If a commercial truck driver hits you or your vehicle in Houston, it can wreck your life. You might have to deal with injuries stemming from that experience. You may have an inoperable vehicle you can no longer drive to work or other places you need to go.
You should know that trucking companies will often hire legal teams to defend their drivers and the company’s best interests if one of their drivers hits another vehicle or a pedestrian. If you hope to get your life back on track after one of these accidents, you’ll need to hire your own lawyer, and they should know how to handle these situations.
Let’s talk about what you can expect when you hire a truck accident lawyer following a commercial truck collision that has impacted your life.
You’ll Have to Take Some Time to Talk to Them
First, you’ll need to meet with the lawyer or law firm you’ve selected. You shouldn’t make this decision lightly. You’ll find many attorneys in the Houston area, and you want to pick a lawyer or firm that knows all the laws regarding these cases.
You will need to explain to the Truck Accident Attorney what happened. They will definitely ask you some questions about the accident and how you conducted yourself when it occurred.
They’ll try to determine whether they think you have a case or not. If they feel you caused the accident, instead of the trucker driving the 18-wheeler, they probably won’t take you as a client.
You should try to include any relevant details when you speak to the attorney, law firm or Interpol lawyers. If you don’t mention pertinent facts, that can backfire later if the trucking company’s attorney proves that you caused the collision.
You Might Need to Appear in Court for the Trial
Assuming you hire a lawyer, you must agree to their fee structure. Most truck accident victims want to set up a contingency payment plan, so they don’t pay their attorney any money unless they collect a financial windfall following a trial. It’s also possible the trucking company could try to settle beforehand if you have a lot of evidence that indicates the trucker’s guilt.
If the trucking company or trucker won’t settle, you’ll need to go to trial. At that point, you’ll need your lawyer’s skills. They must argue your case in front of a jury, and this process can take several days or even weeks, depending on how much evidence exists.
You may have to appear in court for days or weeks at a time until the trial concludes. You probably can’t go to work during this time since you’ll want to know what’s happening every day during the trial. You want to know that your lawyer’s doing everything in their power to win the case, so you can walk away with cash following the verdict.
If you have kids, you might need to hire a babysitter to care for them. If you’ve got a partner or spouse, they may need to care for your children while you are attending the trial. You may also arrange for a babysitter or to take the kids to daycare if that makes more sense for your family.
You Can Rely on the Lawyer for Emotional Support
You might grow close with your attorney during the trial. Some of them have warm dispositions, while others keep things more professional.
They will probably help you emotionally as you work your way through the lengthy trial process, though. You’ll need that support since the trucking company and their lawyers might try to discredit you at trial. They probably won’t want to pay you any money if they can avoid it, and you may find the trial process traumatic.
You’ll Eventually See a Resolution
The settlement or trial process will take some time, but eventually, you will get through it. At that point, you must hope things ended up in your favor. If you won at trial, you’ll need to pay your lawyer. You must then decide how best to spend the money you won.
You might feel vindicated if you proved the trucker or trucking company responsible for what occurred. However, your life may never be the same if you sustained serious or debilitating injuries.
Money can’t make up for that, but it certainly helps to some degree. That’s why you need to find a lawyer who can satisfactorily represent your interests in these situations.
Read More:
How can a witness support your car accident claim?
All you need to know before returning to work after a car accident