In fact, truck drivers often sustain serious injuries in an accident caused by the carelessness, recklessness, or negligence of another driver. In some cases, these victims may be entitled to collect damages from an Illinois truck accident lawsuit filed against the responsible party.
But the odds of winning this type of case diminish greatly if truck drivers take (or fail to take) certain actions.
Ten things that can wreck your Illinois truck accident lawsuit:
- Exaggerating your injuries. One of your biggest assets in this type of case is your credibility. If the defense can show that you weren’t truthful in how you depicted your injuries or their effects, a jury may not believe other parts of your story – truthful or not.
- Not reporting an accident promptly. Waiting to notify authorities and/or your employer about an accident may cast suspicion on your motives. So be sure to report the truck accident as soon as you are able to do so.
- Not filling out an accident report accurately. Again, if you don’t fill out the proper paperwork required of you by your employer, the defense may argue that the trucking accident either didn’t take place or your injuries were due to some other cause.
- Not getting prompt medical care. Yes, you may not like going to the doctor. But delaying medical care implies that you weren’t really that hurt to begin with – or that something else actually caused your injuries.
- Inaccurately describing your injuries to your health care practitioners. It’s vital that you tell your doctors exactly what happened in as much detail as possible. That way, they can make a record of your injuries which can be used to bolster your case.
- Not following up with doctors as ordered. It may be necessary to make extra trips to the doctor’s office. Refusing to do this indicates to a jury that you aren’t interested in healing yourself – or perhaps you aren’t as hurt as you claim to be.
- Not heeding medical advice. It’s understandable that you want to return to full health as soon as possible. But failing to take medications, skipping physical therapy, defying restrictions on driving time, or lifting too much weight will hurt not only your health, but also your case’s chances of success if the defense finds out you are ignoring medical advice.
- Giving a recorded statement. This is a favorite insurance company trick. They tell you they just want to take down information, but they usually get you to say things to undermine your case against them.
- Signing a release. Doing this will get you a quick check from the insurance company, but it effectively closes the book on your case. If you experience additional symptoms later on, you cannot ask for more money if you’ve signed a release.
- Withholding information from your attorney. There’s no good reason for choosing not to tell your Chicago truck accident lawyer about an aspect of your case, background, personal life, or work history. Attorneys are skilled at constructing cases to deemphasize certain information; but if they don’t know about it, they can’t help you.
If you have any questions about an Illinois truck accident lawsuit after an accident, contact a qualified Chicago truck accident lawyer to answer them for you. There is no charge for speaking with us and you are not obligated to hire out law firm.
