Top-Rated Alaska Truck Accident Lawyers

Accidents involving big rigs such as semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles tend to result in serious injuries, like paralysis or traumatic brain injuries. Yet these are not the only injuries which can be cited on a truck accident claim.

In Alaska, you can pursue the negligent party in an auto accident for any injuries or property damage they may have caused. Whether you suffered a broken bone, lost a limb, or suffered the loss of a family member, you can file a claim for compensation if the accident was caused due to negligence.

Because catastrophic injuries have such a vast impact on accident victims, they may garner larger settlements than more minor injuries. However, it is up to the court to decide on a settlement amount, or the insurance companies, if your claim is settled out of court. Don’t discount your injuries before speaking to a lawyer first.

Many large truck accidents occur due to driver error or another form of negligence. When a truck driver is negligent, it means they owed you a ‘duty of care’ which they breached in some way. This breach could occur if they failed to check their mirrors before changing lanes, if they were distracted while driving, if they were speeding, or for many other reasons.

Truckers may not always be responsible for causing truck crashes, however. The semi-truck could have malfunctioned due to lack of maintenance, which may be the trucking company’s responsibility. Or, the accident may have occurred due to faulty road conditions, which would be considered the fault of whatever entity is responsible for managing road repair.

Finally, tractor-trailer accidents may also occur due to unforeseen circumstances, such as unexpected weather conditions. Slippery roads, wet roads, fog, and more may lead to jackknifing of the semi or improper braking.

An Alaska truck accident lawyer can help you determine who was at fault in your accident. In general, at-fault parties must pay for any damages caused by the accident, such as medical care costs and vehicle damage. This is why determining the at-fault party is such an important task.

However, you may be considered partly at fault for the truck accident as well, depending on what you were doing at the time of the crash. For example, if you were texting while driving, this could also be considered negligence, and any settlement offer may be reduced based on your level of fault.

If you were obeying all traffic laws at the time of the accident, you may have no fault. An attorney will work hard to ensure you are not assigned any more fault than is rightfully yours to help you seek maximum compensation for your injuries.

An experienced personal injury lawyer will know the state laws that apply to your case. One of these laws is the principle of negligence. Alaska operates on a comparative negligence law. This means parties with partial fault in motor vehicle accidents can still file a claim for damages, but will have their damages reduced. To prove negligence, your lawyer will have to prove three components:

Along with the laws that apply to negligence and fault, you must also pay attention to Alaska’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims. This statute refers to the amount of time you have to file a claim — two years from the date of the truck crash.

This time limit refers to the amount of time you have to file the claim, not the time in which your claim must be resolved. This is often an ample time period, but insurance companies will try to run out the statute with attempts to discredit your claim. For this reason, it helps to work with a reputable truck accident attorney.

Personal injury claims are claims which you file to seek compensation that is due to you. You file a claim with your insurance company, for example, when you get into a fender bender or other minor accident. Similarly, when you get into a truck accident caused by someone else, you file a personal injury claim with their insurance company.

In contrast, you file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party after a truck accident. You could file both a truck accident injury claim and a truck accident lawsuit, filing a claim for the insurance compensation and a lawsuit for damages not covered or denied by the insurance company.

You may also file a lawsuit against a negligent party for damages that you can’t cite on an insurance claim, such as emotional anguish or pain and suffering. Your truck accident attorney can help you determine which legal path is right for you.

You may be able to file for any damages caused in the truck accident. There are two common categories of damages in personal injury cases: economic and non-economic. Economic damages are those that are easy to place value on, such as your medical bills, recovery costs, and property damage to your vehicle.

Non-economic damages, on the other hand, refer to those which are harder to quantify, such as pain and anguish or suffering over the loss of a loved one. The court may use a number of factors to help determine an appropriate amount for non-economic damages.

In rare instances, truck accident cases may be awarded punitive damages. These are intended to punish the at-fault party in an attempt to deter them from making the same mistake again. However, the court must award these damages — you cannot claim them.