Fatal Dallas 18-Wheeler Accidents

Lose a Loved one in a Fatal Truck Accident? Attorney Michael Grossman Can Help

Losing a family member in a fatal truck accident is a traumatic experience, and family members of victims of these accidents are often left with many unanswered questions: how did this accident happen? How do I file an insurance claim? Should I file a wrongful death lawsuit? Do I need to hire an experienced attorney to represent me?

At Grossman Law Offices, we are dedicated to helping truck accident victims and their families seek justice. We know how difficult this time can be for you and your family, and we want to help you however we can. If you are considering seeking justice through a wrongful death lawsuit, you should know that these cases are some of the most complex in the legal world. Do not make the mistake of assuming that a fatal truck accident case is just like a typical car accident. Litigating a truck accident lawsuit is much more complex than litigating a car accident case, and you will be facing much stronger opposition. Dallas fatal truck accident lawyer Michael Grossman from Grossman Law Offices is here to explain to you how these lawsuits work, answer any questions you might have, and, if necessary, fight aggressively to ensure that your family’s rights are protected.

Commercial Insurance Carriers

Unlike most drivers, commercial vehicle companies and their drivers are covered by commercial insurance policies provided by massive commercial carriers. These policies are worth approximately fifty times more than a policy covering a standard passenger vehicle. This means that, for these insurance carriers, there is a lot of money at stake, and insurance adjusters will be ruthless in building a case against your loved one. The senior insurance adjusters assigned to fatal truck accident cases typically have decades of experience denying valid claims similar to yours.

In recent years, the tactics used by trucking companies and their insurance adjusters have changed. Insurance adjusters used to play hardball from the beginning, refusing to accept liability and trying as hard as possible to leave you in the dark. Recently, however, they have started acting much more friendly and cooperative, asking you questions about your loved one and his or her accident, and just generally acting like they are on your side.

Do not fall for these tricks. In reality, the insurance adjuster is just trying to get you to say something incriminating or sign something that will void your claim. Insurance adjusters are very adept at asking questions in particular ways that illicit the answers they want. They may repeat your statements back to you with slight modifications, and if you agree to their assessment of what happened, you could easily damage your claim without even realizing it. The bottom line is that the insurance company is always working against you – and they are professionals. You need a team of professionals on your side to help you even the odds. The aggressive attorneys at Grossman Law Offices want to be that team and ensure that you do not fall victim to an insurance adjuster’s tricks.

Accident Recreation Specialists and Defense Lawyers

Within minutes of your family member’s fatal truck accident, a team of defense lawyers and accident recreation experts employed by the trucking company will be on the way to the scene of the accident. They will likely arrive long before you even know that an accident has occurred, and they will work night and day to one purpose: building a case against your loved one. They will scour the accident scene, trying to find any evidence they can use to prove that your family member was responsible for the accident. This evidence can be anything from physical evidence found at the scene, truck logs, witness reports, or even your own statements about the accident.

You need an experienced professional of your own to conduct an investigation of the scene. When our attorneys take a case, we quickly lock down an accident scene and the vehicles involved so that we can determine exactly what happened and who was at fault. We will make sure that there is no opportunity for the trucking company’s team to fabricate or destroy incriminating evidence, and we will leave no stone unturned in our investigation to ensure that those responsible for your loved one’s death are held accountable for their negligence.

Different Types of Compensation in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Our attorneys understand that losing a family member is devastating, and that no amount of money can truly compensate a family for such a loss. However, the truth is that this loss also puts a severe financial strain on a family. Our attorneys want to bring those responsible for your family member’s death to justice, but we also want to ensure that you and your family receive the compensation you need to get back on your feet and on with your lives.

In any comprehensive wrongful death lawsuit, you are really seeking compensation for two different types of damages: wrongful death damages and survival damages. Wrongful death damages provide compensation to a plaintiff for the damages actually suffered by the plaintiff due to their loved one’s death. Only parents, children, or spouses of the victim are eligible to seek wrongful death damages. These damages include:

• Any medical bills that the plaintiff paid prior to the family member’s death
• Any funeral expenses
• Loss of economic support that was previously provided by the victim
• Mental and emotional distress and the loss of companionship caused by a family member’s death

Survival damages, on the other hand, essentially allow a plaintiff to stand in for the victim in a legal sense. Survival damages compensate a plaintiff for the damages for which a victim could have sued if that victim had survived the truck accident. In most cases, the plaintiff seeking survival damages is the same as the plaintiff seeking wrongful death damages. However, siblings can also sue for survival damages if the victim does not have a living parent, child, or spouse, or if that party chooses not to sue. Survival damages include:

• Compensation for the victim’s medical expenses
• Wages lost by the victim due to time spent in the hospital
• Lost income potential due to disability caused by the accident
• Physical pain and suffering caused by the victim’s injuries
• Mental and emotional turmoil caused by the accident

As you can imagine, the full extent of these damages is often a very large sum of money. Survival damages and wrongful death damages must be sought in separate legal claims involving unique tactics. Furthermore, there are often liable third parties in a fatal truck accident case. If the accident was partially caused by a defective vehicle, the vehicle’s manufacturer may be liable. If the truck driver was intoxicated, the bar where he or she was served alcohol can be held liable. The organization responsible for loading and securing the truck’s trailer could be responsible if cargo came loose during the accident. Only an experienced attorney can reliably identify and pursue claims against these third parties. Put bluntly, a non-attorney has no chance of success when filing a lawsuit this complex and against such strong opposition.

The Attorneys at Grossman Law Offices Are Here For You

Do not make the mistake of trying to represent yourself in court. Some victims of truck accidents or their family members make the mistake of assuming that, if they threaten to sue, an insurance company will be frightened into offering them a fair settlement. However, trucking companies and commercial insurance carriers employ experienced defense lawyers who have spent years shutting down cases just like yours. You may have a very strong case, but this does not count for anything if you do not know how to submit a proper demand packet, respond to a list of admissions, or prove up damages. Countless victims have walked away with nothing after their case was dismissed because they simply had no knowledge of the litigation process. The court holds non-attorneys to the same standards as attorneys, and if you do not properly handle every aspect of your case, you will walk away empty-handed. Do not let this happen to you.

The experienced attorneys at Grossman Law Offices have been helping family members file wrongful death suits in fatal truck accident cases for twenty years, and we can frighten insurance companies by threatening a lawsuit. We have investigated, litigated, and successfully resolved hundreds of high-profile truck accident cases, and we have a proven track record. Trucking companies and their insurance providers know how successful we have been, and they often cooperate fully with our settlement demands because they truly are scared of facing us in court. We conduct thorough investigations of every case we take, so as to identify every potential defendant and build comprehensive claims against all of them. No matter what you need, our attorneys are here for you. We want to make sure that you receive the compensation you need to get back on your feet. So if you have lost someone you love in a truck accident, contact Dallas fatal truck accident attorney Michael Grossman from Grossman Law Offices today. Let our firm help you bring those responsible for your family member’s death to justice.