18-wheeler trucks are commercial trucks. If you see one on the highway close to Houston, or anywhere else in the US, for that matter, it could have nearly anything in it. Commercial 18-wheeler trucks carry furniture, food items, clothing, and much more from coast to coast.
In the Houston area, commercial truck accidents sometimes occur. One of these trucks might hit your vehicle while you’re out driving around. If that happens, you’ll probably get the worst end of it since your car is likely nowhere near as large as these behemoths.
If one of these trucks hits your vehicle, and you feel confident it was the truck driver’s fault, you’ll need to contact a skilled, experienced attorney who can help you. We’ll run through some of the questions that you should ask that lawyer right now.
How Do I Pay You?
When you contact a Houston 18-wheeler accident lawyer, you should first ask them how you’ll pay them and what fee structure they use. For the most part, you’ll want to hire a lawyer who you pay on a contingency basis. That means you don’t have to pay them any money upfront to hire them, and you won’t owe them a penny unless they win your case.
You should also make sure you understand how much you’ll owe them out of your winnings if they do get any money for you. Some of them charge as much as 40%. That may seem like a high fee, but remember that you’re getting this lawyer’s expertise, and you’ll likely need all of it to win in court.
Do I Have a Case?
When you approach a Houston vehicle accident lawyer, they will first want you to explain precisely what happened to you. They will ask for a detailed verbal report that includes when and where the commercial truck struck your vehicle. If the commercial truck hit you when you were walking, jogging, or cycling, they’ll want to know about that instead.
They might ask questions about the weather that day, whether you’d consumed any alcohol or taken any medications before this incident, whether you broke any traffic laws, and so forth. In short, they’ll want to figure out whether you can really sue the truck driver and hold them responsible.
Don’t lie to the lawyer or omit any relevant details. If you do, and they take you on as a client, your lie or omission will probably backfire. Remember that the truck driver will doubtless get their own lawyer, and perhaps they can produce evidence that refutes your story.
Have You Had Experience with These Cases Before?
You can sometimes find lawyers in Houston who do exclusively car accident cases. Car accidents happen constantly, so some law firms focus on them. However, commercial truck accident cases differ from cases where one car hits another.
With commercial truck accident cases, you and your lawyer must determine whether they can sue the truck driver, their company, or both. Your attorney may also have to figure out whether they can sue anyone else involved. Maybe another driver swerved, which caused you to hit the commercial truck. If so, you might have to sue that driver for damages instead.
You’ll want to hire a lawyer who doesn’t just do car accident cases but who also does commercial truck accidents attorneys specifically. They must know all the relevant laws if they’re going to get any money for you.
What Steps Will You Take to Get Me the Best Chance to Win?
If you describe the accident, and a lawyer says you have a good chance to sue the truck driver or their company and get some money out of it, you should next ask them what steps they’ll take to give you the best possible opportunity to walk away cash. The attorney might say they’ll bring a lawsuit against the truck driver and hope they’ll settle out of court if you produce irrefutable evidence that the truck driver caused the crash.
For instance, you might have dash cam footage that shows the truck hitting you. Maybe the lawyer can hire an investigator to produce traffic camera footage that proves the truck driver’s guilt instead.
If not, your lawyer should have the skills to argue your case in court. They should know what to say and how to say it to convince a jury.
If the lawyer you approach answers all these questions satisfactorily, you should feel comfortable hiring them.
