What to Do If You Are in A Truck Accident

These are general recommendations. I can only give legal advice if I know the specific facts of your case. I hope the information is helpful.

At the Scene

• The first recommendation is obvious, but I feel I have to say it, get to safety and get everyone else to safety as well.
• Get the name and contact info and insurance information of the driver of the commercial truck. Photograph the drivers license, insurance information and license plate.
• Note whether one or more people were in the truck when the accident happened. Get the names of all people who were in the truck and their contact information.
• Take as many photos of the accident scene as you can safely take including locations of vehicles, damage to vehicles, any markings caused by the collision on the roadway and any debris.
• Take photos of injuries.
• Make sure that you tell your side of the story to the responding police officer. Get the contact information of the officer and order a copy of the report as soon as its available. Read it and make sure it is accurate.
• Get the names and contact information of any witnesses. Photograph their IDs.
• If more than you and the truck were involved, get the names of all other drivers and photograph damage to those vehicles.
• Call and report the collision to your insurance company. Insurance policies require you to report all accidents.

Get Medical Attention As Soon As Possible

• If emergency medical response (ambulance) comes to the scene, report all symptoms you have had since the collision regardless of whether you think they are serious. For example, if you are confused and believe it’s because of adrenaline or nerves, report the symptoms to the first responder. It may well just be nerves, but it may also be the sign of a concussion. Hopefully its just nerves, but if its not, you want to make sure you get appropriate treatment.
• If you are not transported to a hospital for your injuries, make sure to schedule an appointment to get checked out as soon as possible. Report any symptoms to the medical providers you see.
• If your injuries are serious and you are transported to an emergency room, make sure to report all symptoms regardless of whether you believe they are serious or related to the collision. The reason is you want to err on the side of caution. If the symptoms turn out to be nothing serious, you are no worse for reporting them. If you do turn out to the serious, you have ensured you get treatment in a timely manner and everything is documented for any future insurance or legal claim.
• Follow your medical providers’ orders. If they tell you to follow-up then please follow-up. Why? Insurance companies like to argue that if you didn’t follow doctors’ orders you are partially responsible for not getting well as quickly as possible, or they argue that you must not be very hurt.

Why is it important to treat serious truck accidents differently than car accidents? First, commercial truck drivers and their companies have a strong economic incentive to keep their licenses and companies free of at-fault accidents. This means that they have a stronger incentive than your average car driver to try to blame you for the accident. This incentive can be problematic because often the car driver who gets into an accident with a large commercial truck is injured while the truck driver is not. This means the truck driver is often the first one to talk to the police.

An investigation of the physical evidence, the locations of the vehicles and debris and markings in the street are very important. Trucking companies often send their experts to the scene while its still being investigated by law enforcement. Truck drivers are well trained in what they should say and do in case of an accident. In other words, you are at a disadvantage legally when you are in a truck accident.

I’ve been practicing injury law and enjoy helping people especially when they are up against large corporations and insurance companies. I’m happy to answer your questions about your case and help you in any way I can. You can then make the decision whether you need to hire an attorney. Attorneys fees in a personal injury case are contingent on the case being successful. This means you pay nothing unless and until the case is settled or otherwise resolved. Call me for more information.