How Long Does It Take to Settle a Semi-Truck Accident?

How long it takes to settle a semi-truck accident case varies based on several factors. Some semi-truck accident cases do not settle at all; instead, they go to court for a judge or jury to decide the outcome.

Some variables that may determine the settlement timeline include the value of the claimant’s losses, the complexity of the accident investigation, and the willingness of liable parties to take financial responsibility for your losses. The effectiveness of your lawyer as a negotiator may also determine the timeline and outcome of your case.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a semi-truck accident, contact an experienced semi-truck accident lawyer near you today for assistance.

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Factors That Can Determine the Timeline for Settling a Semi-Truck Accident Case

Each semi-truck accident claim and lawsuit is independent of the other. You cannot rely on the timeline for other cases to project how long yours might take to conclude. Several factors may influence the time it takes to secure a settlement or verdict, which include:

The Length of the Accident Investigation

Every truck accident case begins with the details of the accident itself. Some factors that may lengthen the duration of the accident investigation include:

• Whether the trucking company makes evidence available to your lawyer or whether your attorney has to take legal measures to secure the evidence
• Whether the cause of the accident is clear or whether it is less obvious why the collision occurred
• What types of evidence are available to your attorney
• Whether your attorney needs to hire one or more experts to assist in the investigation

Your attorney will want to be thorough. This means gathering all evidence that could benefit your claim or lawsuit, and this approach takes time. Trust your attorney to lead the investigation with urgency, but know that building a strong arsenal of evidence can take time.

The Severity of Your Injuries

Truck accidents cause a disproportionate number of serious injuries. When a truck accident victim suffers severe physical injuries, it means that:

• One or more injuries may be disabling
• It can take longer to understand what the victim’s long-term symptoms and medical needs will be
• It is critically important that the lawyer calculate the cost of the client’s medical expenses accurately, as the client may need significant compensation for their care

Your lawyer will understand that you need compensation as soon as possible. However, it’s most important that your lawyer’s settlement demands will account for your long-term expenses and non-economic damages. Your attorney will keep you informed about the process so you can be at ease throughout the case.

The Value of Your Covered Losses

If you have a high-value case, liable parties may be less willing to pay a fair settlement. All things being equal, it is easier for anyone to pay a small sum than a large one. Therefore, you may expect greater pushback if your lawyer is seeking a relatively large settlement.

Your lawyer’s settlement demands will include more than financial costs alone. Many accident survivors grapple with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other types of pain and suffering. You deserve a fair financial recovery for your economic and non-economic losses, but liable parties may be unwilling to offer a fair settlement.

Whether You Lost a Loved One Because of the Semi-Truck Accident

The heaviest trucks on the road weigh 80,000 pounds. This makes a truck—particularly one speeding—a potentially lethal force when it strikes another vehicle.

If you have lost a loved one, you may hire a lawyer to lead a wrongful death lawsuit. These kinds of cases may be more complicated and time-consuming than others because:

• Every wrongful death case is costly, as the price of losing a loved one is always immense
• Whenever liable parties are responsible for a large payment, settlement negotiations are more difficult
• Your wrongful death case may need to go to trial, which means a longer timeframe for the case

Measuring the cost of losing a family member takes time. A lawyer must learn about who the decedent was, and what they provided their loved ones economically and non-economically. This is why the timeframe for fatal semi-truck accident cases is generally longer than non-fatal accident cases.

How Many Parties Are Liable for Your Damages

The more parties you deserve compensation from, the more work your case will likely require. Truck accident attorneys are well-versed in seeking compensation from multiple parties, but they may need to:

• Spend more time identifying every liable party
• Form a different strategy for securing compensation from each liable party
• Need to negotiate with multiple insurance companies and lawyers if multiple parties owe you compensation
• Engage in multiple different negotiations throughout your case

These are necessary steps if you want to secure fair compensation for your accident-related damages. However, the inclusion of multiple liable parties can extend the timeline for your case.

The Negotiating Approach of Liable Insurance Companies

The time your case takes to settle will come down to one important question: Are those with financial liability for your accident willing to pay you fairly?

If liable parties take responsibility for your losses, they may offer a fair settlement and allow you to move on with your life relatively quickly. If liable parties do not take full accountability, it may mean:

• Those liable parties fight your attorney every step of the way, including during settlement negotiations
• Your lawyer may have to deal with bad-faith negotiation tactics, like blaming you for the accident and undervaluing your losses
• There is a higher likelihood your case will require a trial (because liable parties will not extend a fair settlement offer)

Regardless of whether these factors exist in your case, your semi-truck accident lawyer will work to resolve your case as soon as possible.

Several Factors Can Make Semi-Truck Accident Cases Uniquely Complicated

Most semi-truck accident victims will benefit from hiring an attorney. This is true, in part, because cases involving trucks can be unusually complex.

An attorney will handle all of the challenges often seen in truck accident cases, including:

• Diagnosing the cause of the truck accident, requires a strong understanding of how trucks work and how the trucking industry is regulated
• Obtaining evidence from a liable trucking company (which may be the same company from which your lawyer is seeking compensation)
• Calculating the long-term cost of the accident, which may include lifelong care for disabling injuries
• Negotiating skillfully against insurance companies or defense lawyers with ample experience and resources

Though civil legal cases like yours most often settle, many truck accident cases have gone to trial. Hiring a lawyer will ensure that you can go to trial without delay, as a lawyer will be ready to draft and file a lawsuit for you.

Can a Truck Accident Victim Speed Up the Claims or Legal Process?

Claimants and plaintiffs don’t have much control over the day-to-day responsibilities of their claim or lawsuit. What you can do, though, is hire a lawyer to resolve your case as efficiently as possible.

While an attorney will never promise to resolve your case within a certain timeframe, there are many reasons to trust a lawyer to secure a settlement or complete a trial as soon as they can. A lawyer may be best positioned to complete your case because:

• Unlike you, your lawyer will not be dealing with physical injuries or psychological distress that impedes your ability to handle an insurance claim or lawsuit
• Your attorney will have the help of their paralegals, support staff, investigators, and experts (meaning more hands and minds working towards resolving your case)
• Your law firm will spend as much money as necessary to resolve your case as soon as possible
• Experienced truck accident lawyers have led many claims and lawsuits, and familiarity generally allows a person to work efficiently

A lawyer will not only be able to resolve the case as efficiently as possible, but you also hope that, because of their experience and resources, your lawyer will achieve the financial outcome you hire them to attain.

Just as importantly, by placing a lawyer on your case, you can keep your time and attention focused on your recovery.

What Damages Do Semi-Truck Accident Lawyers Seek Compensation For?

Those involved in truck accidents often experience a life-altering event. The damages from such accidents can interfere with virtually every aspect of your life, causing:

Pain and Suffering

Attorneys account for their clients’ injuries that are not visible to the eye. Many of these ailments qualify as pain and suffering, and can include:

• Physical pain
• Chronic pain conditions
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Substance use disorders (which can be an attempt to medicate one’s pain and suffering)
• Sleep disturbance
• Lost quality of life
• Changes in the way you related to loved ones

Many law firms hire mental health professionals to evaluate their clients after a semi-truck accident. Such evaluations can document the psychological and emotional effects of your collision.

Mental Health Services (for the Pain and Suffering)

If you require mental health services to deal with your pain and suffering, your semi-truck accident lawyer will account for your treatment expenses.

Large Medical Bills

Serious truck accidents lead to large medical bills. Because semi-truck accidents are often serious, victims can require:

• Ambulance transport
• Treatment in an emergency department
• A period of hospitalization
• Emergency and non-emergency surgery
• Medical imaging
• Medications
• Other medical services and items

The nature and severity of your injuries will be key factors in the cost of your medical care. Your attorney will make any necessary projections for future medical costs you will face after your case is complete.

Professional Damages (Which May Prove Permanent)

Physical pain, low tolerance for stress, and other consequences of a semi-truck accident may prevent you from working. Whether any absence from work is temporary or permanent, you may deserve compensation for:

• Lost income
• Diminished earning capacity
• Lost chances for bonuses, promotions, overtime pay, and other benefits that are contingent on you being healthy and working
• Permanent loss of your ability to work

Few accident victims have the luxury of being away from work. The financial ramifications and mental health consequences of being injured can be devastating. Your semi-truck accident attorney will demand that those liable for the truck accident cover all your professional damages.

Property Costs

If your vehicle, phone, clothing, or other property was damaged during a collision with a semi-truck, your attorney will calculate your property-related losses.

Each truck accident victim has a different slate of damages. Trust your lawyer to urgently but deliberately document all of your accident-related damages, including those that are economic and non-economic in nature.

Damages Common Among Victims of Fatal Semi-Truck Accidents

The loss of a victim’s life is the most tragic outcome of semi-truck collisions. Those who lose loved ones must focus on their grief but must also ensure that liable parties are accountable for the cost of their immense loss.

An attorney can lead a wrongful death case on your behalf. The goal of the case will be to secure fair compensation for:

• Your pain and suffering
• Any treatment you need to address grief and other types of pain and suffering
• Loss of the decedent’s financial support
• Funeral costs
• Burial or cremation costs
• All other economic and non-economic damages resulting from the fatal semi-truck accident

An attorney can provide much-needed support and even a sense of relief, whether you’ve been affected by a fatal or non-fatal truck accident.

How a Semi-Truck Accident Attorney Will Fight for Your Long-Term Financial Security

Let an attorney oversee the claims process and any lawsuit you need to file. Your attorney and their team will:

• Document the precise cause of the semi-truck accident (in doing so, establishing both fault and financial liability)
• Document and calculate your recoverable damages
• Negotiate a settlement with insurers
• File any lawsuit that you and your attorney decide to pursue
• Negotiate with liable parties’ representatives after filing a lawsuit
• Completing a trial on your behalf, if necessary

Your lawyer will also protect you, offer any guidance you need, and ensure you receive the care you need as they represent you.

Contact a Semi-Truck Accident Attorney to Discuss your Case

Most semi-truck accident cases come with filing deadlines, so you must not wait to retain your lawyer. Complete free consultations with law firms serving your area, and hire an accomplished, well-regarded personal injury attorney as soon as possible.