Dealing with the potentially serious injuries and damages caused by a truck accident can be difficult to manage. That is why you need the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney after you have been involved in a truck accident.
Here are some practical tips to keep in mind following a truck accident.
- Safety and Medical Care Should be Top Priorities
- If practical and safe to do so, move your vehicle to the side of the road or a parking lot and stay in your car until the police and/or ambulance personnel arrive.
- Check yourself and anyone else in the vehicle, including pets, for injuries.
- Seek immediate medical care if injured, or even if you just suspect you are injured, and follow all medical advice and attend all medical appointments.
- Gather Information and Evidence While at the Scene
- Exchange information and take photos of the driver’s license of all involved drivers and their insurance cards, as well as the license plates of the involved vehicles. Don’t rely on writing the information down or on the police to do so accurately.
- Get names and phone numbers of all witnesses just in case anyone else involved decides to lie about what happened. It happens more often than it should!
- Take photos of the scene, injuries, involved vehicles, other property that was damaged, skid marks, etc.
- Report the accident
- Call 911 to report the accident, especially if there are injuries or serious property damage
- Call your own insurance company even if you were not at fault, as they can be a great resource at times. Just be careful what you say and don’t sign or agree to anything without consulting a personal injury attorney first.
- Set up a free consultation with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible
- Seek legal counsel immediately if you are injured. Failure to seek immediate legal help could be detrimental to your claim as there are many applicable laws that an attorney can make sure are followed, including duties owed to you by the at fault party and their insurer, your own insurer, and your medical providers.
- Be leery of speaking to anyone from an insurance company before consulting an attorney
- Do not make any statements to any insurance company other than your own, as those statements could be misconstrued and twisted to make you look like you did something wrong. Be very careful speaking to your own insurance company.
- Do not exaggerate or speculate when providing information. Give short, concise answers and stick to the facts.
- Do not agree to give recorded statements to any insurance companies, even your own. Hire a personal injury attorney and let them help you navigate this part of your claim.
- Insurance companies offer quick and dirty settlements because a closed claim is good for them. Do not take an early settlement offer, and certainly never take any initial offer as they always have more money assigned to a claim than they first offer. You may not know the extent of your damages and injuries for months or more than a year. So, settling too early will eliminate your ability to get adequately compensated.
- Do not sign any documents. Once you sign documents, you may negatively impact your claim by eliminating or severely limiting it. Consult a personal injury attorney before signing anything no matter what the insurance company tells you. Do not believe them!
- Keep track of your damages
- Keep detailed reports and records, including for vehicle repairs, personal property that is damaged, medical records and bills, and all communications with other parties or insurance companies.
- Keep track of mileage attending medical appointments, lost wages, medical bills, and any out-of-pocket expenses and be prepared to provide this to your personal injury attorney.
Being in an accident involving a truck can be scary and overwhelming. You can protect your claim and your rights by following these tips. More importantly, contact Kim Welch Injury Law for a free consultation. You can go to our website and fill out the contact form at https://kimwelchlaw.com/contact or call 888-590-5510.