Seek Professional Advice before Accepting a Settlement Involving a Truck Accident
Protecting your rights to the maximum allowable compensation is, in all likelihood, the thought farthest from your mind after an accident with a tractor-trailer has left you injured or a loved one dead. Unfortunately, that is what most truck insurance companies count on when they make you a settlement offer.
The Cottrell Law Office represents truck accident victims and their families in Missouri and Arkansas. We have two office locations in Rogers, AK and Joplin, MO, and can provide you the information you need to make an educated decision.
What you lose by accepting an accident settlement in Fayetteville
It may seem odd when an insurance company offers you a settlement even before your file a trucking accident lawsuit in Fayetteville, other locations in Arkansas, and throughout Missouri. It is a calculated business move on the part of the insurance company to get to you while you are injured.
The truck accident settlement an insurance company proposes immediately after an accident is a sum they hope you find satisfactory. The insurance company employs attorneys full-time for situations just like this.
While your experience probably has not exposed you to a truck accident lawsuit in Fayetteville, the company’s lawyers are extremely familiar with the procedure. Many cases where your attorney can prove the truck driver was careless or negligent result in substantial damages.
Insurance companies want to avoid paying you the damages a lawsuit entitles you to and offer a trucking accident settlement in Fayetteville in the hope that you choose to settle instead of going to court.
A trucking accident settlement in Joplin does not address your damages
A Joplin trucking accident lawsuit takes three types of damages into consideration—economic, non-economic, and punitive. A lawsuit defines economic damages as the effects of an accident you can put a price on:
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Non-economic damages are what an accident costs you that you cannot put a price on:
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The courts award punitive damages when a Joplin truck accident lawsuit proves the negligence was so egregious that the responsible party deserves punishment.
When the insurance company offers you a truck accident settlement in Joplin, they are definitely not holding themselves responsible for punitive damages. The settlement usually reimburses a fraction of the economic and non-economic damages of a successful trucking accident lawsuit in Joplin.
A Rogers truck accident settlement closes the case
Accepting a settlement often seems like a better idea than a truck accident lawsuit in Rogers. It speeds up the process and guarantees you some compensation for your damages.
However, when you accept a settlement without professional advice, you may not know what you could get under the law. Insurance companies usually require you to sign a document when you accept your settlement. This contract releases the company and its insured from any responsibility.
When you sign it, you sign away your right to file a truck accident lawsuit in Joplin. Any future expenses the settlement amount did not take into consideration are yours alone. Your lawyer protects your best interest by advising you what the courts entitle you to and getting estimates on future expenses.
Contact us and discuss the strength of your Arkansas or Missouri trucking accident lawsuit with the lawyers of the Cottrell Law Office. Our years of personal injury law experience help maximize your compensated damages.
