If you were involved in a truck accident in New York, you need to seek competent counsel. People often ask me, “What should I look for in an attorney?” The one thing you want to know is that attorney has experience in personal injury litigation; that’s very important. An attorney that does divorce work is not going to be of use to you. An attorney who does estate work is not going to be of use to you. You want an attorney whose focus of their practice is personal injury litigation. That’s not all; you want to feel comfortable with that attorney. You want to sit down with that attorney, and talk with that attorney, and ask questions. I believe that there’s a marriage between the attorney and the client because the attorney and the client together are going to be moving through the process to ultimately get your recovery. You want to know that you feel comfortable with that individual. It’s very important.
The third thing is that you need to look at the firm itself. Is it a big firm? Is it a small firm? With some firms, you really don’t have the opportunity to speak with the attorney. You’re assigned a paralegal. That may be okay to some, but I think it’s important that the attorney that you choose is someone that you can have access to, that you can call and ask questions of; not just deal with the paralegal or the legal assistant.
Steps After A Truck Accident
Clients who come to my office who are involved in a truck accident will ask me, “What are the steps that we need to take? The first step is that you want to make sure that you get the medical bills paid. If there are lost wages, you want to make sure that you collect your lost wages. That requires notifying the insurance carrier. If you were operating the vehicle at the time or a passenger in the vehicle at time, it would be the insurance carrier that covers that vehicle. That’s one step we need to take. Another step we need to take is to notify the insurance carrier for the trucking company. We may be able to find that information on the police report. If not, we’ll deal directly with the trucking company and get that information from them. Those are the initial steps.
What you need to do is get yourself healthy. That requires that you seek the medical attention that you need. If the doctors are advising you to do a, b, c, and d, then you should do a, b, c, and d. Those are the initial steps.
Truck Accidents and Insurance Companies
Chances are if you’re here, you were involved in a truck accident. I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’re getting the medical attention that you need. Clients often ask me if it’s okay to speak with the trucking company or to the trucking company’s insurance carrier. The answer is no. What you want to do is speak with your attorney and let your attorney guide you through the process. The attorney will contact the insurance carrier. If necessary, the attorney will deal directly with the trucking company. It’s not advisable for the client to speak with them. That’s what you have the attorney for. The attorney will set it up and set up any statements that are necessary. Let the attorney protect your rights and let them handle that function.
Contact the Law Offices of Brian J. Elbaum today for a free case evaluation.
