What to Do After a Truck Accident

Every year, there are around 165,000 truck accidents across the country. In 2022, California ranked among the top five states for the most trucking collisions, reporting 13,603 crashes. In the same year, there were 6,667 trucking accidents in Georgia.

If you get involved in this type of traffic crash, then you need to take very specific steps to protect your physical safety and preserve your legal rights. Do you know what to do after a truck accident to maximize your chances of having a successful claim? This guide is designed to help you make the right moves to uphold your legal rights and best interests. Learn exactly how to handle your truck crash below.

Stay Safe and Assess the Situation

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, you’re likely to feel confused and dazed. The number one thing you need to do is secure your safety. If it’s safe to keep your car where it is, then do so for investigative purposes. If not, then you may need to attempt to move your car or yourself to the shoulder of the road until police arrive to secure the area.

When considering what to do after an 18 wheeler accident, checking yourself and others for injuries might not immediately come to mind. This might feel unnecessary since you might assume injuries would be apparent and obvious. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. After a crash, adrenaline and shock can mask pain, making even seriously injured individuals unaware of their condition. If you see someone in a confused state or someone who looks like they could have a neck or back injury, then it might be best to wait for paramedics to arrive before they move.

Call Emergency Services Immediately

Call 911 after a crash if you believe there are injuries or if you and other vehicles are in immediate danger due to the scene of the crash. Emergency services for truck accidents include both medical personnel and police responders. Often, a trucking collision will occur on a highway with fast speed limits, so a police response is necessary to quickly direct traffic and clear the road. Individuals with serious injuries will also be taken care of before getting transported to the hospital.

Another huge advantage of calling emergency services immediately is that it will produce an official police report that documents what happened, who was involved in the crash, the extent of the damage, and any initial findings from the police investigation.

Authorities will do a basic and initial investigation into what caused the collision and report on the immediate and obvious damage caused by the crash. They’ll do this by documenting the accident scene, collecting witness statements, taking photographs, and using their best analysis to determine what happened.

At this stage of your crash, you shouldn’t fill your mind with questions like — can a truck driver be fired for an accident or can I really afford medical treatment? Instead, focus on ensuring your physical safety and protecting your rights.

Seek Medical Attention for All Parties Involved

If you have sustained injuries you need to seek medical attention after a truck accident immediately. In general, waiting to get the care you need puts your physical safety at risk, and it could also potentially limit your rights to file a claim later.

Truck accident victims who wait too long to get medical care could cause the injury to get worse. It also opens the door for the other party to argue that the delayed treatment made your injury and damages more serious, which could give them a chance to push off some of the legal liability onto you. Don’t give them that opportunity. Instead, get medical treatment as soon as possible by visiting the emergency room and getting a full physical checkup shortly after the crash.

Document the Scene Thoroughly

If you’re not too hurt at the crash scene, then you can take certain steps to start collecting evidence. Documenting accident scenes usually starts by taking photographs of the vehicles and their positions after the collision. Next, take photographs that are closer up and reveal the damage to each car. Truck accident evidence preservation can also involve asking nearby vehicles if they caught the accident on a dash cam or if nearby surveillance cameras captured the wreck.

While you’re searching for possible footage, you can also start gathering witness statements and asking if people are willing to provide their contact details and statements to the authorities to help prove your case.

Remember, you should only take these steps if you’re not too hurt. If you are injured, then focus on getting medical treatment while the police investigate the accident scene.

Exchange Information with Other Parties

It’s also advised that you exchange specific information with the other parties while you’re still at the scene of the accident. Again, if you’re too hurt, then let the police take care of this step. Otherwise, you’ll want to get the other driver’s name, the trucking company they work for, and information about their insurance policy. In exchange, you can provide them with your contact details and insurance policy information.

Contact Your Insurance Company

When it’s safe to do so, you’ll need to contact your car insurance company about what happened. During this initial call, don’t go into details. Instead, simply inform the insurance company that an accident has happened, you’re receiving treatment, and you’ll contact them with more details once they become available. Keep in mind that this phone call will be recorded, so you don’t want to make any statements that could impact your future claim.

Protect Your Legal Rights

The whole insurance claims process could become complicated, so it’s best to hire an attorney who can advise you on how to best handle the insurance adjuster during future calls. The right truck wreck lawyers will have the right knowledge and experience to help guide you in making the best decisions to protect your legal rights. Depending on what happened, you could be eligible to receive compensation that fully covers the extent of your medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and future losses associated with your injuries.

It's even more critical to promptly hire an attorney in corporate vehicle accidents. Big trucking companies have experienced legal teams that will be prepared to attempt to quickly handle your claim by minimizing it and potentially offering you an extremely lowball settlement offer. Don’t accept these low offers because you’ll only get one opportunity to accept your full compensation award.

Avoid Common Mistakes After a Truck Accident

Without the right lawyer, you could fall victim to common truck accident lawsuit pitfalls like not securing the right evidence, being too talkative with insurance adjusters, or not understanding the value of your claim.

Not Securing the Right Evidence

Without the right truck accident evidence, your claim will either be denied entirely or reduced significantly. When you file your claim, you want to secure enough evidence that clearly demonstrates who caused the crash and the full extent of your losses.

Being Too Talkative with Insurance Adjusters

Another common mistake is being too talkative with insurance adjusters. Insurance adjusters will attempt to minimize your claim, so they may try to bait you into making statements that could contradict the severity of your losses.

Not Understanding the Value of Your Claim

One of the worst mistakes you could make is not understanding the value of your claim. This mistake could cost you big time, and you’ll only get one shot at justice. The average truck accident settlement is typically substantial because it includes all your medical bills, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and other losses.

Get Help Now: Contact a Truck Accident Attorney

Now that you know what to do after a semi truck accident, are you ready to get in touch with a local truck accident attorney who can help?

Kermani LLP was established in 2011 with the main goal of facilitating justice for individuals who have been wrongfully injured by the actions of someone else. Our team is dedicated to aggressively pursuing justice, and we’ll tirelessly advocate for you until you receive the compensation you’re entitled to under the law.

We’re experienced, passionate, and ready to take on your case. In one groundbreaking trucking crash handled by our team, we secured over $1.2 million for our client who was injured in a UPS truck crash. Let us use our legal expertise to work towards your best settlement agreement.

Schedule a free consultation call with us now by leaving your contact details on our online form.