In the days and weeks following a truck accident, as you are trying to focus on your health and doing your best to get back to normal, the trucking company’s insurance provider is most likely attempting to locate you. They want to get a statement from you about what happened and how badly you were hurt. But make no mistake: the trucking company’s insurer doesn’t have your best interests in mind.
One of the main reasons the trucking company’s insurance provider wants to get in touch with you is to make you an offer, to propose that you take a certain amount of money to “compensate” for the accident. Many truck accident victims are quick to take this offer because they need the money right away or they feel lucky to get anything at all.
If you learn anything from this blog post, please let it be this: do not take an insurance company’s offer without talking to a Texas attorney first. Let’s talk about why you should be very careful when dealing with the insurance company.
You receive a phone call out of the blue a few days after you’ve been injured. It is a representative of the trucking company’s insurance provider. He or she sounds sympathetic and just wants to hear you explain what happened. As the conversation goes on, you hear some good news: the company will write you a check cover your expenses.
Sounds like a great deal, right?
Well, the friendly voice on the other end of the phone probably hasn’t told you that by accepting the offer you may be forfeiting your right to take any further legal action. They also haven’t told you that the insurance company’s main goal is not to help you, the injured driver; rather, the goal is to pay you the smallest amount of money they think you’ll accept, so the company can minimize its own costs.
Before accepting any settlement, we advise you to speak with a truck accident lawyer. The initial consultation is usually free, and you will be able to explain what happened and have the situation evaluated by an attorney who is experienced in dealing with insurance companies.
If an attorney believes the trucking company or driver may have been negligent and was more than 50 percent at fault for the accident, then you may be entitled to further damages such as lost wages and compensation for pain and suffering. These are types of damages that an insurance settlement doesn’t cover.
Further, in the days and weeks following an accident, it is very difficult to tell what your long-term expenses will be. You may face additional medical and rehabilitation costs months and years down the road, and if you accept an insurance settlement right away, you could have to pay those long-term costs out of your own pocket. Only through a personal injury lawsuit can all these expenses be accounted for.
Ted B. Lyon & Associates handles truck accident claims throughout Texas. You are welcome to contact us online if you have any questions or would like to arrange a consultation with a lawyer.
