Things to Ask a Florida Lawyer After a Truck Accident
If you suffered injury during a truck accident, chances are things are totally chaotic for you right now. Usually this type of accident is more damaging than a regular car accident and a headache for everyone involved. Not only is process of handling the situation time consuming, but it can also be very stressful.
If a negligent driver causes injury, this means you’ll have to not only take a leave of absence from work, but also incur loads of medical bills. You should be fairly compensated for the inconvenience. Even a simple truck accident requires you to deal with the trucker, his trucking company and his not so helpful insurance company. Many times, the trucker’s insurance company will deny your claim and become very confrontational by saying you caused the accident that resulted in your injuries. This is when you need a qualified and experienced truck accident lawyer to take on your case and make sure you are legally protected and compensated.
You may have even lost a loved one in the same accident, which can cause total devastation for a family. This is both an emotional and financial nightmare for most families. It doesn’t matter if you’ve suffered from injuries or from the loss of a family member, you need to hire a truck accident lawyer to get things back on track. It wasn’t your fault, so you and your family should not have to suffer at all because of a negligent driver.
As the saying goes, not all things are equal, and this also applies to truck accident law firms. Schedule a free consultation with a truck accident lawyer. This gives you the chance to evaluate the lawyer and his law firm. You need to know he is the right choice for you? The following are just a few of the things you must ask in order to ascertain if he is the best fit.
Who is Going to Actually Handle My Case?
Most of the larger law firms have departments that schedule consultations, meet with prospective clients and assign cases to one of their many lawyers. This allows you to meet with a lawyer and determine if you agree with his strategy for handling your case.
However, if you’re switched over to a junior associate when you thought the original lawyer is handling your case, this poses a problem. This is especially if you’re already hired the firm because you felt comfortable with the original lawyer.
Of course, you’ll have to talk to different administrative assistants and paralegals about your case, but when it comes to the main nuts and bolts of your case, the firm must guarantee that you’ll work with the original truck accident lawyer that you hired. You deserve service that is tailored for your specific case.
If you can’t decide which of the firm’s lawyers to hire, ask more questions about each lawyer when necessary. Ask about his educational background? Ask about the number of years he has practiced law. Ask about his courtroom wins and losses. Ask about his court settlements. If you know the answers to these types of questions, it makes hiring a lawyer much easier.
How Many Cases Does Your Firm Handle Annually?
A firm can either have a lot of high-stake cases or handle tons of random cases. Some firms use one or more of these strategies when acquiring new clients. This doesn’t mean that one strategy is better than the other. Just make sure you use a firm that uses the right strategy for your needs.
You may encounter problems during the hiring process. The firm might want to handle a large amount of cases, but it does not have enough lawyers to handle them. The firm wants your money, but it doesn’t have the resources to give you special attention. On the flip side, a firm could have a lot of lawyers but not enough cases. This might indicate that somewhere there is a disconnect between intentions and reality. Maybe the firm has a bad reputation and cannot get clients. All in all, ask questions to determine a potential firm’s workload and whether it is a good fit for you.
How Often Do You Take Cases to Court?
Many times, lawyers choose to settle personal injury cases instead of taking them to trial. This is not always a good thing for the plaintiff. The negligent driver might not admit guilt and his insurance company wants to give you an insulting offer to settle out of court. In addition, if there are too many drivers involved, this may make things even more complicated.
Ensure that the truck accident lawyer you hire will fight for you and not take the first lowball settlement offer available. Surprisingly, a lot of lawyers do not like going to court and will take settlements just to avoid it. Unfortunately, taking a case to trial is more expensive, but it might be the only way to get fairly compensated.
Have You Worked on Other Cases Like Mine?
You want to hire a truck accident lawyer that has worked on similar cases such as yours. He should be versed in the right statutes to win your case. In addition, he should have enough resources to research your accident, gather evidence and build a strong case. He should fight for your compensation, and you should be in the background healing from your injuries. This can be an emotionally and financially stressful time for most accident victims. Your lawyer should be qualified enough to help make this time as stress free as possible.
Can You Show Examples of a Few Case Results?
Some law firms post examples of previous cases on their websites, but never disclose the names of the lawyers on these cases. You need this information if you want to hire the right lawyer. Although the firm may not have had past cases just like yours, it should be able to provide similar information. But then again, remember that you may not receive that same outcome, even if the firm provides the requested information. However, you’ll learn what you could possibly get in terms of compensation or a court verdict.
What Do You Need from Me?
It is certain that the trucker’s company and insurance company will thoroughly investigate the accident and it won’t be for your benefit. They’ll try to find every piece of evidence that might discredit you, which may involve interviewing relatives and co-workers. Sometimes, law firms have resources where they can reconstruct the accident so they can strategize and build better cases. They also use third party companies to get the same types of results.
Unfortunately, if a law firm lacks resources, you probably won’t have a very strong case. In addition, it may ask you to pay for some of the investigative research such as driving history logs, the trucking company’s policies, eyewitness statements, truck logs, cell phone statements and any other documents that can help win your case.
What Are You Going to Do to Win My Case?
You need to know how a potential truck accident lawyer will tackle your case. Ask about his strategies and how he will use them. He may have many options based on your accident, injuries, financial stability, current health and medical insurance. He should learn enough about the accident and your circumstances to build two or more different strategies. The more strategies, the better your chances of winning the case. This means you could possibly receive a good sum of money for your pain and suffering.
As expected, your truck accident lawyer needs as much info as possible before deciding upon the right strategies to use. Ask if he needs additional information from you. Most likely he’ll need things such as pictures of the accident, doctor bills that support your accident injuries, documentation from employers and pay stubs. Your attorney will determine what is needed for the case.
What are Some of the Things You Have Experienced with Similar Cases?
No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Ask your potential law firm if they have made mistakes and to share examples if possible. If a law firm says it has never made mistakes, chances are you are not getting truthful answers. Do not hire lawyers from this type of law firm. You want an honest, qualified and experienced lawyer who will fight for you and use past experience to win your case. If the lawyer admits a few mistakes, he is probably a good choice, especially if he learned from his mistakes. People learn and grow when they can turn failures into successes.
Do You See Gaps or Problems with My Case?
A good truck accident lawyer can see potential problems with a new client’s case. The best lawyers know how to implement various strategies to solve these problems. Ask if they have experienced similar problems and how they solved them. This lets you know that they are actually analyzing your case with the intention of receiving a good outcome. If your potential truck accident lawyer does not have a clue as to how to handle your case, then walk away.
Research How to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer
Ask your potential hire plenty of questions about your case’s particular needs. This is the only way to ensure you get the best lawyer. If you do not like the answers, you can either check the lawyer’s statistics or walk away altogether. Check websites such as avvo.com or Superlawyers.com. Such websites are populated with information from both lawyers and clients. Not only do they give insight into what past clients think about certain lawyers, but they also give information about what their peers think as well.
Also, keep in mind, you have the option to start the same process with another lawyer until you get the answers that make you feel comfortable. Just because you go to a free consultation does not mean you must hire that lawyer. Do your due diligence until you find a truck accident lawyer that will stick up for you, avoid lowball settlements and get the compensation that you deserve.
The key is to ask plenty of questions on how a law firm or lawyer operates. Qualified and experienced lawyers know the best defense strategies. They know how to handle negligent truck drivers, their scrupulous driving companies and insurance companies that don’t want to pay fair compensation to truck accident victims. If you have injuries as a result, you need a reputable truck accident lawyer who is not afraid to take a case to trail and win. You shouldn’t be stuck with the financial liability of paying off your own medical bills, especially if the truck driver was at fault. This is when you should have lady justice on your side and the right lawyer to fight for you.
Hopefully, this blog post has provided a few tips on how to interview a truck accident lawyer. If you ask the aforementioned questions, hiring the right lawyer should be a lot easier. During this time, you are already suffering from injuries or the loss of a loved one. You shouldn’t have to suffer when trying to get something done about your situation. Ask the right questions and listen for the responses. Determine if a lawyer is a good fit or if he is trying to give you the run around and take your money.
Do not be afraid to get what is rightfully yours. Remember that you shouldn’t have to go through this alone. You were injured to someone else’s bad driving decisions. He should be the one who pays for your pain and suffering. This is also the case if you lost a loved one during this accident. When you hire the right truck accident lawyer, he can help walk you through the process step by step. He and his team will strategize and determine the best way to tackle the insurance company and get you paid. Get compensated. Your goal is to go back to living your life. Hire the best and get the best compensation.
