Choosing an Auto Accident Attorney: Questions to Ask Hiring an auto accident lawyer is easier with a short list of questions. Some crashes involve a single insurer and a modest property claim, while others bring serious injuries, several policies and disputed fault. The questions below can make a first consultation more useful, whatever the size of the claim. Confirm the license and record Before any meeting, confirm the basics. Each state bar or licensing agency prov
How Crash Reports and Dashcam Video Shape an Auto Accident Claim
How Crash Reports and Dashcam Video Shape an Auto Accident Claim Evidence from a car crash starts to disappear within hours. Cars are towed and repaired, video gets recorded over and witnesses become harder to find. A car accident lawyer usually looks first at the police report and any photos or video, then the data stored in the vehicles. Here is how each source fits into a claim. The police report When officers respond to a crash, they usually prepare a crash report
How Long an Auto Accident Claim Takes, Stage by Stage
How Long a Car Accident Claim Takes, Stage by Stage Car accident claims move through stages that may take months or longer. The vehicle damage part often resolves within weeks, while the injury claim usually waits until treatment has run its course. A car accident lawyer can explain where a particular claim stands, although no two claims follow the same path. Right after the crash Medical care comes first, even when injuries seem minor at the scene, and the records ma
What to Expect From the Insurance Adjuster After a Car Accident
What to Expect From the Insurance Adjuster After a Car Accident Most people deal with an insurance adjuster long before a lawsuit is even a question. The adjuster's job is to evaluate the claim for the insurance company, and some common practices can lower what a claim is worth if they go unnoticed. Knowing these practices is one reason people speak with an auto accident lawyer before they sign anything. What the adjuster may ask for The other driver's insurer may cal
Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Tractor-Trailer Crash? Unlike many car crashes, a semi-truck crash often involves several potentially responsible parties. The driver, the trucking company, the owner of the trailer, the company that loaded the cargo and the manufacturer of a defective part can each play a role. Sorting out legal responsibility is one of the first tasks for a tractor-trailer crash lawyer, because each responsible party may have separate insurance. The tr
How Hours of Service Violations Can Shape a Tractor-Trailer Crash Claim
What a Truck Accident Attorney Checks in a Driver's Logs When a tractor-trailer crash happens late in a long run, one of the first questions is whether the driver was within the federal hours-of-service limits. Fatigue leaves little physical trace at a crash scene, which is why the answer tends to come from records instead of the road itself. A tractor-trailer crash lawyer looking at one of these claims will usually compare the driver's logs with every other record of the t
ECM Black Box Data and ELD Records in Tractor-Trailer Crash Claims
ELD Records and ECM Black Box Data in Semi-Truck Crash Cases When a tractor-trailer crash causes serious injuries, the most detailed account of the final seconds before impact often sits inside the truck itself. Most people call it the black box, but that label covers several different systems. For a truck accident lawyer, knowing which device holds which record shapes the first evidence requests in a case. What the black box means on a commercial truck Most heavy tru
Truck Accident Claim Timeline: From the Crash to Settlement
How Long a Truck Accident Claim Takes, Stage by Stage Truck accident claims move through stages that may take months or even years. Some periods apply to the trucking company, such as how long it must keep certain records, while others belong to the injured person, such as the statute of limitations. A truck accident attorney can explain where a given claim sits in this sequence, though no two claims follow the same path. The first days Medical care comes first, and t