Michigan Truck Accident Injury Claims Process

When a semi-truck or other commercial vehicle collides with a smaller passenger car, the results are almost always catastrophic.

The truck driver’s first call will be to their insurance carrier, and the insurance company will quickly dispatch a team of investigators to try to limit the company’s liability exposure. In many cases, the insurance company will offer you a low-ball offer to try to make the case go away.

To protect yourself and your right to full and fair compensation, it is critical that you work with an experienced Michigan truck accident injury attorney who can advise you on how to proceed, protect your rights, negotiate with the insurance company, and, if necessary, take your case to trial.

Truck Drivers Must Follow Additional Safety Rules

The trucking industry is highly complex and highly regulated. In most cases, you will not just be dealing with the truck driver’s insurance company. Your claim may extend to the company the driver was working for, shipping brokers and dealers, and anyone else who had a role in making sure the load was properly secured, and the truck was safe to drive.

Truck drivers and the companies they work for are legally required to ensure that cargo is properly loaded and secured and that the truck and trailer are safe to drive.

The driver must abide by hours of service requirements that limit the amount of time a driver can spend on the road.

And trucking companies must follow strict guidelines to ensure that the trucks they send out on the road each day are safe to operate.

Unfortunately, some trucking companies put profits over people. When they take shortcuts and the truck is involved in a collision, the people in the smaller passenger vehicle are the ones who suffer.

Ann Arbor Truck Accident Injury Attorneys Protect Your Rights

If you suffered a truck accident injury, you should follow many of the same steps that you would follow if you were involved in any other kind of car crash. Check the passengers in your car to assess the extent of their injuries. If anyone needs immediate medical assistance, call 9-1-1. Even if there are no major injuries, you should still report the accident to the police and have an officer dispatched to the scene. The officer will prepare a report that identifies the driver of the truck, their employer, and the truck driver’s insurance company.

But because trucking accidents are so complicated and there can be many different parties responsible for causing your injuries, it is wise to contact the experienced truck accident injury attorneys at Muth Law, P.C. as soon after a truck accident as possible.

Michigan is a no-fault insurance state, so your lawyer will first seek no-fault benefits from your own insurance company. But because injuries sustained in Michigan truck accidents are often severe, your lawyer will likely seek additional compensation from the truck driver, their employer, and other companies involved in servicing, maintaining, and loading the truck.

When you work with Muth Law, our experienced truck accident injury lawyers will investigate the cause of the crash to identify everyone who played a role in causing the accident. We will look at factors from before the accident, including driver fatigue, drug or alcohol use, speeding, dangerous driving, driver training, and who was responsible for loading the trailer and ensuring that it was properly secured.

Our investigators will also evaluate other factors that caused the collision, including weather and road conditions, traffic patterns, the truck driver’s logbook, and vehicle maintenance records.

The Truck Accident Claims Process

Once we have identified the cause(s) of the crash, we will seek to hold the appropriate parties responsible for the harm they caused.

Truck drivers, trucking companies, shippers, and brokers all play a role in the trucking industry, and they all have commercial insurance policies that will cover them in the event they cause injury to someone else. However, insurance companies are in the business of making money, and one way they do that is by paying claimants as little as possible.

Determining who was responsible for causing your injuries and which insurance policies cover your loss can be a daunting task. But you don’t have to go it alone. At Muth Law, our lawyers have decades of experience representing people who have been hurt in trucking collisions., We know how to investigate a truck accident injury and negotiate with the insurance companies to maximize your financial recovery so you can focus on your health and on getting your life back to normal.

Muth Law, P.C. Fights for People Injured in Truck Accidents

If you were injured or someone you love was killed in an accident with a semi-truck or other commercial vehicle, Muth Law can help. We will collect the evidence needed to present your claim in a way that is most favorable to you. We will protect your interests, offer advice, and work to maximize your financial compensation.

To learn more, contact Muth Law today by calling 743-481-8800 anytime to schedule a free, confidential consultation to discuss your situation and how we can help. You can also email us at info@muthlawpc.com or complete our online form.

Muth Law stands ready to help. We promise to listen, to be honest with you, and to fight for the compensation you deserve.