Phases of a Truck Accident Lawsuit

Maryland Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck accident cases are often complex, involving multiple parties and taking a significant amount of time to complete. Generally, however, each lawsuit will follow a similar format. The specific details of your case will determine how long each section of the process takes.

Preparing a Truck Accident Case

In order to prepare for the lawsuit, your attorney will:

Ask you questions
Review the accident report
Conduct an investigation to uncover more information about the accident
Consult witnesses and obtain statements
Identify the appropriate party (or parties) that will be sued
Calculate a reasonable amount of damages to request for your injuries

Once the preparation process is completed, our Maryland truck accident attorneys will be able to proceed with filing the case.

Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit

During this stage, your truck accident attorney will file a complaint with the court, stating the exact charges you are bringing against the defendant(s). The complaint will clearly state the facts of the accident, the nature of your injuries, and why you were harmed.

The defendant(s) will then receive a summons and be served with the filed complaint. The summons will explain:

Who is suing them
What court the case was filed in
The deadline for their response (usually a few weeks)

In some cases, the defendant’s attorney will file a motion to dismiss your charges. Most of these motions are based on a legal technicality, or an argument that your claim lacks validity. Our Maryland truck accident attorneys at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. are fully prepared for the tactics defendants and their attorneys often use in these lawsuits.

The Discovery Process

This is often the most time-consuming stage of a lawsuit. During the discovery process, both lawyers will gather as much supporting evidence as possible pertaining to the truck accident and provide it to the opposing attorney. The evidence gathered often includes:

Physical evidence
Witness statements
Documents (both written and electronic)
Medical reports

You may need to complete interrogatories during discovery as well. Interrogatories are a series of questions asked by the defendant’s attorney, often dealing with the details of the truck accident and your injuries.

Settlement or Trial

Once the discovery process has been completed, both sides will usually attempt to settle. It is typically in the best interests of both parties to reach an agreeable settlement. Avoiding trial saves a significant amount of time and money (in court fees).

However, if neither side can agree on an acceptable settlement amount, the lawsuit will go to trial. The Maryland truck accident lawyers at CSCS have decades of trial experience; we are fully prepared to pursue your claim as far as it needs to go in order to secure the compensation you deserve.