When to Get a Car Truck Accident Attorney to Represent You?

car accident legal help

Many crashes cause only minor damage to vehicles and some inconvenience. But a car or truck accident that causes serious injuries is an entirely different matter. A serious crash can upend the lives of the victims and their families and create financial hardship and long-term effects.

If you or your loved one has sustained serious injuries, you need to understand your legal rights and options. You may have a right to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance and demand full compensation for your medical bills and other losses. You will benefit from having an experienced injury attorney review the details of the accident.

Our Texas car accident lawyers and truck accident attorneys at Kraft & Associates, P.C., have nearly 50 years of experience handling injury cases. We apply that experience to the advantage of our clients. We’ll identify who is financially liable for your injuries, document your losses, and fight aggressively for full compensation for you. You can learn more by scheduling a free initial consultation with one of our lawyers.

When to Get a Motor Vehicle Attorney

The best time to talk to a car accident lawyer is as soon as possible after a crash. You may not feel that talking to an attorney is your highest priority after a major accident. But you need to take appropriate steps to protect your rights. After you’ve begun treatment for your injuries, it’s time to talk to a lawyer.

There are several important reasons for this, including:

  • Gathering evidence before it disappears

To build a persuasive case for compensation after a car accident or truck accident, you’ll need evidence to back up your claim. Your medical records will help establish your injuries, but you’ll also need to demonstrate how the driver of the car or truck that injured you was at fault. This often requires evidence from the accident scene, such as photos, accident reports, surveillance camera footage, and eyewitness accounts. If you don’t act quickly, this evidence can deteriorate or disappear entirely. This is doubly important to truck accidents. Crucial evidence such as the truck driver’s logs or data from the truck’s electronic data recorder may be destroyed without prompt legal action to preserve them as evidence.

  • Talking to insurance companies

In most personal injury claims, you’ll be negotiating with the negligent party’s insurance company rather than with the driver directly. This makes it important to be careful about what you say to an insurance company. If your story changes over time, or if you leave out key details in your initial statement, the insurance company will seize on the discrepancies as justification to deny your claim or reduce the amount of compensation you receive. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer at Kraft and Associates, P.C., can deal with the insurers on your behalf.

  • Negotiating for the full value of what you’ve lost

The potential damage from a car accident or truck crash runs deeper than the cost of your medical bills and the value of your vehicle. You may be in agonizing pain and suffering emotional anguish. Under Texas law, you’re allowed to pursue compensation for your pain and suffering after an accident, but it can be difficult to prove your losses.

Not all auto accidents necessarily require you to get help from a lawyer. You may wonder, “Should you hire an attorney after an accident?”

Here are some of the situations where you would want to speak to an attorney to discuss your claim:

  • After an accident that leaves you or someone else with significant injuries
  • After an accident where the fault for the crash is not clear
  • After an accident involving a pedestrian or bicyclist
  • After an accident in a school zone, construction zone, or work zone
  • After an accident involving an uninsured or underinsured driver
  • After an accident in which you disagree with the conclusions of the police accident report
  • After an accident that causes you or a passenger to miss a significant period of work

Things to Do Before Calling an Attorney

Before contacting an attorney after a car crash or truck accident, there are a few steps you should take on your own.

  • Gather any evidence you can from the crash scene – Take photos of your injuries, the damage to your vehicle, and the area surrounding the crash. This evidence will help substantiate your losses should you choose to make a personal injury claim. If there are any witnesses who saw what happened, be sure to get their contact information as well.toy cars beside hammer and gavel: a car accident law concept
  • Seek medical treatment – You should seek a prompt medical evaluation, even if you feel fine right after the crash. Some injuries may not be obvious immediately and may take more time to appear. Delaying treatment may lead an insurance company to question the seriousness of your injuries.
  • Order a copy of the police accident report – The accident report will outline the investigating officer’s conclusions about the cause of the accident, which can help support your case for compensation.
  • Get a repair estimate for your vehicle – Before you can claim compensation for the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle, you need to know the extent of the damage.
  • Be prepared when you go see a lawyer – Bring your medical records along with whatever evidence you have from the accident scene. Be as detailed as possible when describing how the accident occurred.

How an Attorney Can Help You with Your Accident Case

There’s a lot of research, paperwork, evidence-gathering, and other detailed work involved in preparing a successful personal injury claim after a car or truck accident.

An attorney can help you with your claim by:

  • Determining who all the responsible parties are – There may be more than one liable party in a car accident. You may need to make claims against more than one party to recover the full value of your losses. For example, a commercial truck driver and the trucking company that contracted the driver may both have financial liability for your injuries after a truck accident.
  • Choosing the best legal strategy –An experienced personal injury lawyer at Kraft and Associates, P.C., can help you identify the appropriate legal strategy to provide the best chance of bringing a successful claim.
  • Suing when you may be partially at fault – Texas law allows accident victims to pursue compensation for their injuries even if they’re partially at fault for the crash, as long as they’re 50 percent or less at fault. A lawyer can develop a case showing why another party bears most of the fault for your injuries and why you should receive compensation.

Why You Should Get a Truck Accident Lawyer

Here are a few key reasons to call a lawyer if you’ve been involved in a truck accident:

  • More severe injuries – Truck accidents often result in more severe injuries because of the size of tractor-trailers.
  • Trucking companies have significant resources – Trucking companies have lawyers to defend them after accidents. You’ll be at a disadvantage if you try to negotiate with the trucking company without legal representation. You’ll need help from an experienced attorney if you want the best chance of winning your case.
  • Multiple liable parties – There are often multiple parties potentially liable in a truck accident, such as the trucking company or the truck’s manufacturer. If that is the case, you’ll need to file multiple claims to seek full compensation for your losses.
  • Protect yourself from accidentally harming your case – You need to be careful about anything you say or do in a truck accident case to avoid jeopardizing your chance of recovering compensation. An attorney can speak on your behalf.

Why You Should Get a Car Accident Lawyer

Car accident cases are often more straightforward than commercial truck accident claims, but it’s a good idea to get guidance from an experienced lawyer. Here are a few reasons why:

  • Negotiating with insurance companies – An attorney can protect you from saying or doing anything that might hurt your claim for compensation.
  • Determining liability – There may be multiple liable parties in your case, or you may be partially responsible for your own injuries. In either case, a lawyer can help you maximize your compensation by offering evidence that minimizes your potential liability.
  • Maximizing the value of your claim – Your lawyer can help gather evidence of all the losses you’ve suffered as a result of a car accident, including your physical pain and any emotional harm you may have endured.

Contact a Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney Today

At Kraft and Associates, P.C., our attorneys and staff are friendly and helpful. We draw upon our decades of experience to help people understand the steps they may take to seek compensation after serious accidents caused by others.

We offer free consultations, so there is no downside to speaking with a lawyer about your car accident or truck accident. Even if you decide not to pursue a personal injury lawsuit, you will have better information on which to make the decision. To learn more about how Kraft & Associates, P.C., can help you after a car accident or truck accident, call our Dallas office at (214) 999-9999, connect with us via live chat, or visit our contact page.