While commercial truck accidents are at a historical low, there are still over 3,000 accidents involving a semi-truck each and every year. Accidents involving commercial trucks can vary in length; as several factors come into play once a case enters the legal arena. The devil is truly in the details, among the issues involved are the manner in which the crash occurred and the nature (as well as the severity) of the injuries involved.

As a crash victim, it’s completely normal to want your case to be over as quickly as possible with a full settlement. However, insurance claim adjustors often don’t have your own best interest at heart and can rush things to settlement before you’ve been able to fully assess the impact the crash has had on your life. In a truck accident where you’ve been injured, medical bills can pile up quickly. There’s a lot happening at once and it’s good to have someone working on your side; it’s best to wait until your truck accident attorney has had an opportunity to gather all the facts to construct a winning case.

In the meantime, as you wait for your case to work its way through the Denver court system there are factors that play into the length of your case:

These Factors Determine the Length Of Your Truck Accident Case

Semi-truck accident cases are much more complex than the average car accident case. The industry is heavily regulated, commercial trucks cause much more damage, and investigations take much longer to conclude.

Rest assured, the insurance companies serving the semi-truck involved in the crash will need to know exactly what happened. Here’s a list of other factors:

• The investigation will almost certainly focus on the driver’s safety and certification records, their history of moving violations, and any Department of Transportation infractions. This portion can be extremely lengthy and slow-moving.
• Semi-truck accidents may involve investigations by both federal and state regulatory agencies. The analysis and conclusions from these agencies may be helpful to a victim winning their case. These agencies are deliberate and thorough when investigating accidents and reports may take up to a year to be released. It could be worth the wait, however, because these reports are rich with information about the accident and can help your truck accident lawyer build a case that helps you immensely.
• Your attorney must have the opportunity to gather information from the investigators involved on all reports regarding the accident. The truck accident attorney might need to hire a crash reconstruction analysis expert to help them fully understand and evaluate the technical analysis included in these reports.
• Your trucking accident lawyer will conduct their own investigation into the accident to try and learn as much as possible about the driver of the truck, the trucking company, the cargo, how it was loaded and by whom, and at what facility.
• Your lawyer must gather all of your medical bills, medical reports, evidence from your doctors about the extent and duration of your injuries, lost wages, evidence of lost economic opportunity, pain and suffering and property loss.
• Your truck accident attorney will spend some one-on-one time with you to learn about your life before and after the accident. They will need to know how this loss has affected you and how your life has changed since the crash occurred.

Due to the sheer size and weight of these semi-trucks, what could have been a minor fender bender in a typical accident can be life-changing or even deadly when a commercial truck is involved. With their sheer size taken into account, it’s no wonder why about 85% of fatalities in these accidents are drivers or passengers of smaller vehicles.

Often, the driver of the commercial truck suffers only minor injuries. If you are suffering from injuries in a Colorado trucking accident, a Denver truck accident lawyer at our firm may be able to help. Don’t wait, contact our office today for a free consultation to see how we can help.