How to Choose an Indiana Truck Accident Lawyer

Trucking is central to life in Indiana, but it comes with a major downside in the form of truck accidents, which led to 999 injuries and 118 deaths across the state in 2022 alone. While working with a skilled attorney may increase your chances of being fairly compensated after a truck accident, how do you […]

July 9, 2024

What a Truck Accident Attorney Can Do for You

Before getting into the criteria for Indiana truck accident lawyers, we should discuss what a truck accident attorney can do for you. Large trucks and semi-trailers are primarily involved in commercial transportation, so they are required to carry massive insurance policies. Such high coverage could allow for greater compensation in the event of a truck accident, but it could also put added pressure on an insurance company to limit its financial exposure. Indeed, an insurance adjuster may attempt to exploit your inexperience to settle your claim for less or simply deny it altogether.

In contrast, a seasoned truck accident lawyer will be better equipped to respond to the tactics that insurance companies use to minimize claims. This is one of the key reasons why personal injury plaintiffs with attorneys receive 3.5 times more than personal injury plaintiffs without them.

And though your case may settle during negotiations, a trial might be necessary, which could make a capable truck accident lawyer even more indispensable. Plaintiffs who represent themselves in court only win about four percent of their cases, whereas plaintiffs with attorneys win more often than not, which could permit them to acquire the resources to become whole again.

How to Find Truck Accident Lawyers

If you are now convinced about the importance of hiring an Indiana truck accident attorney, how do you go about doing so?

You should start off by finding potential truck accident lawyers for your case. For example, you can talk to friends, family members, coworkers, or other people you respect who have partnered with Indiana truck accident attorneys in the past. Were their impressions positive or negative? Were they satisfied with the outcomes of their cases? How truck accident lawyers act behind closed doors may be quite different from how they promote themselves, and someone with direct dealings with them could provide crucial insight.

If you do not know of anyone who has retained a truck accident attorney before, you will probably need to look on the internet for lawyers who handle truck accidents that are similar to yours. Even if you are doing your own research, you can still gain an insider’s perspective into legal practitioners through the online testimonials and Google reviews that have been posted by their former clients. Anything that can give you a stronger sense of how a given truck accident lawyer operates could help you determine if he or she should be considered.

Talk to the Candidates Before You Decide

Once you have assembled a list of candidates you feel could represent you, talk to them before you decide on an Indiana truck accident attorney. Ask questions about their previous cases, the settlements that they have obtained, and their records in the courtroom. Have they ever gone to trial? If so, did they win or lose? And what are their plans for your case?

Ultimately, you want to gauge the proficiency and honesty of each truck accident attorney. A lawyer who is not prepared to provide answers to basic questions may not be prepared to put in the effort to get you top results. At the same time, an attorney who makes too many promises early on – such as promising a specific dollar amount for your case – may be more concerned about saying what you want to hear instead of having the courage to speak uncomfortable truths.

Finally, most truck accident lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means that you should not have to pay anything until your case is resolved, at which point the attorney may seek reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses and a fee for services rendered, usually as a percentage of your verdict or settlement. With this in mind, you should be wary about any lawyer who demands money upfront, since such a stark deviation from standard practice may cast doubt on the attorney’s motivations and belief in your case.

Fighting for Wrongfully Injured Hoosiers

If you have been hurt in a truck accident, get in touch with the Indiana truck accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group, who have been fighting for wrongfully injured Hoosiers for more than 25 years.

You can arrange a free consultation with an accomplished Indiana truck accident attorney by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form today.