Truck drivers are required to have a Commercial Driver’s License, as well as a range of various certifications depending on the type of cargo they are hauling, the type of vehicle they are driving, and more. All of these certifications and licenses certainly indicate that the driver has proven their experience, but there is no guarantee that they will avoid an accident. When a truck is involved in an accident, the results can be catastrophic even at low speeds, simply due to the fact that a semi-truck is substantially larger than passenger vehicles. You can be seriously injured in a collision that would have otherwise been a fender bender between two smaller vehicles. If you are the victim to an accident like this, consider hiring a Panama City personal injury lawyer today.
If you are the injured victim of a truck accident in Panama City, Florida, one of the most important things to do once you have your medical needs addressed is to hire an experienced Panama City personal injury lawyer who can help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Insurance claims through a commercial insurance policy can often be even more complicated than a passenger vehicle insurance policy due to the extensive paperwork and documentation that a truck driver is required to stay current with during their travels, and although most commercial insurance policies have higher limits, this does not make it easier to get a fair settlement.
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We offer a free consultation for victims of truck accidents where we discuss the specifics of the accident, the impacts on the victims’ lives so far, and give them a better sense of the benefits our clients throughout Florida experience while working with the proven attorneys Fasig | Brooks. No two accidents are alike, and our unique approach to each case is meant to ensure that our clients are getting the treatment they deserve from the insurance companies when it comes to settlement negotiations. If necessary, we are ready to file a lawsuit in the Florida courts to get the compensation that you are rightfully entitled to.
Read more below to get a general idea of how a personal injury lawyer can help you get the money you deserve after a truck accident in Panama City, Florida. Whether or not you see your questions answered here, be sure to contact us as soon as possible to speak with an experienced legal professional who can give you a specific understanding of your rights and options as a victim, as well as explain what you can expect as a valued client of our law firm.
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Filing an Insurance Claim After a Panama City Truck Accident
Filing an insurance claim is a simple process, one that is designed to give the claimant a false sense that the insurance company is on their side throughout the investigation and while offering compensation to settle the claim. The reality, though, is that the adjuster assigned to your case is working on behalf of the insurance company in order to reach a settlement that costs as little as possible, regardless of whether or not the victim is adequately paid for all of their damages. Insurance companies focus on settling as quickly and cheaply as possible with all claims, and yours will be no different. From the moment you file your claim, every statement you submit or piece of evidence you provide will be examined to find all possible ways to leverage against you and lower your claim.
When you hire a personal injury lawyer to represent your case from day one, you can be confident that they have the legal experience and understanding to push back against these tactics and to build a case that accurately reflects your damages. Insurance companies know that when personal injury attorneys represent their clients throughout the entire process, they will have to go through more aggressive negotiations and will typically pay a fairer settlement than otherwise. When you have a Panama City personal injury lawyer managing your claim, you can focus on your recovery without taking on any of the added stress — all while having a trusted legal professional who can alleviate your worries about your finances and what the future may hold for your case.
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Calculating Damages After Panama City Truck Accidents
Once the matter of fault has been established, the next question to be answered is arguably the most important: how much are you entitled to for fair compensation? An experienced attorney knows how to look through all of your damages in order to present a comprehensive collection of data to the adjuster that shows the true impact of your accident and then negotiate to reach a deal without needing to file a lawsuit. That said, your attorney will be ready to file a lawsuit if necessary and may choose to do so before negotiations if they believe you are entitled to punitive damages that can only be awarded by a judge and/or jury.
Economic Damages
Economic damages include all damages that have set or measurable market values — essentially, anything that comes with a receipt, invoice, or tax statement. They include things like your medical expenses, impacts to your earning capacity, and any services you had to hire during your recovery that you would have otherwise performed yourself, such as cleaning, grocery shopping, or even driving. In addition, things like medications, medical devices like crutches or other assistive tools, and many other damages are included in this set of damages, as well.
Oftentimes, an insurance company will attempt to settle a claim by offering compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and property damage without accounting for other damages that are common with auto accidents. One of the most important services a personal injury attorney offers their clients is their ability to deep dive into the damages and take a detailed approach to ensure that nothing is overlooked.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages extend beyond those impacts that have set values associated with them. These types of damages are much more complicated to calculate because of how subjective and abstract the impacts are that they apply to. The pain and suffering you must endure after being injured, the grief a surviving family experiences following a wrongful death, as well as a wide range of other impacts, both emotional and physiological, are included in this type of damage.
Assigning a cost to “emotional suffering” can be extremely complex, but your personal injury attorney has a range of tools at their disposal to do just that while representing clients following truck accidents in Panama City, FL. Personal injury lawyers have years of experience calculating these damages and then negotiating aggressively in order to close the gap between each party’s offer.
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Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Panama City
The following are just a few of the many potential causes of a truck accident that can lead to a personal injury case. The criteria of a personal injury claim are that the responsible party owed the victim a duty of care — in this instance, a duty to drive a commercial truck safely to avoid an accident — and failed. This failure can take many forms, some of which are mentioned below. Remember: whether or not you see your Panama City truck accident cause below, contact us now for a free consultation and to learn more about how a personal injury attorney can help.
Distracted Driving
When we hear the term “distracted driving,” we commonly think of texting and driving. While this is very common in Panama City and beyond, there are many other examples of distracted driving as well, including simply letting your mind wander while operating a motor vehicle, applying makeup, eating, or anything else that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off of the task at hand.
Speeding
Panama City has set speed limits on all public roads, and anyone who drives on them is legally obligated to obey these limits in order to keep everyone on the road safe from avoidable accidents. Failure to adhere to these legal limits is a criminal offense, but when there is an accident where someone is injured, it also becomes a Panama City personal injury issue.
Driving Under the Influence
Passenger vehicle operators over the age of 21 are not allowed to operate a vehicle if their blood alcohol content is above the legal limit of 0.08% BAC. Truck drivers, however, have a legal limit of 0.04% while operating a commercial truck. Driving under the influence goes beyond alcohol, though, and includes all other mind-altering substances, both legal and illegal. If you are injured in an accident caused by an intoxicated driver, contact the Panama City personal injury lawyers at Fasig | Brooks as soon as possible to hire an attorney to fight for the money you are entitled to.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving includes speeding but can also include dangerous and reckless behavior like tailgating, swerving, “brake checking,” and more. Each of these behaviors is intended to intimidate other drivers on the road and can lead to accidents and significant suffering. Our lawyers will set out to prove that your accident was caused by dangerous and reckless behavior in order to establish fault and seek fair compensation for your situation.
Contact a Panama City Truck Accident Lawyer Today
After truck accidents, many people fail to realize the benefit of working with experienced attorneys until it is too late. Once the insurance company makes their first offer and the victim realizes how low it is, they will then start to seek out lawyers who can help them with their case. We encourage you to take advantage of our free consultation as soon as possible and partner with a team of attorneys who will fight for you from the start of your claim until the day we reach a final agreement. Truck accidents can be painful and terrifying, and we are here to act as your attorneys while you focus on recovering from your injuries, both physical and emotional, without the added stress.
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