First-party and third-party claims

Information you need to file your claim

What happens after the investigation

Do not leave the scene

Not seeking medical treatment

Never admit fault for the accident

Not securing help through the process

Staying safe around truck drivers

What to do after a truck accident

• The value of your claim: You won’t know what settlement amount is appropriate until you’ve calculated all your damages. Therefore, take a holistic look at the harm caused by your accident injuries. While you’ll want to tally your lost wages and medical expenses, you can’t overlook your anticipated medical and rehabilitation costs, and you need clear articulation of your pain and suffering, mental anguish and lost enjoyment of life. All these losses are compensable.
• The strength of your evidence: The strength of your case will play a key role in settlement negotiations. If your case is overwhelmingly strong, then you might be able to successfully push for more compensation. If there are weaknesses in your claim, though, such as if you made a mistake that could give way to a comparative fault argument, then you might need to be a little more careful with how aggressively you push for more compensation.
• Your willingness to persevere: A personal injury lawsuit can take a while to play out. In the meantime, you may have to turn to savings or family and friends for help covering your bills. But if you feel like you can’t stay afloat that long, or you simply don’t want to deal with the ongoing stress of a pending legal claim, then quicker settlement might be right for you. Carefully think through what you can handle and what you think is right for you.
• What you want out of your future: The goal of a personal injury case is to make yourself as whole as possible after being hurt in your wreck. If you want to shield your future as much as possible, then taking your case to trial may be the best way to get the most out of your case if the defense is playing hardball during settlement talks. But, if you’re articulate in your negotiation strategy, then you might still be able to preserve your future through negotiations. Just keep your end goal in mind and figure out which avenue best positions you to attain it.

Develop the personal injury legal strategy that best positions you for success

Avoid becoming a drunk driver yourself

How to drive defensively

Your rights and options as the victim of a drunk driver

What are some effective ways to cope with the realities of your car accident?

1. Ask for help: A lot of car accident victims feel like they’re a burden when they ask their family members and friends for help. But your loved ones want to help you when they can. And if you don’t turn to them, then you’ll be putting more on your plate, perhaps even more than you can handle. So, don’t feel like you’re weak simply because you ask for help, and consider seeking out other assistance, such as mental health treatment and support groups.
2. Set achievable goals: We know you want to get back to your normal life as quickly as possible, but if you push yourself too hard, then you might fall short of the aggressive goals that you’ve laid out for yourself, which could lead to anger, frustration and despair. These emotions can feed into what you’re already experiencing, which can make you feel worse and fuel any sense of hopelessness that you may be experiencing. So, set realistic and achievable goals for yourself so that you that you can gain momentum in your recovery and can secure a true sense of accomplishment.
3. Contextualize: As you’re reading this, you might feel like your life is going to be defined by your pain, anguish and limitations moving forward. But this isn’t the case. With hard work, you can and will get through this tough time in your life and find a sense of renewed purpose. You just have to remain positive and focus on the big picture of your recovery.
4. Take care of yourself: When you’re angry and depressed, it can be tempting to slip into behaviors that are contrary to our best interests. To ensure that your recovery is as strong as possible and that you’re staying as healthy as you can, be sure to get plenty of rest, eat right, exercise if you can and find activities that you enjoy so that you keep your mind engaged and focused on the things that you can still enjoy in life.

Recognize the value of a personal injury case

Michigan bicyclist and pedestrian crashes the worst since 2019

Navigating the aftermath of pedestrian and bicycle crashes

1. Distracted driving: Delivery drivers have a lot of stops to make on their delivery route. As such, they’re often looking for streets and addresses, and they might have to look known at their navigation device. This distraction takes their eyes off the road and increases the risk of them crossing a center line, blowing past a stop sign, or failing to brake for slowed or stopped traffic. Additionally, delivery drivers are susceptible to other forms of distraction, such as cell phone use.
2. Erratic driving behaviors: Delivery drivers are on tight timelines, and they want to finish their workday as quickly as possible. As such, they might speed, change lanes without signaling, and turn suddenly and erratically. Any of these driving behaviors can result in a serious accident.
3. Errant reversing: Maneuvering a delivery truck can be difficult, especially when it needs to be reversed. When a delivery truck driver backs up too quickly or fails to adequately check their surroundings, they can back into another vehicle or strike a pedestrian. Given the sheer size of these vehicles, the resulting damage can be catastrophic.
4. Poor cargo securement: It’s not uncommon to see delivery trucks driving down neighborhood streets with their doors open. This makes it easier for drivers to access packages from stop-to-stop, but it also increases the chances that packages will fall out of the truck, causing other vehicles to have to swerve to avoid colliding with them. This, in turn, can result in vehicles crashing into each other or pedestrians being struck by vehicles that are trying to avoid hitting fallen boxes.
5. Bad training: Delivery drivers should be adequately trained so that they can safely operate their trucks. But all too often these companies take shortcuts to ensure they can meet staffing needs. This potentially puts a dangerous and inexperienced driver out on the road where they may not know how to respond to changed traffic and weather conditions. This puts motorists like you in harm’s way.

Have you already been injured by a delivery truck driver?

• Keeping a safe following distance: Most rear-end accidents occur when the following vehicle hasn’t given themselves enough space to come to a complete stop when the vehicle in front of them slows or slams on the brakes. Therefore, you can significantly decrease your risk of a rear-end collision by keeping at least three seconds between yourself and the vehicle in front of you.
• Staying alert: Awareness is key to avoiding all car accidents. So, eliminate distractions by putting your cellphone away while driving, and be cognizant of the traffic and road conditions around you. The more distractions you can reduce, the better.
• Using your mirrors: By regularly checking your mirrors, you become more aware of your surroundings and any pending hazards. This could allow you to slow for any identified risk factors, thereby reducing the risk of being involved in an accident. If a driver tailgates you, then checking your mirrors will let you know that you should move over to let them pass.
• Using your signals: If you don’t signal your intentions, then your movements might take other drivers by surprise. You certainly don’t want to do that, as it increases your risk of crashing or being hit by another driver. So, be diligent about using your signal when turning or changing lanes so that you don’t create a rear-end collision.
• Following the speed limit: Many rear-end collisions are speed related. Drivers who fail to adhere to the speed limit can struggle to slow and stop for slow or stopped traffic in front of them. To reduce your risk, then, be sure to follow the speed limit and slow down to account for dangerous road conditions, hazards, and slowed traffic.
• Having escape routes: If you want to minimize your chances of being involved in an accident, then you need to be as defensive as possible. One way to effectively do this is to plan escape routes and modify them as your surroundings change. If you can do so, then you leave yourself an out when the vehicle in front of you suddenly slams on the brakes.

What should you do if you’ve been involved in an accident caused by someone else?

• Their motivations: Despite their marketing that gives the appearance that they’re in the business of helping people, the insurance company is really in the business of making money. The best way for them to do this is to collect premiums and pay out as little as possible in claims. Therefore, they’re going to look for any justifiable reason to diminish the value of your claim or deny it outright. Don’t be tricked by their friendly demeanor.
• They’ll try to find inconsistencies: To pay you as little as possible, the insurance company is going to look for inconsistencies in your statements. They might ask for a recorded statement so that they can lock you down on your account of the accident and your injuries, which they’ll then try to contradict and use against you later, perhaps to even show that you’re to blame for the accident. Avoid giving a recorded statement and stick to factual assertions if you have to answer any of the insurance company’s questions.
• They’ll minimize your injuries: Even if they appear to feel sorry for you at the outset, the insurance company will seek ways to minimize your claimed injuries. They might ask you to undergo additional evaluations, question your medical records, or even go so far as to surveil you to see if you’re acting in a way that doesn’t align with the severity of your claimed injuries. Make sure you have strong evidence that details the severity and extent of your accident injuries.
• They’ll lowball your settlement: The hope is that you can resolve your car accident case quickly while still recovering the compensation you need. But the insurance company will probably try to lowball you during settlement negotiations. Their attorneys will attempt to get you to doubt the strength of your claim, and they might indicate that they’ve only been authorized to pay so much for your case. Don’t give into their sly negotiation tactics.

Protect yourself when seeking compensation after a car accident