Automobile Accidents FAQs
Trucking Accident FAQs
What should I do if I've been involved in a car accident?
First, it is important to stay calm. If anyone has been hurt, call 911 and wait for help to arrive. Normally, the police should be notified. It is also important to report the car accident to your insurance company as soon as possible. Although you will be upset, it is important to be aware of the situation. Try to note the condition of all vehicles involved. If possible, take pictures and notes to document the accident.
How much does it cost to get a car accident lawyer?
At the law firm of Douglas R. Daum, we don’t get paid until your case settles. We operate on a contingent fee basis, which means we are entitled to a portion of your settlement and don’t charge an hourly fee. In this way, everyone who has been the victim in a car accident can afford legal representation.
Should I give the insurance companies a statement?
Insurance companies will ask you for a statement to describe your injuries, the scene of the accident, and the other driver, among other things. It is important to consult a personal injury attorney before giving this statement, as many insurance companies will use it against you when it is time for them to compensate you for your injuries and damages.
Should I sign a medical release form for the insurance comapnies?
When a medical release form is signed, this entitles the insurance companies to gain access to all previous medical records, not just records related to the collision in question. We will make sure that the insurance companies have all the medical information they need to give you adequate compensation, so signing a medical release form from an insurance company is not necessary.
What information should I get from the other driver?
You should get the other driver’s name, address, phone number, and, most importantly, insurance information.
Who will pay my medical bills?
Victims of a motor vehicle accident are entitled to receive compensation for their medical bills. The insurance company of the person at fault for causing the accident is ultimately responsible for paying the medical bills of anyone hurt in the accident. However, often the insurance company of a negligent driver will offer an inadequate settlement or refuse to make any compensation to accident victims.
What if I need a rental car?
Many people need a rental car while their vehicle is being repaired. Some people have rental car coverage on their insurance policies. However, if this is not the case, the insurance company of the driver who caused the accident is responsible for paying any rental car fees a victim incurs while his or her vehicle is being repaired.
Are truck accidents common occurances?
As an integral part of this country’s commercial transportation network, semi trucks are a constant presence on the road. Because of this fact, accidents involving tractor trailers happen relatively frequently. Most people are unaware of the frequency of accidents because the majority of incidents in Utah (78 percent) happen in rural areas.
Each year, approximately a half-million tractor trailers become involved in collisions with passenger cars or other semi trucks, as a result of which a driver or passenger of a private vehicle is killed or injured every 16 minutes. Of those 500,000 incidents, around 5,000 are fatal accidents. In the overall context of traffic accident fatalities, truck accidents account for one out every eight deaths. In Utah alone, there are approximately 18 fatal truck accidents and 924 non-fatal truck accidents each year.
What makes semi trucks so dangerous?
Primarily, the size and weight of semi trucks in comparison to regular passenger vehicles make trucks especially dangerous on the road. Trucks can weigh up to thirty times as much as passenger cars, which reduces their ability to brake, accelerate, and maneuver. In addition, the weight of semi trucks places drivers and passengers of normal automobiles at great risk of head injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis, and even wrongful death. When semi trucks’ poor braking, accelerating, and maneuvering are combined with dangerous conditions or driver negligence, people in passenger vehicles around the tractor trailer are in even greater danger than normal.
Blind spots, or “no-zones,” also make semi-trucks dangerous on the road. Due to the dimensions of the typical truck, a truck driver must deal with large blind spots on each side of his or her vehicle that make it difficult to see surrounding cars. If a driver neglects to look carefully into these blind spots, people in cars who can’t be seen are at risk of becoming involved in a collision.
An additional factor that makes tractor trailers dangerous is the potential for the cargo trailer to tip over due to its weight and height. Cargo trailers can also become separated from their trucks or spill their contents onto the road, creating major hazards for other drivers.
Ultimately, in 98 percent of fatalities that occur due to semi-truck accidents, it is the occupant or occupants of the passenger vehicle who are killed. The size, weight, height, and driving limitations of trucks make them dangerous to others but relatively safe for those inside of them. Residents of Salt Lake City and other Utah cities can speak with the truck accident lawyers from Siegfried & Jensen about an accident they have experienced by contacting our offices today.
What damages can the injured party or the family of a fatally injured victim recover?
In Georgia, lost income, medical bills, pain and suffering, and car repair costs are the most common damages victims of truck accidents seek compensation for.
How can Dauglas R. Daum help me after a collision?
After your initial consultation meeting at our Snellville, Georgia -area office with one of our truck accident lawyers, our team of attorneys will begin to investigate your accident. Our experienced team will carry out a comprehensive investigation of the accident scene and perform an in-depth examination of the vehicles involved. Our staff will also search for eyewitnesses and record their accounts of what happened.
Using physical and eyewitness evidence, our team of truck accident lawyers will work diligently to prove that you were a victim of inadequate truck driver training, semi-truck driver negligence, or alcohol and drug law violations if possible. It is imperative that you contact our firm as soon as possible after a crash, as the trucking companies and their insurers will dispatch their own teams of experts to the scene shortly after the incident. As the reliability and accuracy of our investigation will depend on the timeliness of our response, it is in your best interest to reach Douglas R. Daum as soon as possible after a collision.
Our team of truck accident lawyers may also retain a professional with expertise in the various facets of trucking accidents as an expert witness. An expert witness can help prove the liability of the trucking company and/or the truck driver.
If you reside in Gwinnett County or another area of Georgia and have been victimized by a truck accident, contact the Douglas R. Daum today.
Why should I not face the trucking company and its insurer alone?
Trucking companies, their insurers, and their lawyers will often attempt to offer a quick settlement outside of court to victims who have not yet found legal representation. They do so in order to avoid an official admission of blame and the possibility of being forced to pay a large judgment after a trial. The trucking company and its insurer will have their own team of experts that will be ready to investigate the scene of the car accident immediately after it occurs. They may then use any information they gain from this investigation in combination with their legal expertise to intimidate a victim without legal representation into taking an unfair and insufficient settlement.
