Normally, people do not think about the risk of an accident with a garbage truck until they encounter one.
Garbage truck accidents can involve a mess of litigation processes. A Joliet garbage truck accident lawyer with Pintas & Mullins Law Firm may lead you through an insurance claim or lawsuit so you can focus on your recovery and your family. Begin working on your potential case when you call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for a free consultation. Call us at (800) 794-0444.
Liability in an Accident With a Garbage Truck
Garbage trucks compact thousands of pounds of trash from Joliet neighborhoods daily. These large trucks can cause severe injuries for other motorists on the road, especially since their size sometimes prevents the truck driver’s visibility. The industry using these trucks comes with regulations and safety measures, but accidents still happen. If a truck driver failed to follow this duty of care, they or the company that employs them may bear liability for covering some of your losses from the accident.
Before you can make a claim or file a lawsuit, you must possess evidence that demonstrates the truck driver operated negligently or even recklessly, causing the accident. A lawyer may help you prove liability by looking into the driver’s history and driving record, for example.
In Illinois, garbage trucks are considered commercial vehicles, which requires possession of a Commercial Driver’s License and other special on-the-job training. Just like with any other motorist, the company employing the garbage truck driver must also purchase specialized personal injury insurance in the event of an accident. Your compensation may come from the insurance policy covering the garbage truck or even a personal injury lawsuit. Begin working on your potential claim when you contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm.
A Garbage Truck Accident May Qualify You To Take Legal Action
After an accident with a garbage truck, you have a few different options for holding the responsible party accountable for the losses you experienced as a result of the collision. Recovering compensation from the accidents means establishing the negligence of the at-fault driver. Every driver has an obligation to protect the safety of others on the road by following traffic and safety laws. Settling your case before a legal professional review it may result in a lower settlement than you deserve.
To recover damages, you may want to file a personal injury or property damage claim. If you had any fault in the accident, the maximum damages you may recover will depend on your percentage of fault. This should not prevent you from filing a claim, however. Consider the following claim types.
Property Damage
If anything you owned suffered damage in the accident, you may have up to five years to file a property damage case, according to Illinois’s (735 ILCS 5/) Code of Civil Procedure.
Property damage cases seek compensation from the responsible party’s insurance policy. Compensation for property damage may equal what a personal injury lawsuit may allow you to receive since personal injury may account for years of ongoing medical treatments and therapies. Still, if you suffered property damage, this provides another form of a claim for you to seek compensation when trying to recover after an accident.
Personal Injury
If you sustain serious injuries in an accident, you may have between one and two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. Personal injury cases may also apply for the survivors of anyone killed from an accident with a garbage truck, especially if that person classifies as a child or spouse who remained dependent on that person’s income.
Personal injury claims may help seek compensation from insurance policies, like the garbage truck company’s commercial vehicle insurance. Businesses generally purchase personal injury protection for these exact cases. Even if you first file with your own insurance company, you may also have the ability to seek reimbursement from the at-fault party’s insurance.
Additionally, you may seek compensation for any sudden medical bills incurred as a result of the accident. Personal injury settlements may cover prescription medication you need after the accident, costs from emergency treatment including ambulance rides, and continued follow-up doctor’s visits. Additionally, you may qualify to file for lost income and a loss of your ability to earn compensation as a result of your injuries from the accident.
In any case, call our Joliet garbage truck Accident lawyers to discuss your case, so we can assess your legal needs and potentially get started on your case.
For a free legal consultation with a Garbage Truck Accidents Lawyer serving Joliet, call (800) 794-0444
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm May Fight for You After an Accident
If you want to work with a legal team that will fight for your well-deserved settlement, the lawyers at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm want to see what they may do for your case. If we cannot reach a settlement amount, we may fight for your rights in court.
Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to see how a Joliet garbage truck accident lawyer may help you recover the compensation you deserve. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you will not pay until you get a settlement or court-awarded recovery. Call us at (800) 794-0444.
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