Have you recently been involved in an accident between a commercial vehicle and your own personal vehicle? Do you need compensation in order to cover all the resulting expenses? Before you consult with any local truck accident lawyer, there are a few things you should know:

You may be able to sue more than just the driver: If you've ever been involved in an ordinary automobile accident, you know that it's typically just the other driver that you sue. Or else the lawsuit might be between the driver's insurance company, on behalf of the driver, and yourself. With a trucking accident, you may also be able to sue the truck driver's employer. This may only be possible if the driver was a permanent employee of the company in question, not working as a contractor. Your truck accident lawyer will be able to investigate this possibility and let you know about all your options. 

The driver isn't always legally at fault: Many people may assume that when a truck gets in an accident with any other type of vehicle, it's automatically considered the fault of the truck driver. But this isn't always true. For example, the driver isn't always responsible for loading his or her own vehicle. If a poorly balanced load is the cause of an accident, you may have to sue the company or employee who actually did the loading. As part of the process for filing a lawsuit, your truck accident lawyer may even hire a private investigator in order to gather proof of whether there is a pattern of company negligence or if this was a one-time incident.

Your time for filing a claim is running out: If the accident resulted in a lengthy hospital stay, your time for finding an attorney may be nearly up. In some states, the statute of limitations for filing an injury claim is only one year. Once this year is up, you're no longer allowed to file a lawsuit and seek compensation. If you are still in the hospital or otherwise finding it difficult to make the journey to a law office so that your case can be filed in time, seek out a truck accident lawyer who will come to you. Many attorneys are very understanding of people who are unable to travel as a result of injuries that were sustained in an accident. Some of these lawyers may want to set up a phone consultation first, while others will be willing to meet with you at the hospital or in your home. 

To learn more, contact a truck accident lawyer like Teresa P Williams PA. 

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