If you’ve been involved in an accident with a semi-truck, you most likely have suffered severe injuries that have left you dealing with substantial medical bills and emotional trauma. In addition, if you have been unable to work due to your injuries, you may already be experiencing a financial crisis that affects you and your family.

As a result, you may be eager to obtain compensation that will cover your out-of-pocket medical expenses and other injury-related costs. Unfortunately, insurance companies often prey on injury victims by offering quick settlements that rarely account for an injured party’s future needs. That’s why it’s so important to consult with a qualified truck accident attorney who can represent you with the insurance company and protect your rights. An experienced accident attorney can also give you a better idea of the length of time you can expect to wait to obtain a settlement for your Texas semi-truck accident claim.

Why Do Most Truck Accidents Occur in Texas?

Texas has thousands of miles of roads that crisscross our state and a high volume of commercial vehicle traffic on our already congested roads. Unfortunately, these factors can significantly contribute to the number of serious semi-truck accidents in our state annually.

Some other factors that play a part in commercial vehicle accidents include:

  • Speeding
  • Driver fatigue
  • Poor maintenance
  • Old worn-out tires
  • Improper loading of cargo
  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Adverse weather conditions
  • Poor road conditions
  • Distractive passengers

What Factors Could Delay a Semi-Truck Accident Settlement?

Regardless of the conditions that may have caused the accident, you may be entitled to recover compensation due to injuries and property damage you may have experienced. However, certain factors can often cause your accident settlement to be delayed, which include:

  • Lengthy investigations: Trucking companies typically face many lawsuits every year and try their best to avoid paying out large claims. As a result, the trucking company and their insurer will often try to delay paying a claim for as long as possible,
  • Experiencing severe injuries: If you’ve suffered serious injuries in a semi-truck accident, the insurance company responsible for paying your claim may try to assert that you are partially liable for the accident and attempt to reduce the financial compensation you ultimately receive. They may also argue your injuries are not related to the accident.
  • If a fatality occurred: If a family member died due to a semi-truck accident, the time it takes for law enforcement officials to complete the investigation is substantially longer as they will thoroughly review the incident to determine accountability.

What Types of Damages Can I Recover in a Semi-Truck Accident Settlement?

One of the most common questions truck accident victims ask is what type of compensation they may be able to recover. Unfortunately, every semi-truck accident claim is different, so all settlements will vary.

Nevertheless, Texas truck accident victims are entitled to file a claim to obtain economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are awarded to reimburse accident victims for out-of-pocket expenses they have paid as a result of being injured and may include:

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Loss of earning capacity
  • Property damages

Non-economic damages are granted to compensate injured victims for intangible losses they have suffered after a truck accident and may include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of companionship
  • Permanent disfigurement and scarring

Why Is It Important to Hire an Experienced Attorney to Help Me File a Claim?

Trucking companies usually have legal teams that work hard to look for loopholes to deny your claim or pay you less than your claim is worth. However, when an insurer knows that you have an attorney working hard on your side, they may be more willing to negotiate a settlement that will adequately provide for your present and future needs.

Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney, such as the qualified and dedicated accident attorneys at RTRLAW, is also beneficial as they can assist you with filling out the claim forms correctly and ensuring they are filed properly and on a timely basis. An accident attorney also can thoroughly review your case and advise you on the types and amounts of damages you may be entitled to recover.

With RTRLAW on your side, you won’t pay anything upfront or at all for your accident case unless our attorney wins your case and recovers money for you. RTRLAW has been serving accident victims since 1988. Since that time, we’ve represented tens of thousands of clients and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

Our attorneys are available to meet with you over the phone or in person at one of our offices in Texas. If you’ve been involved in a semi-truck accident and want to protect your rights, contact RTRLAW today or call us toll free at 1-833-HIRE-RTR (1-833-447-3787) or (972) 521-8835 in Texas for a free, no-obligation case review.