Take These Steps to Protect Your Legal Rights After a Truck Accident
The aftermath of a truck accident is often overwhelming for those involved. However, what you do in the hours and days after a truck accident can be crucial for your legal claim. Here are steps that can help protect your legal rights:
Call 911 for Medical Help and Law Enforcement
First, ensure you are ok and check on the other individuals involved in the truck accident. Call 911 for the police and emergency medical if required. The officer attending the crash will draft a police report which can be vital evidence if you want to file a lawsuit for compensation later. The report may contain critical details, including:
- Important facts about the accident
- Statements from drivers and witnesses
- Photos of the truck and other involved vehicles
- Citations issued, such as speeding tickets
- The weather and road conditions at the time of the crash
- The officer’s opinion of who or what caused the accident
Exchange Contact and Insurance Information
Before leaving the truck accident scene, exchange contact details with the truck driver and any other involved parties. Make a note of the truck’s registration and, if possible, identify the trucking company in charge of the truck and driver.
Be Careful of What You Say
Truck accident scenes can be chaotic and scary, and emotions may run high. To protect your rights, refrain from arguing and talking about accident details with the truck driver or other involved parties. You may say something another could interpret as admitting fault, such as “I did not see you coming.” Anything you say now could be used against you later.
Gather Evidence and Document the Scene
If you can, take photos of the truck accident scene, your injuries, and the damaged vehicles involved in the crash. Try to capture the scene from all angles. Your pictures can be vital evidence and could help accident reconstruction professionals understand how the crash happened and who is responsible.
Don’t Sign any Insurance Documents
Trucking companies typically involve their insurance companies immediately after an accident. As a result, an insurance adjuster from the trucking company may contact you in the days after the crash, offering a settlement. As tempting as it seems, such early settlement offers are almost always an attempt to shortchange victims.
Knowing your injuries’ full extent and future costs is impossible at this early stage, especially if you suffered significant or life-changing injuries. Accepting an early settlement offer may leave you sitting on a stack of medical bills and other expenses, having to pay future damages out of your own pocket. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. When an adjuster contacts you, protect your rights and consult a truck accident lawyer who can assess your damages and determine a fair settlement amount.
Seek Medical Attention
If you declined emergency medical assistance at the truck accident scene, visit a doctor as soon as possible afterward. Not all injuries are immediately apparent. For example, the Mayo Clinic says that traumatic brain injury, a common accident injury, can take days or weeks to show symptoms. The only way to rule out underlying injuries is to undergo a comprehensive medical evaluation. Keep records of your doctor’s visits, medical treatments, and medication expenses, as you could be entitled to damages.
Contact a Truck Accident Attorney
A catastrophic truck accident can change your entire life in the blink of an eye. When your future and your family’s future are on the line, you need a determined advocate in your corner who can fight for fair compensation on your behalf. Our truck accident attorneys have fought lawsuits against trucking companies for over 30 years. We can draw on over a century of combined experience helping truck accident victims and families fight for what they deserve.
If you or a loved one was hurt in a truck accident, The Ammons Law Firm can help you learn about your legal rights and move forward with a legal claim against the trucking company on your behalf.
The Ammons Law Firm Wants to Help You Get Justice
Truck accidents can leave victims with life-limiting injuries and overwhelming medical bills. Instead of helping, trucking companies, insurers, and other at-fault parties may employ teams of lawyers to fight your claim. They could try to play down your injuries, discredit your statements, and dispute their fault for the crash. We are here to prevent this from happening.
You’re in good hands with The Ammons Law Firm. We have helped countless truck accident victims and families recover what they needed to move forward. Our successful track record has earned us the reputation of the go-to truck accident law firm in Houston and beyond.
Whether you need us to come to the hospital, visit you at home, or arrange a phone call, we are here to assist you during this challenging time. Contact us now for a free consultation to discover your options.
When you or a loved one dies in a truck accident and need help with the next steps on how to proceed, we can help you.
