How To File A Claim With A Commercial Truck Insurance Provider

Posted on: 26 October 2021

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If you are involved in an accident with a commercial truck, you might not know where to begin. Commercial vehicle wreck cases are most often resolved with the operator of a passenger vehicle filing an accident claim with a commercial vehicle insurance provider. This is something you can do on your own or with a commercial vehicle wreck attorney.

Contact Your Own Insurance Provider

While you may be entitled to compensation from the insurance provider of the commercial truck driver, you should also file a claim with your own auto insurance provider. You will have a deadline for notifying the insurance provider and you will need to honestly tell them everything that happened leading up to the accident. 

You will not want to accept blame and will also not want to make unfounded accusations. Do not make any recorded statements. Instead, stick with the most basic details of the case and have a commercial truck accident lawyer on hand to handle everything else. 

Speak to an Attorney Before Contacting the Commercial Insurance Provider

The commercial insurance provider will likely make you an offer that is much lower than your claim might be worth. You will not want to accept any offers. In some cases, the insurance provider might even write you a check. Do not cash the check because you might risk closing your claim. 

An insurance adjuster will likely try to feign concern about your injuries and pretend that they are your friend. However, the adjuster is often only focused on reducing the value of your claim. Some insurance providers will give their insurance adjusters bonuses if they settle their claims quickly and for as little money as possible. Some commercial insurance providers are even willing to use bad faith tactics.

Learn About the Policy of the Commercial Insurance Provider

You will want to investigate the policies of the commercial truck insurance provider to find out how much the insurance policy is worth. For example, the policy limit might be set at $1 million. If this is the case, and your damages are at least $1 million, you won't want to rest until you have reached a settlement for the full policy limit.

In some cases, the truck might have more than one insurance provider. For example, the cab might be insured by one policy and the trailer might be insured by another. By fully understanding each of the policies, you will be able to maximize your compensation.

Contact a commercial vehicle wreck attorney to learn more.