7 Procedures To Take After A Commercial Truck Accident
Getting involved in a commercial truck accident can be frightening. With their massive size and the weight of cargo they transport, even low-speed accidents can be devastating.
Generally, what you need to do after an accident is pretty essential and can be overwhelming. And if you have just gotten involved in an accident, you might feel panic and confused.
Usually, commercial truck accidents are serious, so they need extensive care. This is why you must be sure of what to do after being involved in a commercial truck accident to increase your chances of getting the proper compensation.
Below are some essential steps that you should follow after a truck accident. First, you must know your rights and understand how you should respond in such a situation.
Let’s begin.
1. Be calm
The first thing to do is to not be in a state of panic. This might be hard, considering it’s a truck accident, but being calm would give you the chance to make a safe response.
So, don’t threaten your safety and that of those around you. A clear head will ensure you can easily take the following steps below. You can take time first to put yourself together.
Being calm will let you assess your condition and those around you. Now let’s cover what you should do next.
2. Seek an experienced lawyer
When involved in a commercial truck accident, you must speak with an experienced lawyer to help you with your claim. Usually, trucking companies and insurers prepare themselves to back up their drivers even if they are at fault.
So they might likely use your lack of industry knowledge to reduce the compensation amount and avoid the liability you are entitled to.
Moreover, experts have experience in dealing with truck accidents and will help you determine the party at fault and who is liable for your losses and injuries.
3. Call the police
After putting yourself together and checking the condition of those around you, your next step is to call your local law enforcement.
When the enforcement officer arrives at the accident scene, they will write an official report about the details leading to the accident.
The ambulance would also respond to medical emergencies irrespective of the individual in your car, the other cars, and the truck involved in the accident.
Additionally, calling the police ensures they document detailed evidence of the accident. This is an integral part of a commercial truck accident procedure since it ensures that the authorities know as many details as possible while giving no room for speculation.
For example, if you need medical attention for sustained injuries, a police report would help you support and add clarity to your claim. In addition, these contained details will be valuable if you intend to go to court.
4. Get medical treatment
You might have sustained injuries that you are not aware of. This is why you should ensure you are checked out by a doctor immediately if you are involved in a truck accident.
You might think your injuries are minor, so you don’t need to see a doctor, or you might even be thinking of waiting to get treatment after you get a settlement through the court. First, however, you should reassess both cases.
An official medical report would help you document all injuries linked to the accident. Also, it would be best to document every symptom or pain immediately after the collision.
When you do not document pains in your body or injuries in your body, the insurance company might try to discredit any of these complaints of injury.
Sometimes they might even believe that the accident did not cause the injury since no medical evidence is available. So, documenting and having a medical professional assess your injuries is vital.
When you skip this step, you might have to settle for a settlement that is insufficient to cover your needs. So, no matter how small, you should see the doctor. Besides, regular checkups are necessary to prevent other complications.
5. Document evidence at the scene of the accident
Evidence you collect from the accident scene is essential to prove what happened. Therefore, when you collect evidence at the accident scene, you preserve the accident details and prevent any alteration or falsification of the accident information.
When you cannot collect evidence from the accident scene, you can seek help from someone else to do it on your behalf.
Use your phone to take pictures of the damages done to the vehicles involved, the driver’s license plate, the skid marks, and other essential details you should note.
Also, write down things you can remember in the time that led up to the collision. Evidence gathering usually severely impacts a case’s outcome.
6. Get witness contact information
Other people might be aware of the truck accident. So you can ask witnesses to stay behind and help give a police statement.
Additionally, you can ask for the witness’s name and contact details so your lawyer can reach out to them later.
Witness testimony usually acts as evidence in truck accident claims because they give eyewitness reports of the accident and are unbiased.
7. Don’t sign any document
Usually, after a commercial truck driver gets into an accident, the trucking company would quickly get involved. The standard method is to get their insurance provider to communicate with persons involved in the accident while extending a settlement offer.
However, you should note that this works in the insurance company’s favour since it helps them avoid a potentially costly and lengthy lawsuit that might affect their temptation.
Therefore, though it is tempting to take their offer, you shouldn’t do that. Instead, you can listen to their proposal but politely respond that you will need to first communicate with your attorney.
That’s A Wrap
Commercial truck ancients can be complex since they can involve several liable parties. But, with the help of an experienced and top-rated lawyer, you get the proper compensation by ensuring every guilty party is held accountable.
However, remember to screen different injury lawyers before choosing the one to use. Unless you already know the steps involved in hiring a personal injury lawyer that’s a call away.
