Crashes involving larger commercial trucks in Arizona often result in devastating injuries for those involved. It is crucial for any person injured due to the careless or negligent actions of a truck driver or trucking company to be able to recover compensation for their losses. Unfortunately, these claims are not often settled quickly. Here, we want to discuss the various routes an experienced Phoenix truck accident attorney takes towards securing a settlement after a truck accident in Arizona as well as how long this whole process can take.

Working With Insurance Carriers

The vast majority of all vehicle accident claims, including those involving commercial trucks, will be resolved through settlements with insurance carriers. We point this out because accidents that go through the insurance route will typically be settled much quicker than those involving personal injury lawsuits. However, that does not mean that this will be a smooth process for crash victims.

Truck accident cases, in particular, are much more challenging than traditional vehicle accidents. That is because there is typically much more to investigate and many other parties involved. These other parties can include not only the truck driver and their insurance carrier but also the trucking company, any third-party company engaged in shipping with that truck, their legal teams, and their insurance carriers. Every person involved will want a part of the investigation. The reality is that every party will fight against having to pay compensation to the injury victim.

Those involved in truck accident cases who are working to have their matter resolved through insurance carriers can expect the case to last a month or two for relatively straightforward incidents, or up to a year or more if the insurance carriers and other parties involved drag the situation out.

A Personal Injury Trial

In the event the insurance carriers or at-fault parties involved refuse to offer a fair settlement, or even deny a claim altogether, it will be necessary for a crash victim and their attorney to file a personal injury lawsuit.

When a personal injury lawsuit is filed in a truck accident case in Arizona, victims can expect the matter to take some time to resolve. The first part of the lawsuit process is the discovery phase. This is when investigations will continue, and both sides will exchange evidence. In most cases, depositions will be taken of witnesses involved, and there will be continued negotiations or mediation throughout the process. That said, it is still very likely that the matter will be resolved before the case goes to trial. However, this can take a year or more to occur.

In the event the case is scheduled on the court docket, it could take one or two years for the matter to finally be heard in front of a personal injury jury in Arizona.

Working With an Attorney to Speed Things Up

Under no circumstances should any commercial truck crash victim try to handle these cases by themselves. The legal teams and insurance carriers for the other parties involved will simply run all over a person who does not have the financial resources and legal expertise necessary to handle the issue. Not only will an attorney be able to stand up to the other parties and fully investigate the incident, but they will also take the steps necessary to resolve the case as quickly as possible while also ensuring maximum compensation for their client.