Mooresville Truck Accident Lawyer

Mooresville Truck Accident Attorney

North Carolina’s economy depends on commercial trucks, and these large vehicles are a staple of the entire country’s supply chain. Commercial trucks are responsible for carrying billions of tons of cargo throughout the country each year, and most drivers in the Mooresville area encounter these large vehicles on local roads regularly without issue. However, truck accidents do happen in Mooresville, often with devastating effects. If you or a family member recently suffered injuries in a truck accident, you need an experienced Mooresville truck accident attorney to guide you through the legal proceedings ahead of you.

Helping Truck Accident Victims Recover in Mooresville, NC

The Law Office of William T. Corbett, Jr., P.L.L.C., has years of experience handling a wide range of complex vehicle accident cases, including those pertaining to commercial trucks. While many of these accidents happen for the same reasons that standard passenger vehicle accidents occur, the reality is that these cases are often more complex due to the severity of the damages they cause and the complex issues of liability that often arise in victims’ recovery efforts. Despite how straightforward your case may appear to be, the reality is that you could face a wide range of unexpected legal challenges as you seek compensation for your damages.

Proving Liability for a Truck Accident in Mooresville, NC

The first step in recovering from any vehicle accident is proving fault for the accident. You must identify the driver responsible for your accident and then prove the full extent of the damages they caused if you want to succeed with your case. A few of the most commonly reported causes of truck accidents in the Mooresville area include:

• Distracted driving. Whenever any driver becomes distracted while operating their vehicle, they put themselves and all others around them at risk. Cell phone use is the most commonly cited form of distracted driving throughout the United States, and your Mooresville truck accident attorney can be invaluable for helping you gather the evidence needed to prove an at-fault driver was not paying attention when they caused your recent accident.
• It is dangerous for any driver to exceed the speed limit, but this is especially true for truck drivers. Their large vehicles require much more time and distance to slow down or stop to avoid collisions. Speeding is not only a leading cause of all vehicle accidents in the state each year but also a top reported cause of fatal accidents.
• Driving while intoxicated (DWI). It is against the law for any driver to operate a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If a truck driver caused your recent accident in this manner, they would face criminal prosecution and loss of their commercial driver’s license, along with civil liability for your damages.
• Trucking company negligence. It’s possible for a truck driver’s employer to share fault for the actions of their employee. For example, if a trucking company never performed an appropriate background check on a driver who then caused an accident, the employer would likely face vicarious liability for the driver’s actions. Your Mooresville truck accident attorney can advise you as to how vicarious liability might influence your recovery efforts.

Once you have successfully asserted fault for your accident, you can proceed with claiming compensation for your losses through an auto insurance claim followed by a personal injury suit. However, if you bear any partial liability for the accident, it will prevent you from claiming compensation from the defendant. North Carolina enforces the contributory negligence rule, so any measure of plaintiff fault bars them from securing compensation for a personal injury. If you have any concerns about bearing partial fault for your recent truck accident, you must speak with a Mooresville truck accident attorney as soon as possible.

Filing Your Auto Insurance Claim for a Truck Accident in Mooresville, NC

The state’s fault rule for vehicle accidents means that every driver is required to carry liability insurance that comes into play if they cause an accident and harm another driver. Once you have proven fault for a truck accident, you can proceed with filing your auto insurance claim against the truck driver or their employer. Most trucking companies maintain greater insurance coverage than the average driver but do not take this as meaning you can fully recover your damages with insurance alone or that the insurance company will handle your claim in good faith.

Most insurance companies train their representatives to look for reasons to deny claims or offer the lowest possible settlements. Your Mooresville truck accident attorney can be a valuable asset for the claim filing process, and once an insurance company notices that you have legal counsel, they will be less likely to attempt any unethical handling of your claim. Your attorney can help gather whatever documents you need to submit to the insurance company and address any issues they raise against your claim. Once you receive a settlement offer, your attorney can review it to ensure it is reasonable under the terms of the policy.

Recovering Compensation With a Personal Injury Claim

When auto insurance cannot fully compensate your damages, or if the defendant does not have appropriate insurance coverage, you have the right to proceed with a personal injury claim against the defendant, seeking compensation for all outstanding losses. North Carolina’s personal injury laws allow a plaintiff to claim full repayment of their economic damages. These are likely to include:

• Property damage. The defendant’s insurance may have covered some vehicle repair costs, but any property losses not covered by their insurance can be claimed as economic damages in your personal injury suit.
• Medical expenses. The risk of severe injury is very high in a truck accident, and the defendant who caused your accident is liable for any medical expenses you incur in the aftermath. This includes future medical treatment costs if you suffered any severe injuries that will require ongoing therapy and rehabilitative care beyond initial treatment. Your Mooresville truck accident attorney can help ensure that you receive appropriate compensation for all medical treatment costs you incur from your accident.
• Lost wages. When a plaintiff is unable to work due to their personal injury, the defendant is liable for the income they are unable to earn during recovery. Your attorney can also help secure compensation for the value of any vacation time you were forced to use after your accident.
• Lost earning capacity. Unfortunately, many truck accident victims are left permanently disabled by their injuries and cannot return to work in the future. If this applies to your situation, the defendant is liable for the future wages you are unable to earn. Your Mooresville truck accident attorney can help calculate how much income you would have reasonably expected to earn in the future based on your prior earnings and the number of years you would have likely been able to continue working.

The average person is usually able to calculate immediate economic damages like vehicle repair costs and hospital bills, but accurately calculating long-term damages is more difficult. When you choose the right attorney to handle your case, you might discover that you have grounds to seek much more than you initially anticipated. However, beyond your economic damages, you also have the right to claim pain and suffering compensation from the defendant who caused the accident.

There are no caps or limits on pain and suffering compensation for plaintiffs in truck accident claims under North Carolina law. This means you have the right to claim as much as you believe appropriately reflects the severity of the harm you suffered. Your attorney can provide valuable guidance on this aspect of your case. They may seek pain and suffering compensation to reflect your recovery time if you are expected to make a full recovery. Alternatively, they may seek a large lump sum if you suffered catastrophic injuries with permanent effects.

Finalizing Your Personal Injury Claim for a Truck Accident in Mooresville, NC

The majority of the personal injury cases filed each year do not end in the courtroom. Most parties involved in these cases strive to avoid litigation whenever possible to save time and money. As long as the plaintiff and the defendant are willing to negotiate, the case can be resolved through private settlement. However, if the defendant denies liability or refuses to settle the case, the case must go to trial, and litigation will decide the final outcome.

When you choose The Law Office of William T. Corbett, Jr., P.L.L.C., to represent you in a truck accident case, we will do everything we can to help maximize your settlement in the shortest possible amount of time. However, Attorney Corbett is a seasoned litigator, so our team is fully prepared to represent you in court if necessary to resolve your case.

Contact A Mooresville Truck Accident Lawyer Today

You have a limited time in which to pursue your recovery after another party has caused a damaging truck accident, and the sooner you reach out to an attorney you can trust, the more likely you are to maximize the compensation you obtain from the defendant. The Law Office of William T. Corbett, Jr., P.L.L.C., is ready to help explore your options for legal recourse in the aftermath of your recent truck accident, so contact us today and schedule your free consultation with a Mooresville truck accident attorney you can trust.