If you’ve been involved in a truck accident and have been injured due to negligence, it may be difficult to file a claim while recovering from your injuries and any financial losses. However, it is crucial that you file your claim as soon as possible, as most states enforce a statute of limitations for truck accident claims.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?
If you are involved in a truck accident in Pennsylvania, you have two years to file a lawsuit from the date of the accident. The sooner you speak to a truck accident lawyer in Philadelphia, the better. Failure to promptly file a truck accident case means the insurance adjusters often times will prolong the process and if waited longer than the two-year deadline, you will not be given your lawsuit settlement.
Gather Information for Your Case
After you are involved in a truck accident, stay as calm as possible. Your health is the most important thing to evaluate at this time. After the police and ambulance are called to assess the scene and your health, if you can, take photographs of the damage. If a commercial truck has hit you, often times the insurance company will drag out the process so they aren’t responsible for insuring you receive your payments. The best way to negate this is to be proactive – take pictures of your vehicle and the offender’s and gather all the information you can about the negligent party. The more evidence you are prepared with, the quicker you can hand it over to a truck accident lawyer and allow them to have proper evidence to handle your case. Again, you want to file your claim as close to the truck accident date as possible to allow the insurance adjusters, your lawyer and the negligent party to resolve your case.
Along with photos of the scene, obtain all other personal information from the opposite driver you can. This includes name, number, their insurance information, driver’s license number and the trucking company’s information as well.
Why Hire a Truck Accident Attorney?
Truck accident claims can be tricky for many reasons. First, the timing is everything if you are filing a truck accident claim in Pennsylvania due to the two-year statute of limitations. If you fail to file a claim within two years of your accident date, regardless of the situation, you will receive no benefits or compensation. An experienced attorney can fight for you and recover the compensation you need to pay medical bills and any other damages. Remember, insurance claim adjusters aren’t always on your side, they will act according to what they believe is likely to happen in court. A lawyer will hear your case, gather evidence and fight for you.
Second, lawyers will have the ability to access expert specialists like forensic accident constructors that one wouldn’t generally have access to if fighting a case alone. Lastly, your attorney will know who is to be held liable for the damages. Negligence can occur on many individual’s behalves if for example the incident occurred due to poor vehicle maintenance or equipment failure. Your attorney will be able to investigate deeper to understand where the issue came from and who to hold responsible.
If you have been injured in a truck accident in Pennsylvania, it is imperative that you find an experienced personal injury lawyer who will fight for your rights. Time is of the essence in cases like this, so while you recover from any injuries endured, rest assured knowing your lawyers can effectively handle your case.