A collision involving a passenger vehicle and a large commercial truck will typically be a more severe issue for the smaller vehicle. Sometimes, truck drivers report minimal cosmetic damage to their vehicles in crashes that leave others with life-altering injuries or totaled vehicles.
If you got hurt in a wreck involving a commercial truck, then you may have a long road to recovery ahead of you. Not only may you have requirements for extensive medical support, but there could also be lost wages during your recovery. They may last indefinitely if your injury will force you to retire or change professions.
How do you protect yourself when coping with catastrophic injuries caused by a collision with a commercial truck?
Recognize you likely need help
Psychological stress has an effect on your body, especially on your immune system. It can take you longer to heal if you spend every day worrying about your financial circumstances. You need help to handle the practical implications of your injury so that you can focus on the medical recovery.
Personal injury attorneys can help you at every stage of the process, from the immediate aftermath of a crash to the final negotiations with the insurance company. You will not have the same straightforward claim process that someone with just minor cosmetic damage to the vehicle would experience. Instead, you will probably need to make a sizable claim against a policy that has a six or seven-figure policy limit.
As such, you can expect intense negotiations with the insurance professionals involved. Small mistakes and misunderstandings on your part could lead to an unfavorable outcome. Your lawyer will be able to handle the communication and negotiation with the insurance representative so that you can simply focus on your recovery.
Ensure you know what your crash will cost you
One of the biggest mistakes that people make after a commercial collision would be to underestimate the financial impact of their severe personal injury. They think about short-term lost wages or their current medical bills. They fail to contemplate future medical expenses and how the injury may alter the path of their career development.
Your lawyer can help you with the process of putting a price tag on your injuries as well. They can help you look into long-term consequences, including the need to modify your home or your vehicle and the impact on your household income.
Instead of trying to split your focus between learning all about the law and negotiation tactics, and managing your medical recovery, it will be better in most cases to focus fully on your recovery and have someone else handle the negotiations and legal matters for your family. Recognizing how handling the aftermath of a commercial trucking collision is challenging for an injured individual may lead to better use of the resources available to you during this difficult time.