If you needed proof of how dangerous commercial heavy trucks can be on the road, you’ll probably be surprised that the average liability policy for big rigs is 50 times more expensive than your standard car insurance policy. Why? It’s because commercial trucks, with their massive size, weight, and momentum on the road, can be incredibly dangerous to ordinary motorists and pedestrians. In fact, most accidents that involve heavy trucks lead to deaths and not mere injuries alone.

Often times collisions with 18-wheeler trucks result in ordinary vehicles being crushed, with their occupants killed or at the very least, suffering severe and critical injuries. Our San Antonio truck accident lawyers and 18 wheeler accident lawyer have seen far too many cases that involve underride accidents, where the other car partially passes under the trailer of a truck.

Insurance companies that represent commercial truck companies know the financial risks their clients face, which is why whenever they receive notice of a wrongful death or personal injury claim that could result in millions of dollars in damages, they immediately prepare an aggressive defense plan to reduce liability.

And these big insurance companies are all too aware of the high statistical probability of heavy trucks causing accidents. It’s precisely why they’ve anticipated such events with computer models detailing every possible accident scenario. They also employ experienced teams of investigators and defense experts to conduct swift and aggressive investigations when their clients’ trucks are involved in a truck wreck.

When these wrecks happen, insurance company reps are immediately on the scene to analyze the crash area and determine all possible ways to deflect liability, all while the helpless victims are still reeling from the accident, not knowing they might need the services of an accident lawyer to protect their rights and fight back.

Defense teams of insurance companies do this because of one thing: maximizing profit and reducing liability and the amount they have to pay out. They do so by finding any way to reduce the truck driver’s liability, even going as far as pinning blame on the victims. And with the state of Texas observing comparative negligence laws that allow for victims to share up to 51 percent responsibility for the accident, it’s highly likely that injured and grieving parties won’t get the compensation they deserve without an experienced truck wreck lawyer on their side. In addition, if the judge and jury find that the victim was more than 51 percent responsible for the accident, any chances of recovering damages are lost. The truck driver, the trucking company, and the insurance get away without paying a single cent.

That’s what they’re aiming for, and they’re very good at it. Their defense attorneys have years of experience in depriving victims of fair compensation, and they have millions of dollars they have at their disposal to help them reduce, avoid, and eliminate paying victims fair compensation.

Scare Tactics Employed by Insurance Adjusters Against Victims of Truck Accidents

 Here are just some of the many ways insurance companies can compromise your claim.

  1. To reach their goal of paying you nothing, or very little, insurance adjusters like to approach injured parties and try to get statements that can be twisted and used out of context to blame the injured party for the accident. Even the most seemingly innocent statements, when taken out of context, can be used as an admission of fault, twisted to mean almost anything.  This highlights the importance of NOT giving any kind of recorded statement to anyone prior to getting the advice of an experienced truck accident lawyer.
  2. An insurance adjuster can also try to trick you into thinking your claim has no chance of letting you recover for your damages, using so-called “facts” to bully victims into thinking that they were the ones responsible, or partially responsible, for the accident.
  3. The insurance adjuster offers a fast and convenient opt-out to rid you of your troubles: a release form. If you’re smart enough not to give in to this deception, the adjuster may move towards making a settlement offer much lower than you deserve.
  4. Accepting the settlement means releasing your legal right to file a lawsuit for damages. While settlements aren’t bad, agreeing to any offer without the guidance of an experienced personal injury lawyer can mean getting a mere fraction of your claim’s true potential value. Never accept a settlement without first getting the advice of a skilled San Antonio truck accident lawyer, who can determine your claim’s true value and help protect your rights.

 Don’t Be Foolish. Don’t Try to Represent Yourself in Personal Injury Claim Involving an 18-Wheeler Truck.

 You can be way over your head if you decide to go against trucking and and insurance companies alone. In our many years of experience going toe to toe with big insurance companies in truck accident cases, we’ve never heard of a claimant getting a successful resolution on his/her own. Although it may seem easy to establish liability in a truck accident case, in truth, these cases are very complex and involve several variables that present different outcomes in your case. You just don’t have the experience and skill to understand the legal challenges you will face in order to acquire fair financial compensation. Worse, you could end up spending more money than you need and not receive anything in the end.  All too often injured parties that try to handle these accidents on their own end up making mistakes that can completely destroy their ability to recover a penny for their injuries.  Why risk it?

 How to Win a Personal Injury Claim

Our San Antonio truck accident lawyers often refer to a checklist of do’s and don’ts to win claims and cases against trucking and insurance companies. They can collect and present evidence, talk to responders and witnesses, prepare an offensive plan, and go head to head against the trucking and insurance company.

The best advice I could give to anyone injured in a trucking accident is to take advantage of the FREE consultation that many truck accident attorneys offer, including Barrus Injury Lawyers.  The consultation is free, and could help prevent you from doing something to destroy your claim.  Click here to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced truck wreck attorneys.

Our San Antonio personal injury law firm has experience with a wide variety of cases, if you need a car accident lawyer, motorcycle accident lawyer, bus accident lawyer, dog bite lawyer, wrongful death lawyer, medical malpractice lawyer, or a slip and fall lawyer, contact us today.