Truck Accident Lawsuit Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Typically, truck accident attorneys work on contingency, meaning they don’t get compensation unless you do. In general, truck accident lawyers charge anywhere from 33% – 40% of the final “value” of your case. If your case settles out of court, you may only pay 33.3% of the settlement value. If your case goes to trial, you may pay 40-50% (or more) of the value of your verdict. Case costs & expenses are usually advanced by the law firm until the case is resolved, and then the costs are deducted from the client’s share of the settlement or verdict. *This is merely an estimate of the industry standard, your attorney may charge differently and different State Bar Associations may regulate attorney’s fees differently depending on various factors. You should thoroughly discuss fees and costs with any potential attorney, and it should be clearly outlined in your retainer agreement.

Typically, when you call a truck accident lawyer you will talk to an intake employee or possibly an attorney. This person’s job at this point is to qualify or disqualify your case. If you are scheduled for a consultation, you’ll typically meet with an attorney to discuss all the facts and evidence. When you meet with a truck accident lawyer for a consultation, this is your opportunity to tell them as much as possible about your side of the case, disclose any relevant information regarding the incident, turn over photos, videos, police reports, insurance communications. Many people might think that a truck accident lawyer might take any case, but that’s actually far from the truth. Truck accident lawsuits are incredibly expensive and time consuming to litigate, if the attorney you’re meeting with sees your facts & evidence and doesn’t believe you have a worthwhile case they won’t be able to take your case on. They may also decline your case if they don’t see an opportunity to add value to your claim (meaning you likely wouldn’t get any more compensation than pursuing the matter on your own). Come prepared with as much information as possible, even if you don’t think it will be relevant – they will sort out what matters and what doesn’t.

This is one of the most common, yet most difficult question to answer. In order to determine the value of a truck accident lawsuit, your attorney must know all the details. After that, he/she will need to research similar cases, and cases involving similar types of loss. These types of cases help establish the precedent for what your matter might be worth. Determining the value of a truck accident case is very complex, and there are numerous factors that may contribute to the potential settlement or verdict value. Here’s an article we published that records some of the highest truck accident lawsuits.

You should know that less than 10% of cases go to trial, meaning that roughly 90% of truck accident cases settle out of court (or pre-trial). The cost of litigation can be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on both sides, often clients need money to cover household expenses, medical bills and other items. Because of this, all parties are often motivated to settle if an equitable agreement can be reached. However, complications and difficulties sometimes warrant pushing a case towards trial so long as the client understands all of the implications of that decision – including the increased timeline to resolve the matter.

It goes without saying that you need to see a doctor or go to the hospital immediately. Collisions involving large semi trucks or tractor trailers can incur serious injuries that may not be discovered until after the accident. It’s best to see a doctor immediately to ensure that you haven’t suffered an internal injury or brain injury which can often not show symptoms until hours, days or even weeks after a violent collision. Here’s a more in-depth article about what to do after a truck accident.