After a truck accident, the first step to recovering damages is to obtain your official police report. Submit it along with all required documentation to the at-fault party and their insurance provider. You will need to identify the at-fault party, prove their negligence, calculate your recoverable damages, and file your lawsuit on time. You could also hire a truck accident lawyer who will take care of all of these steps.
If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident, you need to know everything about how to file a truck accident claim in Georgia. The best way to understand all the moving parts involved in recovering compensation is to let a local lawyer handle it for you. They will review your truck accident case at no cost to you and fight hard for the best possible outcome.
Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer to Communicate on Your Behalf
The days and weeks after a truck accident can mean multiple rounds of communication with a wide variety of people. If you are represented by a personal injury lawyer, they will handle all verbal, written, and virtual communication with:
- The at-fault party or parties
- The insurance company
- The insurance adjuster
- Accident witnesses
- Subject matter experts
- An accident reconstructionist
Avoid making any statements about the accident that might be used later to refute your claim. Instead, allow your lawyer to handle all case-related communication for you, including providing you with ongoing updates as your case progresses.
You should also avoid making social media posts about the accident or accepting new and unknown friend requests afterward. These could be used to invalidate your insurance claim or to refute the extent of your injuries.
Identify the At-Fault Party or Parties in Your Truck Accident Case
Truck accident cases can be challenging for a multitude of reasons. One is the fact that there can be multiple liable parties. That can mean conducting multiple simultaneous investigations, which can be time-consuming. Potential at-fault parties can include:
- The truck driver, if they are an owner/operator
- The company that employs the truck driver
- The manufacturer of the truck or its components
- The repair, maintenance, or cargo loading facility
- A municipal agency if road conditions caused the crash
Because one or more of these parties could bear financial liability, it could necessitate multiple insurance claims and rounds of negotiation. If you are represented by a truck accident lawyer, they will handle all claims for you.
For a free legal consultation, call 404-214-2001
Compile, Organize, and Submit Evidence That Proves Your Right to Damages
The weight of your evidence file will play an important role in your case. It will prove the accident’s causes, contributing factors, and costs. The case file documents your lawyer will compile include:
- Medical records and bills
- Employment and salary records
- Truck accident report
- Rehab and therapy records and bills
- Dashcam and surveillance videos
- Accident scene and injury photos
- Eyewitness statements
- First responder reports and bills
- Truck maintenance records
- Cargo loading reports
Your lawyer will have a team of resources and investigators who can work on substantiating your case. They will handle the challenging task of building your case file rather than taxing you or your family with doing so.
Your Truck Accident Report Is a Key Component of Your Case File
One of the first pieces of evidence your lawyer will obtain is your official police report. It will contain key pieces of information they can use to support your right to compensation. From it, your lawyer will draw:
- Contact details for all involved parties
- The accident’s date, time, and location
- Witness names and contact information
- The truck’s year, make, and model
- Points of impact and paint transfer
- Readily noticeable injuries
- Readily noticeable damage to both vehicles
Your crash report will also have notes and diagrams from the investigating officer and police-generated photos and videos. Your legal team will order a copy of this important document right away.
Compensation Your Lawyer Will Demand After Your Accident
A truck accident will leave you with a wide variety of recoverable damages. The economic damages you can recover include:
- Emergency room fees
- Hospital admissions
- Assistive medical devices
- Lost income
- Future lost earnings
- Treatment-related travel
- Property damage
- Property loss
- Diminished property value
You can also request compensation for intangible, or non-economic, damages. These can include:
- Physical disability
- Physical disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
If your family experienced the loss of a loved one after a truck accident, you are entitled to recover wrongful death damages. On your family’s behalf, your lawyer will demand compensation for your funeral and burial expenses. You can also recover your loss of their financial and domestic contributions to your family and loss of consortium and companionship.
How the Statute of Limitations Can Affect the Negotiation Process
In every U.S. state, you have a limited time to file a lawsuit after a truck accident. The allotted time can change based on a number of factors, which can make compliance difficult. In Georgia, you generally have:
- Two years to file your personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, per O.C.G.A § 9-3-33
- Six months to file your claim against a government agency, per O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5
Your lawyer will explain the statute of limitation that applies to your Georgia case. They will also work hard to meet it since you can be prevented from recovering damages at all if it expires. In addition, the insurance company will cease to negotiate if your lawsuit is not filed on time, which will leave you with no compensation options at all.
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Get Help Filing Your Truck Accident Insurance Claim
If you or a loved one was injured in a recent truck accident, it can be hard to navigate how to file a truck accident claim in Georgia while coping with your injuries. At Kaine Law, our truck accident attorney will explain each step of the financial recovery and settlement negotiation process.
Learn more about how hard we work for you by contacting one of our case evaluation team members to get started today.
Call or text 404-214-2001 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
