If you were injured in a truck accident in Burlington, Ontario, you could be entitled to compensation for your losses. If someone else’s negligence caused the truck accident, you have important legal rights in a personal injury claim. An experienced Burlington truck accident lawyer can help you seek financial recovery while you work toward your physical and mental recovery after a serious accident.
The dedicated truck accident lawyers at Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers are here to answer your questions and guide you forward after a devastating truck accident. Semi-trucks and commercial trucking vehicles can cause severe damage, leading to high medical bills, lost wages, and other unexpected costs of an accident. Contact our Burlington truck accident attorneys today at (289) 512-0829 to schedule your free consultation.
How Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers in Burlington, ON, Can Help You After a Truck Accident
After a truck accident in Burlington, you deserve fair payment for the unexpected costs that follow a crash. A Burlington truck accident lawyer will carefully analyze your claim and seek to maximize compensation for the damages involved.
Some of your Burlington personal injury attorney’s goals will include:
- Learning about your case through a one-on-one, free consultation
- Investigating the details of your case to see what happened and who is responsible
- Negotiating with the insurance company to discuss settlement options
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit whenever necessary
- Handling each step of your truck accident lawsuit, from the initial filing to a jury trial when needed
Every truck accident case is unique due to the facts involved; you can trust that our skilled legal team will carefully handle your truck accident claim. Contact Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers to learn more about your legal options after a serious truck accident in Ontario.
What is the Value of My Truck Accident Claim?
What is your truck accident claim worth? That depends on different factors, including:
- The damage caused by the accident
- Your injuries and required medical treatment
- Your medical bills and costs
- Long-term effects and disability caused by the crash
- Lost income due to the crash and your recovery
- Reduced future income due to long-term effects of your injuries
- The strength of the evidence in your claim
- Negligence of the other party or parties, compared to your own share of negligence in the accident
- Other facts and circumstances unique to your case.
There is no set value to go from in a truck accident claim. Some claims can be worth more than others, but the value is highly dependent on the facts. Your Burlington truck accident lawyer can get an idea of the approximate value of your claim only after reviewing the facts and evidence involved.
Who Is Liable for a Truck Accident in Burlington, ON?
A big part of succeeding in a truck accident case is determining who was at fault and how. To collect damages, you must identify who was responsible for the crash. In many standard car accidents, this is usually straightforward. However, what makes truck accidents different is that more than one party can be responsible. In some cases, even the truck drivers themselves are not liable for what happens in a truck crash.
In a truck accident case, liability could attach to any of the following or more:
- The truck driver behind the wheel
- Commercial trucking companies
- Companies that handle a truck’s cargo
- Maintenance companies
- Parts and equipment manufacturers, when a product is defective
- Government agencies involved with regulating commercial trucks.
As an example, if a trucking company negligently maintains its vehicles or pushes its drivers to ignore regulations, it can be responsible if the truck crashes. Alternatively, parts manufacturers can be found liable if a part they knew or should have known was defective ends up causing a truck accident.
Proving liability in a truck accident case can get complicated. Sometimes, what seems like a simple case of driver error can be caused entirely by something else in a truck accident case. When there is more to it than a truck driver’s negligence, you’ll need a skilled legal team to analyze the details and events leading up to the truck crash. Experienced truck accident lawyers will work to make sure the correct parties are held responsible for their roles in a truck accident.
What Damages Can I Recover in a Truck Accident Claim?
Damages in a truck accident claim typically include economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the costs of an accident that can be broken down in numbers. Economic damages after a truck accident lawsuit can include:
- Medical costs
- Lost pay
- Lowered ability to earn income in the future
- Damage to your vehicle, including the cost to repair or replace
- Funeral and burial costs in a wrongful death claim.
Your truck accident lawyer will seek to make sure your costs are covered and accurately addressed in your truck accident claim.
Non-economic damages are the “unseen” losses from an accident. They might include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of companionship
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Reduced quality of life
A truck accident can have devastating consequences for accident victims. The non-economic losses can take an even heavier toll than the financial costs of the crash. Our lawyers know what you are facing because we have been there before for clients in your situation. We will fight hard for the compensation you deserve.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Burlington Truck Accident Lawyer?
Personal injury lawyers typically represent clients on a contingent fee basis. This way, truck accident victims can have skilled legal help without the burden of paying attorney’s fees upfront. Since you could already be overwhelmed with medical costs and other unexpected expenses, the thought of paying legal fees can deter some people from seeking the legal advice they need.
In a contingent fee agreement, you would only pay attorney fees if your claim succeeds. If not, you have no obligation to pay attorney’s fees in your case. If your lawyer obtains a financial settlement or jury verdict on your behalf, their pay will be an agreed-upon percentage of the overall payout. Contact our office to learn more about how to hire a truck accident attorney without paying legal fees upfront.
How Do I Prove Negligence in a Truck Accident?
Truck accident claims are generally based on the legal theory of negligence. You will need to prove that the truck driver, trucking company or some other entity was responsible for the crash due to negligence.
Negligence involves four basic legal elements:
- Duty of care owed to you by the truck driver, their employer, or someone else
- Breach of duty through some action or failure to take action
- Causation between the other party’s breach and your injuries in the accident
- Damages, such as medical expenses, property damage, lost pay, and other costs
A Burlington truck accident lawyer will use evidence to prove your claim. Evidence in a truck accident case might include:
- Accident reports
- Police reports
- Photos
- Video footage, including video from the truck, when available
- Vehicle damage estimates
- Witness statements
- Data from a truck’s recording system
- Driver logs and maintenance records
- Details about an employer’s training and hiring procedures
- Alcohol and drug test results
- Forensic evidence
- Accident reconstruction expert reports.
Your goal in a truck accident claim is to prove that negligence by another party caused your injuries, and you should receive monetary damages as a result.
Can I File a Claim if I’m Partially at Fault for the Accident?
Ontario follows the rule of pure contributory negligence, which means that if you share a percentage of fault for an accident, you can still recover damages. However, your payment would be reduced according to your share of liability. For example, if you would have been entitled to $100,000, but you were 25% at fault, your payout would be reduced by 25% to $75,000.
Even if you think you shared some responsibility for the crash, you could be legally entitled to compensation regardless. Don’t let your role in the accident keep you from consulting with an experienced Burlington truck accident lawyer.
What Is the Deadline to File a Truck Accident Claim in Ontario?
Ontario sets a two-year statute of limitations for filing most personal injury claims, including a truck accident lawsuit. The two-year deadline generally starts from the date of the accident or the date your injuries were discovered (or should have been discovered). Two years seems like a long time, but it is advantageous to start building your case as soon as possible – while evidence is available and witness memories are fresh.
If you don’t file within the deadline, you could permanently lose your right to secure damages from the at-fault party. An experienced personal injury lawyer will make sure all available evidence is collected in your claim and that your truck accident case is filed within Ontario’s statute of limitations.
Contact a Burlington Truck Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation Today
Injured in a truck accident in Burlington, Ontario? You could be legally entitled to compensation for your injuries. Every truck accident case is unique, and the team at Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers will patiently work with you to make sure your rights are protected. Our dedicated Burlington truck accident lawyers will work for you to pursue the payment you deserve. Call our lawyers today at (289) 512-0829 to schedule your free consultation.