Recovering from a truck accident is never easy. Between getting the treatment you need, trying to manage your bills while you are unable to work, and dealing with pain on a daily basis, figuring out how to move on can be an extremely long and difficult process.
This makes filing a claim extremely important.
But, how do you file a truck accident claim? Unlike most car accidents, filing a claim after a truck accident isn’t a matter of dealing with the at-fault driver’s insurer. Instead, you need to figure out which company (or companies) are responsible for the accident—and then you need to be able to convince them to pay the financial compensation you deserve.
There are several steps involved in filing a claim after a truck accident in Illinois—and your lawyer will be able to take many of these steps on your behalf. But, there are some critical steps that you need to take as well. For example, here are seven key steps that you will want to take to protect your legal rights:
When you have a claim after a truck accident, it is important to collect and preserve as much information as possible. With this in mind, if you have any of the following from the accident scene, you should be sure to keep them safe until you can share them with your lawyer:
In addition to keeping these to share with your lawyer, you should also take detailed notes. Write down everything you can remember about the crash. The weather and traffic conditions, your direction of travel, the truck’s direction of travel, what happened before the crash, and what the truck driver said after the crash could all be key pieces of information for asserting your legal rights.
While it is important to take legal action promptly, it is also important to prioritize your physical and emotional recovery. Ultimately, this will help with protecting your legal rights as well. If you do everything you can to recover, not only will this minimize any long-term effects, but it will also help prevent the insurance companies from blaming you for your own medical costs and other out-of-pocket expenses.
Speaking of your medical costs, you will want to get into the habit of collecting your estimates, bills, and receipts. You will need to provide these to your lawyer, and then your lawyer will use them to determine how much financial compensation to seek in your truck accident claim. While your medical expenses are just one piece of the puzzle, they are an important piece—and it is important to make sure that you know not only how much the truck accident has cost you, but also how much it will cost you in the future.
In addition to seeking just compensation for your medical costs and other out-of-pocket expenses, when you file a truck accident claim in Illinois, you can seek just compensation for your non-financial costs as well. This includes just compensation for your pain and suffering, loss of companionship and consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
To help your lawyer seek just compensation for these losses, you should do your best to document them each day. Write down your daily pain levels, and take notes about all of the various other ways your injuries negatively impact your day-to-day life.
Regardless of your circumstances, when you have a truck accident claim, there is only so much you can do on your own. You will need help, and you will want to start relying on a lawyer’s advice as soon as possible. It costs nothing out-of-pocket to speak with a lawyer, and seeking experienced legal representation is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself long-term.
If you need to know more about filing a truck accident claim in Illinois, we encourage you to contact us promptly. We have extensive experience helping clients recover the full and fair compensation they deserve.
Contact the experienced attorneys at Coplan + Crane online or at 708-358-8080 for a FREE case evaluation. We serve clients throughout Illinois, including Chicago, Oak Park, Rockford, and other areas.
