After a truck accident, your top priority is to get better. Between medical bills, damage to your vehicle and lost wages during your recovery, the true cost of the accident may be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. In principle, the trucking company – and their insurance carrier – should be responsible for those losses.
Unfortunately, insurance companies tend to view accidents as opportunities to save money, and that’s especially true for truck accidents. Trucking companies tend to have much more liability coverage than private motorists, which means the stakes are higher. They’re going to do everything in their power to reduce or deny your claim. When you’re dealing with the insurance company, you need one of our experienced truck accident lawyers on your side.
Here’s what you need to know about dealing with insurance companies after a truck accident in the Illinois Valley:
- There are usually multiple insurance companies involved. Most tractor-trailers have separate insurance for the cab and the trailer. Your own insurance is also going to be involved, of course. When truck accidents happen on congested highways, several cars may be involved – for instance, a truck that jackknifes or rolls over may block multiple lanes of traffic – and each car has its own insurance policy.
- Their initial settlement offer is almost never enough. Insurance companies almost always want to settle claims right away. That’s particularly true for truck accidents because, again, they risk losing a lot of money on the claim. That initial offer rarely accounts for the full amount of your injuries, long-term care, pain and suffering, emotional distress and other damages incurred from the accident. Remember that if there are multiple insurance companies involved, accepting a settlement from one insurer might affect the others’ liability as well.
- You are not required to talk to them directly. The insurance company representing the trucking company isn’t on your side. Their goal is to protect their client – the trucking company – and reduce their own liability. Any information you give to a claims adjuster, including a written or recorded statement, will be used against you for that purpose. That’s why you should never give them any information without speaking with an attorney first.
- You shouldn’t deal with them alone. The insurance company may tell you that you don’t need a lawyer – and we guarantee that they’ll pick up the phone and call their lawyer as soon as they’re done talking to you. Their adjusters and attorneys have handled hundreds of cases, and they know how to use the legal system to their advantage. You absolutely need an experienced attorney from Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP on your side to level the playing field and make sure you get top dollar for your case.
With over 120 years of combined experience, our attorneys know how to handle the trucking companies and their insurance companies. As soon as you contact us and choose us to represent you, we’ll notify the insurance company that you have retained an attorney. From that point forward, we will handle all inquiries from the insurance company, protecting your legal rights while you focus on getting better.
If you’ve been hurt in a truck accident, the insurance company’s responsibility is to make you whole again. We’ll make sure they follow through. Schedule your free consultation. We proudly serve LaSalle County and other communities throughout Northern Illinois.
