If you have sustained injuries from being rear-ended by a semi-truck in Colorado, contact Roberts Accident Law today 720-515-7058
Large trucks—called big rigs, tractor-trailers, commercial trucks, semi-rucks, or 18 wheelers—can cause devastating injuries to other motorists on the road.
After being rear-ended by a commerical truck, you probably have sky-high medical bills and might even be unable to return to work.
Fortunately, you can receive compensation for your injuries, but you should meet with a Denver semi-truck accident lawyer to carefully analyze your situation.
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To receive a Colorado rear-end truck accident settlement, you need to be able to show that someone was to blame for running into you. Typically, injured motorists blame one of three parties: the driver, the trucking company, or the truck manufacturer. What they need to prove will depend on who they are assigning fault.
Colorado truck drivers cause a large percentage of accidents. Generally, you will allege that the driver was negligent, meaning he did not operate the truck with sufficient care. There are many ways truck drivers can be negligent:
Sometimes, you might also be able to hold the trucking company responsible for the collision, especially if the company was careless in how they hired or trained their truck drivers. For example, trucking companies should perform background checks on applicants before hiring them. These background checks might reveal prior performance problems or criminal history that makes the applicant a poor candidate for operating a piece of heavy machinery like a tractor-trailer.
Often, injured motorists can sue both the truck driver and the trucking company, which can make it easier to obtain a full and fair financial settlement.
Finally, some accidents might be the fault of the truck manufacturer. For example, if the brakes fail, they might have been defective. Drivers can also lose control of their trucks if there is a problem with steering or with the windshield wipers. If a defect caused the crash, you can hold the truck manufacturer legally liable for the accident.
Did you do something that contributed to the semi-truck rear-ending you? For example, you might have cut in front of the truck or slammed on your brakes without warning. If so, you could be partially at fault for the accident.
Colorado law bars injured victims from receiving compensation if they were more at fault for the accident than the truck driver. For example, you might have been 51% responsible for the fender bender. If so, you would not be able to win a lawsuit and, therefore, should not expect to be able to get a settlement.
However, if you are 50% responsible or less for the commercial truck accident, you could still receive compensation, but the amount you receive will be reduced by your percentage of fault. If your injuries are worth $40,000, and you were 50% responsible for the accident, you can expect a settlement offer of about $20,000. If you were 20% responsible, then you would receive $32,000. Be sure to talk with your Denver truck accident lawyer about whether your own negligence or recklessness contributed to the accident in any way.
You do not have an unlimited amount of time to pursue a settlement. Remember, the only incentive a driver or trucking company has to settle is the threat that you will file a lawsuit. However, Colorado law gives injured motorists only three years to file a lawsuit. The clock starts running from the date of the accident.
If you delay, then a judge can toss your case out of court. This means you cannot hold the defendant legally liable for your injuries, regardless of how at fault they were.
Denver truck accidents can cause devastating injuries to the spinal cord, brain injuries, and internal organs. Injured motorists need compensation to begin pulling their lives back together. At Roberts Accident Law, we understand Colorado rear-end truck accidents. We have helped many clients obtain the compensation they deserve. To schedule your free, no-obligation case evaluation, please contact us today.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was really awesome and blessful to find Steve after months of my accident when I felt hopeless with zero knowledge how to deal with the insurance. A friend gave me his number and since the first moment I knew he is my way out, he answers his phone his self and treat you like a relative or a friend. Then all I had to do is just to go on with my life and I couldn’t believe it when he called me in a couple of weeks with the best settlement. Thank you Steve. Strongly recommend to call him if you needed someone on your side definitely he will make your life easier. – Ashraf Y.
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