Fatal Truck Accidents in Oak Lawn

Because of the disparity in size between trucks and cars, it is often that the people in the vehicle are more seriously injured than the tractor-trailer driver. Additionally, the extent of the injuries is typically much greater when there is a car-truck accident. The injuries can be so significant that they rise to the level of wrongful death. Any situation where a tractor-trailer driver is driving negligently, and it results in a fatal accident, there will be a wrongful death case against the truck driver and the truck company.

When a fatal truck accident occurs, a knowledgeable wrongful death attorney could help your case. It is best to reach out to a seasoned lawyer who has experience handling fatal truck accidents in Oak Lawn.

How Are Truck Accident Cases Handled Differently Than Other Wrongful Death Cases?

When there is an accident with a truck that results in a fatality, there will be a wrongful death case. The wrongful death case will be against the truck driver as well as the company for which the individual was driving. Even though trucks are required to have higher insurance limits when there is a wrongful death, lawyers must look for any insurance coverage possible.

Because of the corporate structure of trucking companies and the trucking industry, it is important for lawyers to investigate all possible avenues for recovery in a wrongful death case. The truck driver will be responsible, but there are also many other potentially responsible companies involved in a truck accident wrongful death case.

Role of an Insurance Company

When an individual is involved in an accident with a truck, typically, there will be one or more insurance companies involved on behalf of the trucker and the trucking company. Insurance adjusters will look out for the best interests of the insurance company and will try to save the insurance company money in any way possible. For this reason, if there is a wrongful death case resulting from a truck accident, it should always be handled by an experienced attorney.

The insurance adjusters for trucking companies will take advantage of people who are unrepresented. In a serious truck accident, the insurance adjuster will be looking out for the interests of the insurance company and not the family who lost their loved one.

Damage Caps For a Truck Accident Fatality

Some states have limits on the recovery that someone can receive following a truck accident fatality. Other states do not have such caps. If there are no caps in place, the family and the truck company try to come to some agreement or settlement for the loss of their loved one. Ultimately, if an agreement cannot be reached, a jury will decide how much money the truck company insurance will have to pay for the wrongful death.

In states that have caps on damages for wrongful death cases, no matter what the jury may decide, there will be a limit as to how much the truck company has to pay. It is essential to get advice from a wrongful death lawyer as to whether there are any caps or limitations on the recovery for wrongful death in a truck accident case.

How a Wrongful Death Attorney Could Help

When a truck driver is negligent and causes an accident that results in a fatality, there will be a wrongful death case. Because trucks weigh so much more than cars and the difference in maneuverability, a tractor-trailer typically causes much more damage in an accident. When the injuries are so severe from the truck accident as to cause the death of an individual in the car, the truck driver and truck company will be responsible for the wrongful death.

Speak to an experienced wrongful death lawyer to learn about the laws regarding fatal truck accidents in Oak Lawn. Schedule a consultation today.