Salt Lake City Truck Accident Lawyer
With Personal Injury Law Offices in Sandy, Utah
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Contact us today for a free legal consultation.
Brad DeBry is not associated or affiliated with Robert J. DeBry & Associates, P.C.
Client Testimonials
Brad is fantastic! So pleased with all the help he has been giving me in such a stressful hard time with my accident. He definitely treats his clients like family and wants what is best for them. Would recommend him to anyone.
Ashley Richey
I contacted Brad a couple of times with some questions regarding our accident and what our rights were. He gave us valuable and helpful suggestions and was so friendly and knowledgeable.
Aimee Ballif
Went above and beyond to not only help me with my case but to reassure me as I was struggling with my anxiety. He was very kind and supportive and wasn't afraid to offer as much help as possible. One of the best you'll meet here and I highly recommend!
Linzie Builds
ABOUT BRAD DEBRY
7 Mistakes That Ruin Personal Injury Cases
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The sheer force that truck accidents generate is terrifying to experience— even lower impact collisions can cause trauma that goes beyond physical injury. It’s even more devastating to find out the accident that turned your life upside-down was due to carelessness and should have been prevented.
If you’ve sought out this webpage, you’ve probably been injured in an accident caused by the driver of a truck. You are most likely in pain and struggling to recover. You’ve probably been out of work since the accident, adding financial concerns to your burdens. You’re probably overwhelmed by the challenge of finding the right person to answer your questions about a truck accident claim.
We are here to help you with free legal advice. Call our Salt Lake City truck accident lawyer today.
Don’t worry about having money to get answers to your questions. Give us a call as soon as you’re able and schedule a free legal consultation.
The information on this page will give you a good idea of the elements of a truck accident claim. First, we’ll show you the common mistakes people make in truck accident claims in Salt Lake City. Then, we’ll share a story to provide more information about what you need to know. Make sure you read to the end to learn as much as you can.
Common Truck Accident Claim Mistakes
Unfortunately, there are many mistakes you can make that will damage your truck accident claim. Please read the errors listed below to help you avoid taking these same missteps.
Not Going to the Doctor After Being Injured in a Truck Accident
You may see this headline and ask yourself when someone would avoid getting to a doctor if they are injured. The answer is, when they don’t realize the severity of their injuries.
The stress hormone boost of adrenaline and cortisol that floods through your body during traumatic events is biology’s way of trying to protect you. The effects of these hormones make pain more difficult to feel. They also give you an added surge of energy, just in case you need to run away from a threat.
These protective measures are not as helpful as they were in our hunter-gatherer days. In fact, after a truck accident, you are most likely going to benefit the most from staying as still as possible until medical help arrives.
Despite this fact, the human body still provides the stress hormone boost, so it’s important to realize that it can make you think you’re okay when you may not be.
Make sure that you get examined by medical professionals after you’ve been in a truck accident, even if you don’t feel a tremendous amount of pain at the time, and/or feel like you’ve got tons of energy. These aren’t indications you aren’t hurt; they’re proof that you’ve experienced a traumatic event.
Going to the hospital after an accident will help protect your health. It will also protect the value of a truck accident claim by generating an official record of your injuries.
Getting examined as soon as possible will ensure that the date and time of your exam coincides with the accident event. This will become evidence that will strengthen your truck accident claim.
Without this evidence, the insurance company will be able to challenge the severity of your injuries. They may even challenge whether you’ve been injured in the accident at all.
Don’t let them take advantage of you like this. Protect the value of your truck accident claim by going to the hospital as soon as possible.
Not Following Through with Your Doctor’s Orders
Once you’ve been treated and released, your doctor will send you home with a treatment plan. This can take any number of forms. It may involve medication. It may call for a series of treatments or therapies, such as physical therapy (PT) sessions. It may advise a stretching regimen.
Be diligent in adhering to whatever your doctor advises to help you assist in your own recovery. We see too many people make the mistake of starting out strong, but falling off their PT schedule and missing appointments, or forgetting to take antibiotics intended to prevent a dangerous post-surgical infection.
If you slack off on your doctor’s treatment plan, the insurance company will have an opening to try and blame you for any snags you encounter in your recovery.
This may sound despicable, but to them, it’s a numbers game. The less they pay out in claims, the more money they get to keep. They may also try to lower the value of your claim if you don’t get the rest you need— especially if you return to activities you’re not yet ready for.
You may wonder how an insurance company would even know about this. Do insurance companies actually send investigators to follow people around?
These days, they don’t have to. Consider the possibility of images of you rock climbing getting tagged in social media while you’re still out of work recovering from a back injury. Not only can this put your recovery at risk; it puts your claim at risk.
Instead of trying to think of ways to hide forbidden activities after an accident, simply follow your doctor’s treatment plan. Chances are, it doesn’t involve rock climbing.
Don’t Give a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company
After the truck accident, you can expect the insurance company to call and ask you for permission to record your statement. Many people think the company is trying to help you get the compensation you deserve. After all, isn’t that what your friendly neighborhood insurance company is for?
Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and it’s a mistake to allow the insurance adjuster to record your conversation. They’re not calling to be helpful; they’re looking for “chinks in your armor” — ways your claim can be devalued so they don’t have to pay you what you deserve.
The easiest way to avoid this issue is to pass communications with the insurance company along to your Salt Lake City truck accident lawyer. Many people don’t realize they’re not obligated to speak to the insurance company. It’s okay to pass it on.
Not Calling an Attorney Soon Enough
There are a few reasons people make the mistake of dragging their feet about calling a lawyer. They may feel incapable of thinking about a claim as they deal with their injuries. They may believe the statute of limitations gives them plenty of time to get around to it. Or, they may be toying with the idea that before they spend on a lawyer, they’ll take a shot at handling the claim themselves.
While each of these reasons is understandable, any one of them can destroy your claim, because all of them lead to putting off the accident investigation. And the longer you wait to get an investigation started, the less evidence you or your lawyer will be able to find.
Accident scenes get cleared away. Witnesses forget details over time and can “disappear.” The best way to take the burden of worrying about a claim off your shoulders is to hand it over to a capable personal injury lawyer.
If you’re waiting to start a claim because the statute of limitations gives you months or even years, the same issue of dwindling evidence and witness availability applies. The sooner you get started, the stronger your claim.
If you’re tossing around the idea of “saving money” by handling your claim on your own, ask yourself if you’re up to navigating the complexities of an insurance claim while injured. And keep in mind that if you’re unable to negotiate an acceptable settlement, you’ll be without the legal leverage to take your battle to trial.
Statistically, people who hire experienced attorneys receive many times the compensation than those who go it alone. Your accident claim is not a project to D.I.Y.
Choosing the Wrong Lawyer
When you select a lawyer, be sure you don’t make the mistake of believing any lawyer can handle their claim with the same results.
Assuming lawyers are interchangeable is a mistake, just as it’s a mistake to assume surgeons are interchangeable. You would seek out a surgeon whose training aligns with your surgical needs. Similarly, it’s important to hire a trial lawyer for your truck accident claim whose expertise falls into the practice area of personal injury.
Even if you happen to be a personal injury lawyer, keep in mind that surgeons don’t operate on themselves. If you’re an attorney who’s been seriously injured in a truck accident, it’s best to turn to a colleague for help with your claim.
Salt Lake City Truck Accident Client Story
The story that follows is intended to give you additional clarity about your truck accident claim. The names and details of the case have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients, but the story provides helpful information nonetheless. Be sure to read it to the end. When you’re done, please call us to schedule your free legal consultation to discuss your claim.
In late afternoon on a sunny day in April not too long ago, Wendy Moore dropped off her thirteen-year-old daughter Emily at gymnastics practice and drove back to their small home on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, looking forward to a long, hot bath. Work had been crazy this week, and with her soon-to-be ex, Mark picking Emily up for the weekend, Wendy had nothing but hot water and bubbles on her mind.
She’d been soaking for 20 blissful minutes, enjoying her favorite music when her phone rang. Checking the I.D., she let it go to voicemail. Mark. He could wait.
He’d refused to sign the divorce papers. Seemed determined that they could work things out. But the truth was, he was never around. His whole life was taken up by his job. Wendy had to admit she still loved Mark, but despite his promise to change, she’d given up hoping for a change.
The water was growing cool. Wendy shivered and stepped out of the tub, grabbing a giant towel.
The phone rang as Mark called again. She suddenly realized the time and grabbed for it, almost fumbling it into the tub. He was supposed to be at the gymnastics center; maybe he was calling about their daughter.
“Mark, is everything okay?” Wendy asked, tension creeping back up her recently relaxed spine.
“Um, ’Wen’…” The use of Mark’s nickname for her got her attention.
“Tell me you picked our daughter up,” she said through clenched teeth.
“I tried to call. I got pulled into a meeting. I can still get her, but I’m going to be about an hour late,” Mark stammered. “If you can bring her back to the house, I should be there by 6:00 p.m.”
“Don’t bother,” Wendy snapped, ending the call. She was already late. She quickly dressed, her shirt sticking to her back.
Hopping in the car, Wendy told her Bluetooth to call the center. She got the machine. Wendy left a message that she was on her way, apologizing profusely.
Twenty minutes later, Wendy pulled up to the front door of the center. It was closed, but Ms. Nikka had waited with her daughter on a bench out front. After more apologies and thanks, Wendy pulled out onto the road.
Luckily, Emily was too excited about her achievements in practice to ask about her dad. Wendy headed east on Jordan, pulling up to a red light as Emily told her about the new moves she learned on the balance beam.
The light turned green. Pushing aside her anger at Mark, Wendy said, “Hey Em, why don’t we grab some Indian food?”
Emily’s smile is the last thing Wendy would remember as a bakery truck ran the light and broad-sided the passenger side of her small Ford.
Wendy woke up in the back of an ambulance with a broken arm and whiplash. The pain was unbelievable, but she was more concerned about her daughter. She was told her daughter had already left the scene, on her way to the operating room.
Mark found Wendy in the emergency room. Her arm was being put into a cast. As he approached, she turned all her fear for her child against him.
“This is your fault,” she seethed, tears streaming. “If you’d been there on time, this never would have happened!”
Mark accepted her accusations, letting her vent. He deserved this. A doctor entered behind them.
“Your daughter is out of surgery. You can meet her in the intensive care unit; just check in at the nurses’ station.
As Wendy and Mark sat at their sleeping child’s bedside, Mark put a hand on her shoulder. Wendy pushed him. “You don’t get to be here.” She sobbed. “You haven’t BEEN here. You’re always gone.”
Finally exhausted, Wendy slumped and let Mark put an arm around her shoulder. Mark apologized and told her he’d resigned. “You’re right, Wen, and I’m sorry. I don’t want to miss out on my life with you two.
I’m going to work from home consulting instead. It won’t be as much money, but I can be there. You might even get sick of me.
Wendy laughed, wiping tears with the back of her uninjured hand. Mark pulled it to him and kissed it. “Let’s make this work.”
Emily woke up that evening. The doctor said they’d have to keep her for observation for a few weeks to see how she was progressing before they could confirm she didn’t have a traumatic brain injury. Her leg had been broken in two places, and they’d had to put pins in it. It was unlikely she’d be able to resume gymnastics.
True to his word, Mark was at Emily’s and Wendy’s side every day. In the evenings, he and Wendy took turns going home to shower and catch a little sleep. Wendy was seeing a whole new side of her husband. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she had to admit, she was pretty hopeful.
On the fifth day, Emily was moved out of the ICU. As they settled her into her new room, Mark told Wendy about our law firm. He said we had an excellent reputation as personal injury trial attorneys and suggested they schedule a free legal consultation.
“I figured you’d take care of it; be the ‘big hero.’” Wendy laughed.
“Wen, I’m a tax accountant. This isn’t my area of expertise. Besides, I’m hardly objective enough to negotiate anything for either of you.”
When they called, Wendy said they had three main concerns. They needed to know how much it would cost to retain our firm, how much their claims might be worth, and how long they would take.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Salt Lake City Truck Accident Lawyer?
We met the couple the next morning in the hospital cafeteria. As we sat down, Wendy said she needed to know up front what it would cost to hire us.
We explained that there was no upfront cost. “We work on a contingency fee basis. This means that we only get paid when we bring your claims to a successful resolution,” our lawyer answered.
“Well, that’s helpful. We’re on a shoestring at the moment. I’ll be out of work until Emily’s back home, and my husband’s career is in transition,” she added, taking Mark’s hand.
How Much is My Truck Accident Case Worth?
“So, can you give us an idea of what you think our claims are worth?” Wendy asked.
“That’s not something we can realistically predict up-font,” our lawyer said. “Before we can tell you with certainty, we need to conduct an accident investigation and have a clear understanding of your damages.
“We can start the investigation as soon as you hire us, but we won’t know your damages until you each reach what is called ‘maximum medical improvement.’ This means recovering to a level your medical team considers ‘back to normal,’ or as close to it as possible. It means surgeries are finished and there’s a clear idea of what the future of your and Emily’s medical care will involve.
“This means you and your daughter need to focus on getting better. Follow your doctor’s treatment plan closely, and get as much rest as you need.
“Once you reach maximum medical improvement, we’ll know your damages. Then we can tell you what your claim is worth.”
“I guess if you’d just tossed out a number upfront, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Wendy said, nodding.
“You’re absolutely right, Wendy. You shouldn’t believe any attorney who says they can tell you what your claim is worth upfront without conducting an accident investigation or knowing what your damages are.”
How Long Will My Truck Accident Case Take?
“In your experience, how long do cases like these typically take?” Wendy asked.
Our lawyer smiled. “The answer to that is that there are no ‘typical’ cases. Each claim is unique. Just like your injuries are different from Emily’s, even though you were in the same car. What I can tell you is the two factors that will determine your claim’s timeline.
“The first is how long it takes each of you to reach maximum medical improvement. Once you’re there, we’ll know your damages and send a demand letter to the insurance company.
“From there, your claim timeline will depend on whether the insurance company is willing to negotiate a fair settlement. If they are, we’ll be able to proceed to a swift conclusion of your claims.
“If the insurance company’s not willing to agree on a settlement, we’ll take your case before a jury.
“Please don’t let the possibility of a trial worry you, though. Our firm has a long and successful record, both in court and via settlement. The insurance companies know who we are. In fact, just seeing our name on your claims may get them to give serious consideration to being reasonable with a settlement offer.
“Either way, we’ll be ready to fight for your full and fair compensation. That’s why no matter who you decide to hire, we always recommend going with a personal injury trial lawyer.”
Wendy and Mark were satisfied with the answers they received in their free consultation and retained our firm that day. Today, we are happy to say we were able to get Wendy and Emily over five times the amount the insurance company initially offered them.
Call Our Salt Lake City Truck Accident Lawyer Today
We hope this story has helped you get a good idea of the elements involved in a truck accident claim. Keeping in mind that no two cases are the same, we invite you to call us to schedule your free consultation. We’d like to give you answers about your specific claim as soon as possible.
You don’t have to take on the burden of your personal injury claim. Contact Salt Lake City truck accident lawyer Brad DeBry as soon as you are able.
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