Vehicle collisions don’t just take place between motorists on their way to work or a weekend shopping trip. Unfortunately, crashes still take place even when vehicles are driven by people whose job is to maintain safety or keep local services running smoothly. Ambulance crews, garbage collectors, police officers, and even mail carriers have all been involved in wrecks while on the job in Louisiana. If you or someone you love was seriously injured by a negligent postal truck driver, you need to speak with an experienced truck accident attorney.
Pursuing Compensation for Postal Service Truck Accidents
Personal injury claims against postal carriers are governed by federal law. That means you’ll be bringing a lawsuit against the federal government instead of pursuing compensation through an insurer like normal. The good news is that you can sue the U.S. Postal Service for your lost wages, medical costs, and non-economic damages like pain and suffering.
There are drastic changes when filing against the government rather than bringing a suit against a negligent civilian driver, or even a non-government commercial delivery company. You will need to go through different avenues, with different limitations on time frames, and there can be caps on the maximum recoverable damages.
Additionally, there are times when the liable party and how to pursue the compensation you deserve may not be immediately clear without an attorney’s help. For instance, in some areas the postal service hires sub-contractors to drive vehicles. If that were the case, and if you can show the contractor isn’t considered a government employee, you may be dealing with a more standard insurance negotiation or personal injury lawsuit scenario.
The bottom line is that if you were harmed in a collision with a postal service vehicle, you will need an attorney’s assistance for any chance at a successful outcome. Specifically, your legal representative will need to:
- Acquire the evidence necessary to prove your case, such as accident reconstruction expert testimony, medical documentation, photos from the scene, police reports, and so on.
- File a claim against the USPS under the Federal Tort Claims Act within the law’s strict statute of limitations.
- Help you determine if any settlement offer from the government is fair and actually covers all your expenses.
- Proceed to a court setting if the U.S. Postal Service denies your claim outright or offers significantly less than you deserve for your injury.
Just like with a normal car crash caused by negligence, your actions immediately after the accident are critical to your financial compensation. Seeing a doctor quickly after a collision with a postal truck is crucial to begin the necessary paper trail on your injury. You need to be able to show how badly you are injured and how that injury has impacted your life. The single most important step after a post office vehicle wreck, however, is to contact a trial-ready attorney who has extensive experience in Louisiana truck accident cases.
If you plan on pursuing compensation from the federal government, you will need a skilled lawyer on your side. Your legal counsel can thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the crash and help you determine who is potentially liable and may be the best source for recovering damages. Victims of USPS accidents need to act quickly, however, because you will deal with a compressed timeline and a number of extra hoops before achieving financial recovery.
Talk to a New Orleans Personal Injury Attorney After Any USPS Accident
Having a skilled truck accident attorney at your side is necessary to ensure you have the best shot at recovering everything you deserve. We want to hear about your post office accident. To find out more, schedule a free consultation by calling us directly at 504-500-1111 or by using our online contact form.
