Seneca Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Crum & Forster. Seneca is based in New York and is licensed in all 50 states; it provides various insurance packages, but one of the most common is its commercial insurance offered to businesses to cover truck drivers and other parties in the event of accidents. If you have been hurt in a truck accident, you should reach out to the company that employs the truck driver and file a claim through Seneca Insurance. You can have your damages covered. However, it may be difficult for you to successfully win expenses. For this reason, we recommend hiring an expert injury lawyer for truck accident claim against Seneca. The best law firm to sue Seneca for a truck accident is Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles. We have been dealing with truck crash cases for many years, and we are no stranger to negotiating with insurance agents from Seneca.
Need for Insurance – Truck Accidents
Companies that send truck drivers on long excursions need to protect the drivers from accidents. If a crash happens, their employees need to be covered – personal insurance policies do not protect drivers who are on the road for money. Other involved parties also need to be covered, especially if the accident were the trucker’s fault. The company employing the driver should be held responsible for your damages.
Reasons for Crashes
There are many reasons truck accidents occur. In some cases, other drivers are negligent while operating their vehicles, which can lead to dangerous situations that result in negative consequences for the parties. Trucks usually have signs that warn of the size of the load, the blind spots, how to maneuver past them, and more; some drivers may ignore these warnings and rules and try to pass the truck on the right or follow too closely to stop in time if the truck has to suddenly brake. Truck drivers may not even see automobiles at all times, and if a car is riding a truck’s blind spot, a crash can happen if the trucker decides to switch lanes.
In other cases, though, truck drivers themselves can be the primary causes of accidents. Some examples include:
- Reckless driving (tailgating, speeding, abandoning right of way laws, not checking lanes when turning, not using a turn signal, and more)
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Fatigue and exhaustion (some drivers do not properly rest because of deadlines; they choose to drive through the night when they should be getting sleep)
- Unfamiliar terrain (truck drivers should acquaint themselves as best they can with the roads they are on; they should know if a route has mountainous areas, narrow roads, sudden curves, and more)
In addition to truck drivers, those who help with the truck, such as mechanics, maintenance workers, dock loaders, and warehousemen, can be responsible for crashes if they contribute to a crash in some way. For instance:
- Truck defects (broken brake lines, axle troubles, engine problems, blown out tires, inadequate lighting, and more)
- Improper weight distribution (the contents of the trailers attached to trucks need to be weighted evenly throughout so that any sway or impact does not become exaggerated)
- Trailer and container issues (if a trailer is not properly affixed to a hitch on the truck, the entire container can detach and fall off, causing a severe crash)
There may also be other contributing factors, such as inclement weather and third party negligence. To learn more, reach out to an attorney in Los Angeles who can sue Seneca for a truck accident.
Accident Procedure
As soon as you get involved in a truck crash, you should make sure to follow normal accident procedure. A Los Angeles truck accident attorney that can sue Seneca can give you the rundown of what you need to do.
Firstly, you should check to see that you are healthy. If you suffered injuries, the paramedics can treat you; if the damages are particularly severe, you can be transported to the hospital. It is important that you get medical assistance even if you are not hurt. Some injuries may not show up until later, and if you wait too long and decided to file a claim, Seneca’s insurance agents can claim that you hurt yourself elsewhere and you’re trying to blame the truck crash for your damages.
Next, you should take down the personal details and insurance information of the truck driver, write down his company name, and more. You need to be able to identify the employee when filing a claim.
You need to properly document your damages – so take photos of your injuries from numerous angles, take pictures of the scene of the accident and the damages to your car, and more. If you feel it is relevant to your case, document it: it is better to have too much evidence than to not have enough.
If there are any witnesses present or passengers nearby, you can take down their statements and testimonies to help establish who they perceived to be at fault.
If the police show up and file a report, you can request a copy for your records. It will consist of numerous interviews and the officer’s thoughts on what happened.
Lastly, it is important that you contact a Los Angeles lawyer for accident injury claim with Seneca. We can help you gather and compile all your evidence to be sent to the insurance company with a demand letter for your rightful damages. We will make sure that no stone is left unturned in preparing your case.
Statute of Limitations
Our lawyers for Seneca injury claims can ensure that you file a lawsuit within the proper amount of time. If you take too long to seek legal action, you won’t be able to collect any compensation. The statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is 2 years from the date of the injury. However, if you were underage at the time of the accident or if the accident left you incapacitated physically or mentally, you would have an extension of the deadline (starting after you turned 18 or got better, respectively).
Some victims of truck accidents have injuries that do not manifest until months later. By the time they connect the dots, they may be nearly out of time to sue. It is important that you find a lawyer that can sue Seneca for a truck accident injury as quickly as possible so you do not miss out on earning your rightful compensation.
Value of Your Case and Earnings
Some clients call us and ask us about the potential value of their truck accident lawsuits. There are many factors that determine how much your case is worth; your injuries are the primary factors, and the insurance agent will measure them in terms of severity and impact. If they resulted in a large amount of medical procedures, took a long time to heal (if ever), and permanently affected your ability to work, you may earn a sizeable settlement. Minor injuries that do not prevent you from earning wages, though, may not get the same treatment.
For this reason, it is important that you hire a lawyer who is experienced with truck accident cases with Seneca. We’ll be able to negotiate the best deal out of the insurance agent. We’ll do our best to bring you coverage for the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death expenses
- Punitive damages (available in times of gross negligence or intent to cause harm; note that these damages are usually viewed as excessive and are seldom handed out, so only the best attorney for Seneca truck accident lawsuits will be able to win them)
If you are still curious, we have provided some sample case results below for you to consider. These cases were truck accidents that yielded large amounts of compensation. Your lawsuit may be worth over $1,000,000 if someone passed away, but if you did not suffer any injuries, your case is usually worth less than $75,000. Various kinds of damages, including paralysis, severed limbs, nerve damage, disfigurement, and more, will cause the value of truck accident to rise between $250,000 and $500,000. Keep in mind that even if your accident is similar, there may be other circumstances at play that differentiate the two. These cases show what may possibly be earned in truck crash lawsuits.
- $1,350,000 Settlement: A couple was driving on the freeway when their car suddenly malfunctioned. The engine began to sputter, so they flicked on their hazard lights and began to slow down so they could turn onto the shoulder. Behind them, a semi truck that was traveling too fast approached and rear-ended them. The impact of the crash causes the car to catch fire; sadly, the couple passes away due to their injuries. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed; the driver was deemed reckless and not paying attention at the time of the impact.
- $920,000 Verdict: While driving on the highway, a man needed to slow down as traffic began to build up. The tractor trailer behind him did not match his slowing down, though, and crashed into him. The man received a closed head injury, a traumatic brain injury, and damages all on her body. The company alleged that he pulled out in front of the truck even though they were on a freeway. There were eyewitnesses to debunk that statement, however, resulting in a verdict for the man.
- $740,000 Verdict: A passenger in an SUV reached into the backseat while the driver was stopped at a red light. The passenger unbuckled her seat belt but did not see the truck that was speeding behind them. The truck crashed into the rear of the SUV, sending the passenger through the windshield; she suffered numerous neck injuries and damage to her vertebral discs. She requires multiple surgeries to fix the damages. She filed a lawsuit, claiming that the truck approached the intersection too fast to slow down.
If you still have questions, you need help from a law firm that can file a lawsuit against Seneca for a truck accident. Our lawyers with experience in truck accident cases against Seneca at Normandie Law Firm will gladly help you.
Normandie: The Top Firm in Los Angeles
At Normandie Law Firm, we pride ourselves on helping victims of all accidents, including those who have been harmed in truck crashes. We have a long history of representing trucking accident victims and we have built up the best ways to win your deserved compensation from Seneca Insurance. If you need an attorney who can fight Seneca for a truck accident injury lawsuit, you’ve come to the right place.
Our lawyers are aggressive and do not stop pursuing a worthwhile offer until we are satisfied that you are receiving fair coverage. You may not be able to take legal action because of a lack of time, ability, and experience, so let us take the reins and handle the process for you. We promise to work hard to win your case against Seneca Insurance.
If you are not an English speaker, we can provide you with a Spanish speaking truck accident attorney to translate and help you understand the legal process. Our lawyers speak Spanish so we can help anyone in need. You should not be hesitant to file a lawsuit merely because you don’t speak English.
Call us today to schedule a free consultation with a lawyer for Seneca truck accident claims. We’ll answer all of your questions and give you more details about our zero fee guarantee, which promises that we will not get paid unless and until we win your case. If we lose, you walk away debt free to us.
Don’t wait – get in touch with a skilled lawyer at Normandie Law Firm to get started on filing your truck accident lawsuit against Seneca.
