It’s important to contact a lawyer to file a truck accident claim. The process requires you to collect relevant evidence, receive medical treatment, notify the appropriate insurance companies, and document the full extent of your losses.
When determining who is legally responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, your lawyer will also be able to handle negotiations and pursue litigation on your behalf. The sooner you call a truck accident lawyer in Hingham at Earley Law Group, the sooner you can file.
What Does It Mean to File a Truck Accident Claim?
When trying to figure out how to file a truck accident claim, it’s important to understand that you’ll need to notify the appropriate insurance company. Your attorney can inform them that you are seeking compensation for injuries and losses caused by the collision.
Getting help from a lawyer at Earley Law Group is important because there might be multiple insurance policies involved in your case. The goal is to establish who’s at fault, document the harm you suffered, and pursue compensation based on the actual circumstances of your case.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Truck Accident?
These are potentially responsible parties in your case:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- A vehicle owner
- A maintenance provider
- A company responsible for loading cargo
- Another party whose negligence contributed to the accident
Massachusetts law can impose responsibility on an owner or other legally responsible party in certain motor vehicle circumstances. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 231, Section 85A addresses a presumption concerning an owner’s responsibility for a motor vehicle.
The precise application depends on the facts of the case. This is why it can be a mistake to assume that the person listed on the police report is automatically the only person you can pursue.
At Earley Law Group, your lawyer can investigate the relationships between the driver, trucking company, vehicle owner, and other parties before determining how the claim should proceed.
What Information Do You Need to File a Claim?
You can begin a claim without having a perfectly organized collection of documents. Still, having relevant information available can help your attorney understand what happened. These are examples of useful information in cases like yours:
- The date, time, and location of the accident
- The names and contact information of the drivers involved
- Insurance information
- The name of the trucking company
- The police report, if available
- Photographs or videos from the accident scene
- Photographs of your vehicle and injuries
- Medical records and bills
- Information about missed work or lost income
- Names and contact information for witnesses
- Correspondence from insurance companies
- Any documentation you’ve received from the trucking company or its insurer
Don’t worry if you don’t have everything on this list. With the help of a lawyer from Earley Law Group, you can get help obtaining information that you cannot reasonably access yourself.
Does Massachusetts Have a Deadline For Filing a Truck Accident Claim?
Yes, Massachusetts has a deadline for filing a truck accident claim. The state requires you to take action within three years of the incident.
This deadline appears in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 260, Section 2A. However, this doesn’t mean you should wait three years before contacting an attorney. Now, the filing deadline is only one consideration, and important evidence might need to be preserved much sooner.
There can also be different deadlines at play depending on who is involved and what type of claim you’re pursuing. The safest approach is to speak with an attorney at Earley Law Group as soon as reasonably possible after a serious accident.
How Does Massachusetts Comparative Negligence Affect Your Claim?
What happens if the other side says you were partly responsible for the accident? This doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot recover compensation. Massachusetts follows a modified comparative negligence rule.
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 231, Section 85, a person’s negligence does not immediately prevent recovery as long as that person’s negligence isn’t greater than the total negligence attributable to the parties against whom you’re seeking financial recovery.
Damages are reduced according to the person’s percentage of negligence. If the Massachusetts negligence rule applies, your damages will likely be reduced according to that percentage. Your Earley Law Group attorney can challenge any unfair attempts to shift responsibility onto you.
Call Earley Law Group for Help Filing a Truck Accident Claim
The process of filing a truck accident claim can be confusing, especially when serious injuries, major damages, and argumentative insurers are involved. Knowing what steps to take with the help of an attorney can make the process less overwhelming for you.
At Earley Law Group, our attorneys have earned a strong reputation throughout the Boston area for providing personalized, white-glove service to clients who need legal advice. You can count on us to take the time to understand what happened and document the extent of your losses.
Not only do we work on a contingency basis for qualifying personal injury cases, but we can also travel for consultations. We’ll connect you with medical resources if necessary as well. If you’ve been hurt in a truck accident, Call Earley Before It’s Too Late!™