Should I Settle My Tulsa Truck Accident Case?

You were lucky enough to survive a truck crash. That’s already a win, but navigating the post-accident world of insurance adjusters, settlement offers and the pressure to financially recover from the damages you’ve suffered can make surviving a truck accident a living nightmare. The sheer volume of information to remember and deadlines to meet, in addition to simply paying your bills, is enough to overwhelm anyone.

Of course, settling your case is always an option, and in some cases it may be the best one. However, you need to make sure you have an experienced Tulsa truck accident lawyer by your side, so that the trucking company or its insurance company don’t take advantage of you or your situation. So, how can you tell if a settlement offer is too small? How will you know what the future holds when you’ve suffered serious injuries? How much is enough to repair the damage done and get your life back to normal? Does “settling” always mean that you’re getting less than you deserve?

Today, we’re going to try to answer some of these more pressing questions, so that you can make an informed decision about your case.

What are the benefits of settling a truck accident case?

The first benefit is that trucking companies want to settle. Insurance companies will stop at almost nothing to avoid a courtroom battle in the presence of a jury, for the simple reason that passenger vehicles don’t stand a chance in a commercial truck crash. Survivors of truck crashes often suffer catastrophic injuries that incur significant damages, from reduced quality of life to financial and medical concerns. The jury usually sympathizes with the victim, and sees a big company as a representation of corporate evil in America, taking advantage of the little guy.

Another benefit is that settlement often takes less time than jury trials, especially these days with the court systems backed up. When you have pressing financial and medical concerns, securing your damages a little sooner can be advantageous. Combine this with an insurer’s desire to avoid a trial, and sometimes a settlement can be just what you need.

What are the drawbacks to settling a truck crash case?

In order to explain the drawbacks of settling a truck accident case, we first want to tell you about a fatal and fiery crash that made headlines in April, when two semi-trucks were involved in a collision with a pickup truck. Of the five people involved, three men were killed in the accident. Two of them were in the pickup truck. The third was a pedestrian in the wrong place at the wrong time. The three men, aged 38, 41 and 49, left behind children, grandchildren, spouses, siblings and others. This is a reminder of the catastrophic destruction caused by commercial truck accidents.

When considering settling a truck accident case, it’s important to remember that the settlement offer is final. So if you end up sustaining more significant injuries than were diagnosed at the time of the wreck, you cannot ask for more money to pay for those medical bills. If your loved one dies from those injuries after you settle, the financial burden of a funeral and burial will fall to you.

Second, you should understand that settlement agreements are often confidential. This could be a benefit to you if you’d like to keep your privacy, but if the truck accident was the result of egregious behavior by the driver or the trucking company, your story will not be told. The company will not be held to account in the eyes of the public, and there is no guarantee that what happened to you or your loved one will not happen to someone else.

Which is better: settling or going to trial?

There is no set answer to this. The circumstances of the accident affect the legal considerations of the case; the individual circumstances of the family determine whether to pursue a case to trial or accept a settlement offer. There is no right answer to whether or not you should accept a settlement. The only person who can decide whether to take a settlement or fight the good fight is you, and your decision should be an informed one.

At Biby Law Firm, we don’t aim to settle. Each case for every client we have is prepared with the intention of going to trial. Our experienced truck crash attorneys dig deep to understand your case and fight hard to represent your rights – and get the full amount of compensation that your unique circumstances deserve. Along the way, we work hard to ensure that you and your family have a clear understanding of what to expect at each phase of your unique case. That trial prep shows insurance companies we mean business, and it can sometimes lead them to the table with a much fairer and more just initial offer, too.

Our experienced attorneys understand that each case is different. We know the tactics that big insurance companies use in court, and we’re not afraid to take on the big guys in the courtroom. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. At the end of the day, there’s no shame in accepting a reasonable settlement as long as you understand what’s at stake, and feel that the offer is acceptable to you given your unique situation.

The Tulsa truck crash attorneys at Biby Law Firm have successfully litigated trucking cases in courts across Oklahoma. There’s no substitute for experience, especially when it comes to navigating the complexities of multi-stage truck crash cases. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the options in front of you, contact us today. Call us at 918-574-8458 or use our contact form to schedule an appointment today.