Generally speaking, long gone are the days when a person graduates from law school and hangs up a shingle outside a storefront office off the town square or on Main Street. The reality is that lawyers are becoming more focused on particular areas of the law as they go into practice. By way of example, there are a number of important differences between Upland truck accident attorneys and lawyers with more generalized practices.
These differences can be categorized in a number of different ways including:
- Complexity and uniqueness of semi-truck accident cases
- Experience of an Upland truck accident attorney in dealing win insurance companies
- Evaluating and understanding the nature of injuries, damages, and losses in an Upland commercial truck accident case
- Understanding of the unique aspects of litigation and the law in a California semi accident claim and lawsuit
In addition, understanding how to identify and engage a capable, experienced, and tenacious Upland truck accident lawyer is also a matter for review and discussion shortly.
The Complexity of Truck Accident Cases
The discussion of the differences between Upland truck accident attorneys and legal counsel with broader, generalized firms or practices needs to begin with a consideration of the inherent complexity of truck accident collisions, claims, and cases. The complexity of semi accident cases is found on two fronts. These are the underlying cause of a commercial truck accident as well as identifying and pursuing all parties responsible for causing a big-rig wreck.
Turning first to the ability of Upland truck accident lawyers to identify and quantify the underlying cause of causes of semi wreck that results in injuries, damages, and losses underscores the importance of retaining legal counsel with experience in this realm as opposed to a legal generalist. While every semi accident has its own unique set of causes and related attributes, there are some more commonplace underlying reasons why these serious and oftentimes fatal wrecks occur in the first instance. Among the most common underlying reasons for a semi-truck accident that results in injuries, damages, and other losses are:
- Distracted driver
- Impaired driver
- Intoxicated driver
- Fatigued driver
- Mechanical breakdown or malfunction
- Speeding beyond posted limit
- Speeding in excess of what prevailing conditions permit
- Reckless driving
- Improper lane change
- Tailgating other vehicle
- Improper or poor driver training
- Improper of incomplete rig maintenance
In many semi accidents that result in serious and even fatal injuries, more than one underlying factor contributes to the wreck. For example, a rig might experience some sort of mechanical breakdown. The malfunction if magnified because the rig operator is distracted.
Speaking of distracted driving, when it comes to a semi-truck accident, that category of underlying collision causes warrants a bit further examination. The more frequently identified types of rig operator distractions are:
- Talking on mobile
- Texting
- Drinking and eating
- Talking with passenger
- Using radio or entertainment system
- Using GPS
- Reading map
- Smoking
Another reason why there is a significant difference between Upland truck accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers more broadly is found in the ability of an Upland truck accident lawyer to identify and pursue all potentially negligent parties in the aftermath of a catastrophic big-rig wreck. Parties that may be responsible for causing or contributing to a semi accident include:
- Big-rig operator
- Trucking company
- Semi-truck manufacturer
- Parts manufacturer
- Maintenance provider
- Roadway maintenance or design contractor
- Other motorists
The possibility also exists that an injured motorist might bear some responsibility for contributing to an accident. In California, the fact that an injured motorist might bear some responsibility in a traffic accident does not mean that person is precluded from seeking financial compensation for his or her injuries and other losses. A Truck accident lawyer Upland can explain the California comparative negligence law to you during an initial consultation and case evaluation. This type of initial appointment is discussed more fully in a moment.
Upland Truck Accident Attorneys and Insurance Companies
Another way in which Upland truck accident lawyers are set apart from personal injury lawyers who are more “general legal practitioner” is found in the ability of an Upland truck accident attorney to take on insurance companies that cover big-rigs, their operators, and their owners. The reality is that insurance companies in the United States, including in the state of California, are in business for one primary reason – and that’s not safeguarding let alone advancing the interests of injured accident victims. Insurance companies exist primarily to make money for shareholders and other stakeholders, not to settle claims made by injured people in an equitable manner.
An Upland truck accident attorney has the background, experience, and developed skillset necessary to take on or fight even the most entrenched insurance company. Indeed, experienced Upland truck accident legal counsel has a clearer understanding of the types of delay and other dilatory tactics likely to be used by an insurer for a trucking company, rig operator, or other negligence principal in a semi wreck situation.
Injuries, Damages, and Losses After an Upland Semi Accident
A Big rig accident attorney in Upland CA is also better versed in the nature and extent of injuries, damages, and losses associated with a semi accident than would be a lawyer who more generally practices in the arena of accident and injury law. Because of the nature of semi accidents, the nature and extent of injuries can be profound, debilitating, and truly life-changing. Indeed, a high percentage of big-rig wrecks involving passenger vehicles result in fatalities.
Upland Accident Lawyers, Litigation, and the Law
Another key difference between Upland truck accident attorneys and those lawyers who maintain a more generalized personal injury and accident law practice is found in the fact that a truck accident lawyer Upland has a keener understanding of litigation processes and applicable law associated with big-rig collisions. While a personal injury legal generalist has a basic understanding of the mechanics of accident cases, the reality is that semi-wrecks involving passenger vehicles and similar types of accidents require a particular understanding of how these specific types of cases are litigated.
A prime example is that a typical semi-truck accident injury case is very likely to require assistance from experts who specialize in such things as reconstructing big-rig wrecks specifically. In the final analysis, an Upland truck accident lawyer with an extensive background in litigating these specific types of accidents will have ready access to the types of experts absolutely necessary to build a strong case.
How to Retain a Capable, Reputable, and Experienced Truck Accident Attorney Upland
The first step to retain the professional services of an Upland truck accident attorney is to schedule an initial consultation and case evaluation. In Upland, the standard practice for a semi-truck accident lawyer is to schedule an initial consultation and case evaluation with a prospective client at no cost and no obligation. A semi collision attorney typically offers both in-person initial appointments as well as virtual consultations online. If you’ve been injured in a semi accident, or if you’ve lost a family member in this type of accident, you are well-served schedule an initial consultation sooner rather than later to ensure no deadlines are missed relative to a claim, personal injury lawsuit, or wrongful death lawsuit.