Top-Rated Nebraska Truck Accident Lawyer

Following any auto accident, the most important step to take is to seek medical care for any hurt parties. This is crucial even if you don’t feel harmed, since some injuries can be invisible, such as internal bleeding, while some may be masked by the adrenaline you feel from the accident.

Even if you truly believe you were unharmed, it’s important to have your visit documented in your medical records if you decide to pursue a personal injury claim later on. Once you’ve sought emergency medical care for everyone, you should report the incident to law enforcement authorities.

The police report can serve as important evidence to your case, particularly if you end up pursuing the truck driver or trucking company through a personal injury lawsuit. This is also true of your medical expense statements, statements from any witnesses, and photos of the accident.

When you have taken these initial crucial steps, you can consult Omaha truck accident lawyers or other personal injury lawyers for legal advice. They can explain your legal options and help you begin your claim or truck accident case, when you’re ready.

The causes of truck accidents may be affected by the type of accident, such as a jackknifing accident which occurs when the tractor-trailer folds in on its cab, or the collision of a large commercial truck with a passenger vehicle.

Regardless of the type of accident, it may occur for any number of reasons, often due to trucker negligence. Here are some of the more common causes of truck crashes in Nebraska:

• Truck driver error
• Driver fatigue
• Improper training of truckers
• Faulty brakes or other truck maintenance issues
• Improperly maintained roads
• Speeding or other forms of reckless driving
• Unfamiliarity with the roadways
• Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Following too closely

Most truck accident injuries are severe in nature, since large trucks are so much bigger than the passenger vehicles they tend to share the road with.

This all-too-often results in serious injuries that change the course of the accident victim’s life. Some of the more serious injuries that result from truck accidents include:

• Broken bones
• Cuts and burns
• Whiplash
• Head and neck injuries
• Back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries, such as paralysis
• Dismemberment (loss of limb)
• Disfigurement
• Fatalities (wrongful death)

You can start a truck accident claim by consulting an experienced truck accident lawyer, who will provide you with a consultation to review the details of your case. Once they have determined if your case makes you eligible to file a claim, they will begin gathering the evidence necessary to support your claim.

When all the documentation and evidence is ready, they will help you file your claim within the right area of the legal system and within the claim-filing deadline.

The statute of limitations in Nebraska is two years, according to the Nebraska Legislature. What does this mean? You have two years from the date of the trucking accident to file a claim for personal injury compensation.

If you appear to have no injuries, but injuries resulting from the accident show up later, you may qualify for an extended deadline. The only way to know for sure is to check with a truck accident lawyer.

Yes, Nebraska is an at-fault state for auto accidents. So, if you get into a collision with a semi-truck, you may be able to file a claim with the truck driver’s insurance company if the trucker is found at fault in the accident.

States with at-fault or fault policies for vehicle accidents must consider fault very carefully, and usually assign fault a percentage. That is, each party involved will be assigned a level of fault from 0 to 100%, based on many factors.

Was the truck driver texting and driving when the accident occurred? Were you wearing your seatbelt? Were you following the semi-truck too closely? Were you driving in the trucker’s blind spot? Had the truck driver been drinking (alcohol) and driving?

All of these factors and more may be considered to establish who was at fault — and thereby liable — for the accident and any resulting injuries or property damage.

You may still be able to file a truck accident claim if you were partly at fault for the accident due to Nebraska’s comparative negligence principle. This principle holds that each party likely has some fault in the accident and reduces the plaintiff’s settlement amount according to their percentage of fault.

In other words, if you are awarded a $150,000 settlement but are found to be 30% at fault for the truck accident, your settlement would be reduced by 30% or $45,000. Because of this principle, it is imperative to ensure you don’t assume any more fault than should rightfully be assigned to you.

Your lawyer can help with this by reviewing the details of your case, finding evidence to support your lack of fault, and demonstrating why the defendant is liable for your injuries.

Having a lawyer is not a requirement of filing a truck accident claim. However, working with a Nebraska truck accident lawyer may provide a number of benefits, from alleviating the stress of communications with insurance companies to ensuring you don’t miss any important deadlines.

You could do it alone, but when it comes to getting the compensation you need to get back on your feet after devastating injuries, it isn’t the best idea. Leave the legal tasks to the people who know how to manage them best, and consult with a personal injury attorney today.