, can have a lift time cost of between $85,000 and $1 million.
If your insurance settlement doesn’t cover your expenses, you’ll be left seeking compensation through mediation, or a lawsuit.
For legal consultation with a truck accident attorney in Bel Air, call (410)777-8960
How Can a Truck Accident Lawyer From MD Accident Law Help?
You get more than just a truck accident lawyer when you work with MD Accident Law. Our team members operate as negotiators, investigators, representatives, and case assistances. At their core, our services are designed to help you win your case.
With our assistance you can:
- Rest easy: Remember all that complicated legal terminology? If you hire a lawyer, you won’t have to worry about any of that. Instead, you can focus on getting better, knowing that your case is under control.
- Have no more burning questions: We offer our clients a 24/7 helpline. This allows us to offer you answers to your questions whenever you need them.
- Worry less about money: Initial contact with our firm won’t cost you anything. We also work on contingency, meaning you don’t need to pay our lawyers anything upfront.
To help you win your fight for compensation, we provide these services:
- Communicate with parties involved in the case on your behalf
- Act as your representative
- Negotiate with insurers for the best settlement possible
- File a lawsuit, if needed
- Pursue out of court settlement options, like mediation
Assigning Liability
Every truck accident case relies on liability. This term refers to an at-fault party; whoever is liable is responsible for the accident. In being responsible, the at-fault party then could owe you compensation.
In truck accidents, the liable party could be:
- A trucking company
- The truck manufacturer
- Another driver on the roadway
- The truck driver
- The truck owner
- And more
To assign liability, our lawyers will prove these four qualifiers:
- The liable party owed you a duty of care
- The liable party breached this duty of care
- This failure to uphold the duty of care caused you injuries
- You suffered from demonstrable injuries
Every driver on the roadway owes everyone else a duty of care. This means that if they behave negligently, by ignoring signage, speeding, or texting while driving, they are breaching this duty of care.
Our lawyers can comb through your case’s evidence to identify negligent behavior. If there’s a clear link between another party’s negligent behavior and your injuries, your case will be much stronger.
Bel Air Truck Accident Attorney (410)777-8960
Will I Receive a Large Accident Settlement?
Settlement values vary from case to case. The type of case will impact this value, as will the severity of injuries you sustained. Insurance claims and lawsuits can have different settlements, too. A lawsuit could also be used to supplement an insurance claim.
Damages in a truck accident case, which are the different types of settlement money you can receive, typically include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of a close personal relationship
- Pain and suffering
Our Bel Air truck accident lawyers will estimate a fair value for your case. This estimation will serve as a guidepost. If an insurer or liable party offers you a low settlement, you’ll know.
Click to contact our Bel Air Personal Injury Attorneys today
Truck Accident Lawsuits are Time-Sensitive
Truck accidents are filed under the category of “personal injury” in Maryland. This means that they have a three-year deadline, per Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 5-101.
If you miss this deadline, you’ll be unable to file a lawsuit. You can think of lawsuits as the final option. When insurance negotiations or mediation fall through, a lawsuit can be used to push for a better settlement.
Don’t wait to get started on your case. The sooner you initiate insurance negotiations, the sooner you’ll know if you need to turn to other legal options. A deadline shouldn’t stop you from fighting for compensation.
Complete a Free Case Evaluation form now
Hire a Truck Accident Attorney
Our clients appreciate our legal services. Read about what they’ve said about our firm:
- “I’ve had experiences with other personal attorneys in the past, and Adam is without a doubt the best I’ve ever worked with.” – Joe b.
- “I would highly recommend Adam Smallow for his expertise and persistent commitment to his clients.” – Sean M.
- “This is the best lawyer that I have ever had. He’s a good hard worker and is for the people not his self.” – Steven L.
We’re one call away. Let us help you. You don’t need to be kept up at night worrying about the status of your truck accident case. Our lawyers can support clients as they navigate the messy aftermath of a truck accident.
Call or text (410)777-8960 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form