6 Truck Accident Claim Mistakes
What you do in the hours and days after a truck accident can be crucial. However, knowing what not to do is often just as important to avoid compromising your rights to adequate compensation. Some actions or inactions may even sink your entire claim. If you are involved in a truck accident, don’t make the following six mistakes:
Leaving the Crash Scene Before the Police Arrive
In many jurisdictions, the parties to an accident must remain at the scene until law enforcement arrives. According to Texas law, leaving the scene of an accident with severe injuries or death is illegal. Failing to stop and remain at the truck accident scene can result in serious legal consequences, including criminal charges and penalties.
Moreover, when the police arrive, the attending officers will investigate the crash and create an accident report. This document can be important evidence and include crucial statements from involved parties and witnesses. Getting your point across and having an officer note your version of events can be essential for establishing fault. Moreover, you will likely require a police report when seeking compensation or resolving disputes with insurance companies.
Declining a Medical Evaluation
Underestimating your injuries and declining a comprehensive medical evaluation after a truck accident can be an expensive mistake. While you may feel fine on the day of the accident, you could suffer from an underlying injury that only presents itself days or weeks after the crash.
If you discover later on that your injuries are more severe or complex, getting the compensation you deserve can be challenging. The other side could argue that your injuries have nothing to do with the truck accident, as you never saw a doctor in the days following the crash.
Failing to Follow Your Medical Treatment Plan
Failing to follow your medical treatment plan and attending all doctor’s appointments can impact your ability to seek compensation for your injuries. Other adverse consequences can include:
Compromising your health: You may risk your recovery and health if you do not attend all your medical treatments and doctor’s appointments.
Weakening your claim’s strength: Opposing counsel may downplay your injuries or accuse you of worsening your injuries.
Reducing compensation: Failing to follow your treatment plan may be interpreted to mean your injuries are not as serious as you claim, potentially leading to reduced damages.
Refusing to Hire a Truck Accident Attorney
Failing to hire a truck accident lawyer, especially if you are seriously injured, could make it difficult to protect your rights and seek fair compensation. Consequences of lacking adequate legal representation can include, among others:
- Failing to present sufficient evidence to prove your claim
- Vulnerability to insurance companies seeking to reduce your claim
- Missing crucial filing deadlines and making other procedural errors
- Not knowing your claim’s full worth and recovering reduced damages
- Increased stress during your recovery
Failing to Gather Evidence
To qualify for an adequate settlement, truck accident victims must show proof of another’s negligence and evidence of their damages, such as medical bills, income loss, and others. Evidence such as photos of the accident scene, medical reports, and receipts of your accident expenses can be essential for recovering the compensation you deserve.
A truck accident attorney can help gather the evidence required to prove the at-fault party’s liability. However, your lawyer depends on your cooperation in proving your damages and expenses, such as medical bills and out-of-pocket costs.
Agreeing to a Recorded Statement
Sometimes, an insurance adjuster representing the at-fault party in a truck accident will ask a victim for a recorded statement (taped questions and answers between the insurance adjuster and you). However, recorded statements can be an attempt to trip you up and reveal information that could be used against you in a legal claim.
Therefore, don’t agree to such statements. Instead, contact your lawyer for advice and help, and let them deal with the insurance company directly. You are not legally required to provide an insurance company with a recorded statement to recover compensation.
Did You Make a Mistake with Your Claim? We Can Help
If you were injured in a truck accident and have already made one or several of the above mistakes, don’t worry. It is not too late to consult an experienced truck accident attorney who can protect you and help you pursue adequate damages.
Our skilled trial attorneys have recovered over $1 billion in damages for injured clients. Our truck accident attorneys can help you. You deserve compensation when your whole world is turned upside down due to a severe truck accident injury. Let us explain your legal rights and options so you can make informed decisions. Contact us today to discover your next best steps in a free, no-obligation consultation.
When you or a loved one dies in a truck accident and need help to avoid mistakes with your truck accident claim, we can help you.
