A motor vehicle accident involving passenger vehicles can cause serious injuries to the occupants of the vehicles involved in the crash. When a tractor-trailer, or other large truck, is one of the vehicle involved in the collision the risk of serious, even fatal, injuries increases dramatically given the sheer size and weight of the vehicle. If you have been injured in a trucking accident, or you are the surviving loved one of someone who was fatally injured in one, you could be entitled to compensation if the truck was partially, or totally, at fault in the “accident.” One of the first questions you may have is “Is an attorney needed to litigate a trucking accident case?”
Legally speaking, there are no laws that require a victim to retain the services of an attorney in order to pursue compensation in a trucking accident – or any other personal injury accident – case. There are, however, a number of important reasons why most victims do choose to work with an attorney and why you should consider doing so as well.
At its core, a trucking collision is the same as a collision involving only passenger vehicles; however, there are some factors that make litigating a trucking accident more difficult than litigating the average passenger vehicle accident, including:
- Determining negligence – for the victim of any personal injury accident to recover damages from another party the victim must first be able to prove that the other party’s negligence caused, or contributed to, the accident. Unfortunately, trucking accidents are often so bad that determining exactly what happened just prior to the accident can often require the assistance of an accident reconstructionist, something that the average victim does not have the resources to do without the help of an attorney.
- Multiple defendants – unlike the average passenger vehicle accident, when a tractor-trailer is involved there are almost always multiple potential defendants involved. For example, the driver, owner of the truck, owner of the cargo, and even the manufacturer of the truck might all be named as defendants in the lawsuit. It should be easy to see how this can become complicated quickly. Only and experienced Tennessee trucking accident attorney knows how to properly handle a case with numerous potentially at-fault parties.
- Severity of injuries – it is rare to escape a collision with a semi-truck without a serious injury. As a general rule, the value of a personal injury case is determined, in large part, by the severity and type of injuries suffered by the victim. To ensure that you receive all of the compensation to which you are entitled it is best to work closely with an experienced attorney.
If you were injured in a trucking accident, or you lost a family member in one, consult with the experienced Tennessee trucking accident attorneys at Bennett, Michael & Hornsby. Contact the team today by calling 615-898-1560 to schedule your appointment.
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