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334-333-3333If you have been hurt in a commercial truck accident in Montgomery, Alabama, you’ll need to move swiftly to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Accidents that involve a commercial truck are almost always more serious for the driver of a car because of the disparity in vehicle size, but the company that owns the truck can sometimes try to argue that the driver is at fault. This means that you’ll need a Montgomery, AL truck accident lawyer to help defend your side.
The records that you keep in the days and weeks after an injury will play a big determining factor in the car accident compensation that you may be entitled to receive. Documenting the steps you take will help your Montgomery, AL car accident attorney ensure that you are provided with the best possible outcome in the aftermath of your commercial truck accident.
No matter how serious the car accident may have been, make sure that you call law enforcement to notify them of the incident. Alabama laws require you have liability insurance on your vehicle, and you’ll need to provide proof of this at the accident site when law enforcement arrives. If you don’t have this at the time of the accident, you can file an S-21 proof of liability insurance form.
The other party that you’ll need to file a report through is your car insurance company itself to receive compensation for any vehicle damage that was caused. The vehicle damage can be quite severe from a truck accident and filing a damage report with your insurance company quickly will ensure that you are compensated properly.
Hurt in a commercial truck accident? Let The Vance Law Firm help you negotiate full and fair compensation.
If the accident was serious, as many commercial trucking accidents are, you might have been transported directly to the hospital. Even if the injury didn’t require acute medical attention, you should still visit a doctor as soon as possible. Establishing a connection between the car accident and your injury will be critical when it comes to settling a personal injury claim, so be sure to clarify the relation between the incident and the injury.
Following the medical advice that you are given will also be important for receiving compensation, as it will indicate your intent to recover. Keep a medical diary of your symptoms as they change each day, as well as the tasks that you now find difficult to complete as a result of your injuries.
After doing your part of documenting the accident, your settlement case will depend on proving negligence on the part of the commercial truck driver. Alabama’s negligence laws are based on contributory negligence, which provides an ‘all-or-nothing’ outcome in a case. If you are found to bear any amount of fault for an accident, you won’t be able to file a liability claim against the other party, even if they were at fault too.
For example, if the driver of a commercial truck had to brake suddenly to avoid a car or pedestrian, it is possible that the truck driver will not be considered at fault. Additionally, because commercial trucks are so large and difficult to navigate, some courts have maintained that the limitations of the vehicle preclude the driver from negligence. A truck driver can be considered negligent if they did not act carefully behind the wheel or were found breaking the laws of the road.
In the case of a commercial trucking accident, it may not just be the driver of the truck acting as the defendant. The company that they represent and their insurance company may also be liable for your injuries through negligence. For example, if the company did not properly train the driver or if they did not inform the driver of hazardous cargo, they may be held liable along with or instead of the driver.
In any case, determining the defendants in the case and the degree of their liability is best executed by an attorney who can help examine the incident with you.
After a commercial truck accident, it should be your priority to contact a Montgomery, Alabama truck accident lawyer who can help your case. The attorneys from Vance Law can help you gather all the documents you need to assess the strength of your case and calculate the compensation you will be owed. Contact the Vance Law Firm today for a free case review.
