Mail trucks are a common sight on U.S. highways. The company is a major freight service delivering goods all over the country. Delivery drivers are normally in a hurry to get their loads delivered to where they have to go and sometimes that haste can lead to a collision.
If you are in a normal sized car and are hit by a mail truck it is likely that your vehicle will be the worse for wear. Even if you and any passengers who are accompanying you are not injured, it is likely that your car will have suffered extensive damage that will cost a lot to repair.
If the driver was the one at fault, then you should be able to make a claim for compensation from the insurance provider. If your frame has been ruptured or compromised it will make sense to use a lawyer to help you prepare a valid claim.
Assessing Frame Damage After a Truck Accident
Frame damage is a serious business. A good repair will cost you several thousand dollars, depending on what the exact nature of the damage is. In some cases, a serious crack in your car’s frame may mean that it is cheaper to write it off and by another car.
Whatever the nature of the collision, it will be important to have the extent of the damage carefully examined by a competent repair yard and an estimate provided for the repair or replacement to submit when you make a claim.
Making a Claim After a Accident
If you intend filing a claim with the insurer you will need to have evidence that the driver was at fault. They will have good insurance cover in the event that one of their drivers makes an error of judgment, but that won’t improve your chances of convincing the insurance adjuster that their client was liable.
In fact, big corporations have ways of avoiding paying compensation if they can get away with it. Usually, the company organizes a cleanup of the truck at the crash scene to hide evidence that the truck driver was driving in a negligent way. It is important that you prepare your evidence carefully before filing the claim, including a valid estimate of the cost of the accident, which should include any treatment for injuries and alternative transport arrangements while your car is out of action.
Evidence Which Can Help Prove Liability
The insurance adjuster representing them will not approve a payment for the repair of your car without proof that their client was liable. Such proof could be in the form of:
- Eye witness statements. It is worth taking names and contact details at the scene of the crash. A cell phone with voice recorder facility can be used to take oral evidence;
- Photographic evidence. Take photos if you can at the crash scene showing the position of the two vehicles and any damage to your own car. Crash investigators can use this to piece together what happened.
- A police report. Police do not always attend accidents unless injuries occur, but may do so if there are traffic holdups and vehicles have to be cleared from the highway.
- The damage report from the repair yard. This can pinpoint the cost of the repair and point to how the vehicle was hit.
Contact a Lawyer to Help With Your Claim
If your car’s frame has been damaged, it will be important for you to have a realistic claim submitted to the insurance adjuster. It is advisable to use a lawyer to help you prepare the paperwork you will need to convince the insurer that they were liable. To be put in contact with a personal injury attorney, fill out the Free Case Evaluation on this page.
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against UPS, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
