How Much is My Jackknife Accident Worth?
When a jackknife truck accident occurs, expensive and painful consequences follow. You may find yourself dealing with medical treatments, physical rehabilitation, vehicle repairs, and more, while typically out of work due to injuries.
Filing an accident claim can bring you closer to recovering accident damages caused by another truck driver’s negligence or misconduct. But how much is a jackknife truck accident claim really worth?
Read on to learn more about your claim’s value, booking a consultation, and more from jackknife accident attorneys in California.
BD&J jackknife truck accident attorneys are just a phone call away. Call 855-906-3699 today to learn more.
Factors That Could Affect the Value of a Jackknife Claim
Every claim is different, from the parties involved to the circumstances that led to the accident. Assigning a particular value to your claim is difficult without a thorough evaluation from an attorney that considers all evidence and factors.
However, some of the known accident factors that could impact and increase the value of a jackknife accident lawsuit include:
Severity of Injuries
Jackknife truck accidents can lead to substantial grave injuries, especially when the trailer of a truck folds outward from the cab, often extending harm to nearby lanes of traffic and motorists.
Injuries from these accidents commonly include spine injuries, severe burns, disfigurement, organ damage, and brain injuries. Injuries that affect a person’s independence, ability to work, and physical and mental capacities may often garner larger settlement amounts.
Medical Prognosis and Future Care
Severe injuries that require future physical rehabilitation, surgeries, in-home care, and assistive devices can lead to further expenses down the road,outside of a projected injury timeline. Medical prognosis, including Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) and disability, is considered when calculating the value of a claim.
Fault
Liability for a jackknife accident can fall on different parties, including a truck driver, trucking company, third-party contractor, truck parts manufacturer, and even the local municipality.
If extreme negligence or misconduct was shown on behalf of a truck driver or even a trucking company in the case of negligent hiring that resulted in an accident, this could result in further punitive damages being allocated toward an injured victim.
Commercial Insurance
Commercial insurance policies are much different than standard policies and often layered and with higher limits. For example, a truck company may have commercial auto, commercial liability, and commercial umbrella insurance.
- Commercial auto insurance can be designated to vehicles by weight, classification, and use, and unlike personal insurance, will combine the limits of bodily injury and property damage, meaning higher payout limits in the case of an accident.
- Commercial general liability is the standard insurance that all businesses have, which can cover current and new business practices. One major detail of commercial general liability coverage is that it does typically exclude employer liability.
- Commercial umbrella coverage is used to cover claim loss amounts above the standard commercial policy. This coverage can be used to cover excess loss for any other commercial policy, including commercial auto, workers’ compensation, and basic liability if there’s no policy in force.
Working with a California Jackknife Truck Accident Lawyer
Working with a California truck accident attorney can help you recover more compensation in an accident claim than you would representing yourself. In fact, a past survey showed that readers working with an attorney had recovered 4 times the compensation than injured plaintiffs who represented themselves.
This is because jackknife truck accident lawyers will bring experience and legal knowledge that can help you in the event of unforeseen legal obstacles.
Can Multiple Parties Be Responsible for My Accident?
Yes, there can be multiple parties responsible for your jackknife accident, including:
- A fatigued, reckless, impaired, or speeding truck driver
- A negligent truck company who failed to perform background checks on future employees, ignored state regulations, and overlooked truck maintenance
- A truck maintenance crew that ignored a problem with the truck or delayed service attention
- A truck parts manufacturer that designed a part with flaws, manufactured a defective product, or failed to warn about product use risks
If you’re unsure who could be responsible for the jackknife accident that resulted in your vehicle damages and serious injuries, BD&J is the California law firm you can call.
How To Book Your Consultation with a Jackknife Truck Accident Attorney
If you’re looking to schedule a consultation with an expert attorney, do the following:
- Use law directories to find attorneys in your area. – Directories like Justia can come in handy when it comes to looking up law firms in your area.
- Read case results to learn about a firm’s success. – Case results can give you a much clearer idea when it comes to the experience of a firm and what cases they may specialize in.
- Consider client testimonials for insight into your potential experience. – Learning about past client experience can set your expectations on firm operations, interactions, and even a potential case timeline.
- Book a free consultation by calling or filling out our online form. – If you’d like to speak with an expert BD&J attorney, give us a call at 855-906-3699 or complete our contact form.
- Bring your case questions and doubts. – When you’ve booked your consultation, you have the opportunity to bring all questions and doubts you have about your case to consult with an attorney and receive helpful guidance in return.
BD&J is the California Truck Accident Law Firm You Can Trust
Since our establishment in 2007, BD&J is the California law firm committed to protecting injured Californians and their families after an unexpected truck accident, car accident, construction accident, premises liability accident, and more. Our attorneys are thorough legal experts who have recovered more than $3 billion* in compensation and aren’t afraid to go against big commercial companies or their legal teams.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jackknife Accidents
Why Do Jackknife Accidents Happen?
Jackknife accidents can happen due to a variety of reasons, such as a truck driver suddenly braking or speeding, trucks having uneven or loose cargo that causes the truck to become unstable, drivers practicing improper steering, or wet and slippery roads.
What Do I Do If I Think a Truck is Going to Jackknife?
If you’re traveling right behind or in a nearby lane and suspect a truck may jackknife, you must slow down your travel speed, increase your following distance, and flip on your hazard lights to alert traffic behind you of a potential risk.
When Should I File a Jackknife Truck Accident Claim?
You usually have 2 years from the date of your accident to file a claim.
After the 2 years have passed, your claim is no longer eligible to receive compensation, so be sure to speak with a jackknife truck accident injury attorney as soon as you can.
Can a Trucking Company Be Responsible for One of Their Drivers?
Absolutely, this is through a legal doctrine called vicarious liability. Vicarious liability establishes that an employer is responsible for an employee’s actions when they are acting within the scope of their duties.
What Evidence Can Help Prove Truck Driver Negligence?
Evidence that could help prove truck driver negligence includes black box data, employee shift logs to catch hours-of-service violations, dashcam or surveillance footage (including footage inside the truck cab), and a police report from the accident.
How Can I Drive Safely Around Large Trucks?
Driving safely around large commercial trucks can include practicing habits like staying out of their blind spots (also known as no zones), maintaining a safe following distance, signaling and passing safely, and trying to avoid driving between 2 trucks if possible.
Do I Have to Go to the Hospital After My Jackknife Accident?
Absolutely, even if you don’t feel any pain or other injury symptoms.
Some injuries can take longer to show symptoms, so delaying or putting off a visit to the hospital after an accident can harm your health and future legal claim.
What Truck Accident Injuries Take Longer to Show Symptoms?
Typical truck accident injuries that take longer to show symptoms may include brain injuries, soft tissue injuries, spine injuries, and organ damage.
Does Bad Weather Mean No One is at Fault for a Jackknife Accident?
Not at all. When bad weather like storms and other hazardous conditions occur, it is still up to drivers on the road to take safety measures while operating their vehicles.
A truck driver who speeds, follows vehicles too closely, or doesn’t take the necessary precautions for the weather would still be responsible for an accident. Similarly, a truck that is not maintained could also suffer increased risks during a bad weather event, possibly placing responsibility on a truck company or maintenance crew.
Do I Have to Pay Upfront to Work with BD&J?
Nope. BD&J works on a strict contingency fee basis, advancing case costs to clients and recovering final attorney fees from the settlement amount after a case has settled.
This means no stress for you, and no fees until we win*.
Are BD&J Attorneys Bilingual?
Absolutely! Our recognized attorneys speak English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Farsi, Armenian, Russian, and Hebrew.
Injured in a Sudden Jackknife Accident? BD&J is Here for You!
The value of your jackknife accident can ultimately come down to a couple of factors, including the severity of your injuries, medical prognosis, who was at fault for the accident, and more.
When you’re dealing with serious injuries and expenses, talk to a jackknife truck accident lawyer to learn about the fair value for your claim. BD&J attorneys are compassionate experts available now to answer all your legal questions and get started on presenting your case!
Don’t keep paying for an accident caused by somebody else out of your own pocket. Contact the BD&J law firm to get started on filing a claim!