Do I Need a Lawyer for an 18-Wheeler Accident?

After a serious collision with a commercial vehicle, it may be in your best interest to hire a lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident.

If you’ve been seriously injured in a tractor-trailer accident in Arkansas, the decisions you make now could impact your life for years to come. Not only is medical care for traumatic injuries extremely expensive, but the physical and psychological effects of your injuries could far outlast your medical debt. While financial compensation may be available to you, it is up to you to make sure you recover the financial compensation you deserve. 

With this in mind, do you need a lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident? 

The answer to this question is a clear, “Yes.” When you are dealing with the aftermath of a serious truck accident in Arkansas, it is critical to ensure that you are making informed decisions. It is also critical to ensure that the insurance companies do not take advantage of you. Working with an experienced truck accident attorney serves both of these purposes. Hiring a lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident costs nothing out of pocket—which means that you have no reason not to hire a lawyer to help you protect your legal rights. 

How a Lawyer Can Help After an 18-Wheeler Accident

What can you expect when you hire a lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident? Here are just some of the ways an experienced attorney can help when you’ve suffered injuries in a collision with a big rig: 

1. Protecting Your Ability to File a Claim 

Even if there is no question that a truck driving mistake or an issue with the truck itself is to blame for your injuries, you still need to protect your ability to file a claim. Among other things, this means taking appropriate legal action as soon as possible. Your lawyer will be able to represent you throughout this process—while providing the information and insights you need to make informed decisions.

2. Collecting the Evidence Needed to Prove Your Legal Rights 

Taking appropriate legal action after an 18-wheeler accident requires evidence from the scene of the crash. Depending on why the accident happened, it may also require evidence from a variety of other sources. A lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident can collect this evidence—and ensure that it remains admissible in court—while you focus on doing what you need to do in order to recover as fully and quickly as possible. 

3. Calculating the Long-Term Costs of Your Injuries 

When filing a claim for an 18-wheeler accident, it is essential to make sure you are seeking fair compensation for all of the current and future costs of your injuries. This requires a clear understanding of your long-term medical needs and your injuries’ other long-term effects. Will you be unable to work? If so, for how long? What other accident-related expenses are you likely to incur? Knowing the answers to these types of questions is critical for asserting your legal rights effectively.  

4. Calculating Just Compensation for Your Non-Financial Losses 

In Arkansas, 18-wheeler accident victims are entitled to just compensation for their non-financial losses as well. To calculate just compensation for your pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other non-financial losses, you will need an experienced attorney on your side. You will also need to rely on your lawyer to prove these losses to the insurance companies—because the insurance companies are not going to cover them without clear and convincing evidence of the compensation you deserve. 

5. Dealing with the Insurance Companies for You 

Speaking of the insurance companies, when you hire a lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident, you can let your attorney deal with the insurance companies for you. Your attorney will be able to use the available evidence to prove both:

• Who (or what company) is responsible for causing your truck accident; and, 
• The total financial and non-financial losses you are entitled to recover. 

Both of these are essential for asserting your legal rights effectively. Without all of the evidence you need to file a successful claim, you simply don’t stand a chance of recovering fair compensation. 

6. Making Sure You Don’t Jeopardize Your Claim

From the moment you get injured in an 18-wheeler accident, there are costly mistakes you need to avoid. Your attorney can explain what not to do while your claim is pending; and, by dealing with the insurance companies for you, your lawyer can make sure you don’t say anything that jeopardizes your financial recovery. 

7. Making Sure You Don’t Settle Your Claim Too Soon

Finally, when you need to recover just compensation after an 18-wheeler accident, it is absolutely essential to make sure you don’t settle your claim too soon. You only get one chance to settle—and if you let the insurance companies get away with paying less than you deserve, you could face the consequences for years to come. 

Talk to an 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer in Arkansas for Free

Were you seriously injured in a truck accident in Arkansas? If so, we encourage you to contact Oliver Law Firm right away. The clock may already be ticking on your case. If you do not take action in time, you may lose your opportunity to recover compensation for physical, financial, and emotional losses. To ensure your rights and best interest are protected, you should consider hiring a lawyer for an 18-wheeler accident as soon as possible. 

To speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible, call 479-202-5200 or request a free consultation online now. Oliver Law Firm serves clients across Arkansas and throughout the United States from our office in Rogers, AR.