When a truck accident is straightforward and fault isn’t disputed, a claim may be resolved within a few months. However, when an at-fault truck driver or an insurance provider doesn’t accept the blame, victims can wait for many months or even a year or longer to receive support.
Complicated and Dangerous California Truck Accidents
Big rigs and delivery vans rumble down California freeways and down neighborhood streets all day long. Their heavy loads can make the giant vehicles hard to control and keep in the lane, and bring to a stop if a green light suddenly turns red. Careless truck drivers who aren’t paying attention to the road also make trucks that much more dangerous.
Collisions are very common, and with the weight and massive structures involved, people in smaller cars and SUVs often suffer serious and life-threatening injuries. When these injuries leave behind massive hospital bills, insurance companies for truck drivers can get defensive and look for ways to avoid having to provide financial assistance to victims. Trucking companies who employ the at-fault driver will also do everything possible to blame someone else.
Unfortunately, this legal game of “pass the buck” leaves victims with serious injuries waiting on the support they need to pay their doctors and surgeons. Victims can also fall behind on their normal monthly bills, like rent and credit card payments, simply because they’ve had to miss weeks of work while trying to heal. A California truck accident lawyer has several ways to help victims fight back and stand up for their rights at such a vulnerable time.
What Can Hold Up a California Truck Accident Settlement Check?
Victims will experience insurance adjusters and trucking companies doing everything possible to delay settlement checks. This additional time allows their lawyers to find ways to tear apart a victim’s case.
These are just some of the tactics insurers use to delay support to victims and reduce the money they receive:
- A truck insurance company disputes who was to blame for the accident, despite what a police accident report says. A Maison Law attorney fully investigates what happened and collects the evidence needed to force a truck driver, the driver’s employer, and the driver’s insurer to accept fault.
- A truck insurance company purposely delays responding to an accident claim. Insurers hope this delay makes the victim desperate as bills pile up. They hope the victim will jump at a “lowball” settlement once an unacceptable offer is made.
- A truck insurance company argues over the severity of an injury or claims that the victim had the injury before the accident. A skilled California truck accident lawyer uses your medical records and testimony from medical experts to block these unfair claims.
- Trucking companies and their lawyers get involved. Big agricultural companies or delivery giants like Amazon can be responsible for the mistakes their drivers make on the road. They pay teams of lawyers to protect them from having to accept fault. Victims can lose all compensation or be made to wait years for a bit of support if they don’t have legal protection of their own.
When a trucking company tries to make victims wait for care and support, a lawyer will contact the insurance providers directly and demand action. The insurance company can also be reported to the California Department of Insurance. California actually has laws that enforce deadlines for vehicle insurance companies. They must respond to your claim in a certain amount of time and decide whether they’ll accept or reject your claim in a reasonable period. As we’ll see below, your lawyer also represents the threat of a lawsuit if those at fault make victims wait for the support they need.
How Long Will I Have to Wait on Support If My Truck Accident Case Goes to Court?
When a truck insurance company disputes every aspect of your case, the wait time for a settlement check can go from a few weeks to several months or more. If a settlement can’t be reached and the case must be resolved in a courtroom, victims can be made to wait a year or more for a court date.
In some cases, a trucking company and an insurer can simply refuse to accept any blame for an accident. They hope that you’ll be discouraged and just give up. They hope you don’t have the evidence to pursue the case further.
When you have strong legal representation, their denial doesn’t mean an end to your chances to secure help. Your lawyer can file a lawsuit on your behalf and take a shady truck insurance company to court. Your lawyer will already have evidence prepared to present a strong case to a judge and jury.
Just because a lawsuit is filed, it doesn’t mean you’ll have to go to court. Once a court date is set, truck insurers are often prompted to return to the negotiating table. Trucking companies and insurers want to avoid going to court due to the high costs and the bad publicity involved. They can make a trial unnecessary by extending a settlement that makes you and your family happy.
If a trial is necessary, victims can have to wait quite a while to get justice. Just getting a court date can take up to a year in places where the case backlog is substantial. Your Maison Law attorney will battle to get an insurer to do the right thing before a trial is needed.
Contact a California Truck Accident Lawyer
Contact Maison Law for a free, no-obligation consultation. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury is worth and what you should demand from insurers. If you feel a California Truck Accident Lawyer can reduce your wait time and help you earn more, you won’t need any upfront money to hire Maison Law. Your lawyer only gets paid if the case is one. Then the attorney fee is covered by the settlement check an insurance company provides to you.
Your lawyer handles the frustrating back-and-forth of negotiation with as little disruption to you and your family as possible. You are given this time to focus on healing and not financial worries. You can rest easy that your experienced attorney is securing the maximum in compensation available.
