SKIP TO CONTENTYou’ve had a truck accident, and now those medical bills are piling up. How will you pay for those expenses if you’re too injured to work? What about rent, groceries, and all of life’s other necessities?
An Oklahoma truck accident attorney discusses the average time for a truck accident settlement below. You’ll also learn about a few factors that can affect settlement time.
Average Settlement Time for a Truck Accident in Oklahoma
How long does an Oklahoma City truck accident settlement take? There is no clear-cut answer to this question. If your case is simple and straightforward, it may take a few weeks to settle. However, if your case is more complex, your settlement check could take several months to arrive. Some truck accident cases take more than a year to settle.
Factors Affecting Settlement Time
All truck accident cases are a little different, and those differences heavily influence settlement time. Below, an Oklahoma truck accident lawyer discusses several factors affecting the length of the settlement process.
Accident Severity
Truck accidents are usually far more severe than the average car accident. These bulky vehicles outweigh passenger vehicles by many tons. A semi-truck accident can cause catastrophic injury and tens of thousands in property damage.
The more vehicles that are involved in a truck accident, the more in-depth the investigation will need to be.
Determining Liability
Suppose you had a small fender-bender in a parking lot. The accident involved yourself and just one other driver, so there’s no dispute over liability.
Truck accident cases are a different story. In addition to the truck driver, several other parties could be liable. For example, the driver’s employer may be liable if it failed to maintain the truck. You could hold the truck manufacturer liable if the driver crashed because of a vehicular defect.
Collecting Evidence
Your Oklahoma truck accident attorney will want to spend time gathering strong evidence before negotiating a settlement. Generally, the more evidence your lawyer finds, the higher your settlement will be.
Evidence may include:
- Copies of your medical bills and treatment records
- Pictures and video of the accident scene
- The police report
- Witness statements
- Truck black box data
You can speed up the settlement process by gathering and organizing some of this evidence yourself.
Duration of Medical Treatment
Usually, your lawyer will want to wait until you have finished medical treatment to send a settlement demand letter. This is because it’s difficult to know how much money to ask for until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement (MMI).
Truck accidents can cause serious injuries, leading to lengthy rehabilitation and recovery times. Carefully follow your doctor’s orders to expedite the recovery process.
Settlement Negotiations
Once your lawyer has gathered all important evidence and identified each liable party, it’s time to begin negotiations. This part of the process tends to take the longest.
To start things off, your attorney will send a demand letter to the insurance company. The insurer will either pay what you’re asking or counter with a lower offer. In rare cases, they may even deny the validity of your claim altogether.
If you don’t like the offer, your lawyer will negotiate for more. This back and forth continues until you’re satisfied with the offer.
Reliable Representation for Trucking Accident Victims
One way to speed up the settlement process is to hire a law firm with experience handling truck accidents, such as Bryan Garrett PLLC. Attorney Bryan Garrett has assisted truck accident victims in Oklahoma for over 25 years. Call (405) 839-8424 today for a free consultation with an Oklahoma truck accident attorney.
