October 10, 2018 | truck accident
Truck accidents are unfortunately common events in the United States. Large commercial trucks collide with smaller passenger vehicles with devastating results—and the occupants of the smaller vehicles usually are the ones who get the short end of the stick.
If you suffered injuries in a crash with a semi-truck or other commercial vehicle in the Indianapolis area, call our Indianapolis truck accident lawyer and delivery truck accident lawyer at Fountain Law Firm as soon as you can. She will review the facts of your case at no cost to you and let you know whether she believes you have a legal claim. In the meantime, here are some basic facts about truck accidents.
Drivers of commercial trucks are typically employees of trucking companies or are “owner-operators” who contract with trucking companies to haul specific loads. Under a doctrine known as respondeat superior, employers are liable for the negligent acts of their employees. In addition, federal regulations impose liability on trucking companies for the negligence of their drivers, even when they are independent contractors rather than employees. As a result, if you’re entitled to compensation, you’ll likely get it from a trucking company’s insurance plan.
As an accident victim, keep in mind that the trucking company’s insurance company is not looking out for your best interests. Insurance companies make a profit by paying out less than they make in premiums, so they try to minimize the amount they pay on every claim they get.
Insurance companies try to limit their liability by making unreasonably low initial offers, requesting overbroad medical authorizations (in an effort to find anything that could classify an injury as a preexisting condition), unreasonably delaying the processing of a claim, and telling victims that they need to provide a recorded statement to receive a settlement offer. Insurance companies do all of these things to limit their liability, so accident victims must retain legal counsel as soon as they can.
Merry Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an Indianapolis injury attorney in the greater Indy area—Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon—she’s here to help. Call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click Tell Us About Your Case for a free consultation.