The only silly question is the one you decide not to ask, or so the adage goes. But if you are like many truck accident injury victims, you may not know what questions to ask following a collision with a semi-trailer. You may be in such a state of shock that you legitimately expect others to tell you all the information you need.
Failing to ask the right questions of your attorney after a truck crash not only deprives you of important information. It can also prevent you from making fully informed decisions that affect the resolution of your case and the amount of compensation you might receive.
Ask Your Attorney These Four Questions About Your Truck Crash Case
An experienced trucking accident lawyer can be a wealth of information about the legal system and what you can expect as your case progresses. An attorney who has handled many cases will often be able to provide you with the necessary details and explanations throughout the life of your case. However, you should make sure your attorney answers the following questions:
How Much Compensation Will I Receive?
You should beware of an attorney that will guarantee you a specific dollar amount of compensation. Any case involves too many variables to permit anyone to know precisely how much compensation you will receive for your injuries. However, after reviewing your case, your attorney can give you an informed estimate of what compensation you might reasonably expect.
Having an accurate picture of your case’s worth helps you better evaluate any settlement offers that may be made. You and your attorney can openly and smartly discuss what you would be giving up by settling your case compared to what you might receive by going to trial.
Do I Have a Strong Case?
Along with discussing what compensation you might receive, ask your attorney about your odds of success in recovering compensation. As with the amount of compensation you might receive, no attorney can guarantee you a specific outcome in your case. However, your lawyer can give their impressions of whether you have a substantial truck accident case in light of the available evidence.
If the evidence in your case strongly suggests that the truck driver is at fault, you may want to avoid settling for far less than the losses you sustained. In such a case, it may be worth the risk of proceeding to trial instead of not receiving enough compensation to compensate you fully.
Conversely, if your attorney indicates the evidence is inconclusive, you may reconsider settlement offers that do not entirely compensate you. In this situation, the certainty of some compensation is better than the risk of not receiving anything.
How Can I Help My Case?
Even the most skilled truck accident lawyer will need their client to cooperate with them if the client’s case is to succeed. In any truck accident case, a client may need to:
- Sign releases so the attorney can obtain medical records
- Appear and provide testimony at a deposition
- Assist the attorney in responding to interrogatories
- Show up in court for pretrial hearings and trial
- Accept or reject a settlement offer
You should know what your attorney expects of you as your case progresses. Needless frustrations in the attorney-client relationship can be avoided by understanding your role in successfully resolving your case.
Make sure that your attorney knows how to reach you quickly. There may be times as your case moves along that your truck accident lawyer will need to reach you quickly so that they can effectively communicate with you and represent you.
What Fees Do You Charge?
Not every attorney charges an hourly fee. It is becoming more common for truck accident lawyers to take cases on a contingency-fee-basis. This fee structure allows you to retain the attorney’s services without depositing money up front. The attorney recoups their fees by taking a portion of the recovery for you. You do not owe any attorney’s fees if your case is unsuccessful.
Let a Dedicated Attorney Help You with Your Truck Accident Case
At the Law Offices of Glenn & West, LLC we are committed to arming our truck accident clients with the information they need to make the right decisions. We partner with our clients, helping them pursue the best possible outcome and receive the compensation they deserve.
If you are in Illinois, visit us at either our Nokomis, IL, or Litchfield, IL office. We look forward to meeting with you during a one-on-one consultation with one of our experienced lawyers.
