In the U.S. today, getting behind the wheel of your car is often the most dangerous and risky thing that you do in a day. Car accidents are bad enough. They can often cause not only property damage but potentially life-altering human injury. However, when you consider the size and scale of the average vehicle involved in a truck crash, things become more serious.
A truck accident is often the cause of catastrophic harm and injury to human life. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for fatalities to also be a result of an accident involving a large truck. Whatever injury may happen, this will not be the end of the process. If you intend to seek compensation, you must then deal with your insurance company, their insurance adjuster team, and the various rings they force you to jump through to achieve financial justice.
If you have been involved in a truck accident in the last four years, you should seek the help of an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible. Here at The Law Place, we can assure you of your legal rights, provide information, and take away much of the burden involved in seeking compensation. Our attorney team has over 75 years of combined experience in personal injury and accident law and can help you to maximize your compensation.
For a free consultation at no obligation, completely covered by the attorney-client relationship, call our phone line for help at (941) 444-4444. Our phone lines are open 24/7.
Ensuring Your Safety After Being Involved in the Accident
The first thing you should do at a truck crash scene is to ensure that you are safe and out of harm’s way.
If you have not received a serious injury and are not pinned by any kind of debris or part of the vehicle, you should get clear of the crash scene.
Once you are safely away from the truck or car accident, you should evaluate your injuries and determine whether you need medical help. If you do need medical assistance, do not hesitate to contact an ambulance. If you have the intention of hiring a truck accident lawyer, you should not let the idea of medical bills put you off, as these are damages that can be recovered at a later date.
What Injuries Are Common in Truck Accidents?
Unfortunately, the weight and bulk of truck accidents often inflict catastrophic damage.
Injuries we commonly see as a result of truck accidents include:
- Cuts, lacerations, and bruises.
- Burns.
- Broken and fractured bones.
- Back and spinal injuries.
- Head and brain injuries.
- Disfigurement and scarring.
- Psychological trauma and PTSD.
We’re here to serve you. Our phones are open 24 hours a day. The Next Step for Those Involved in Truck Accidents
Once you have ensured that you are safely out of harm’s way and have contacted medical services for any injury you may have received, you will need to remain at the scene.
You should determine whether anybody else involved in the truck accident will require medical attention. If this is the case and you have not contacted the medical authorities for yourself, ensure that they seek medical attention.
After this, you should call the police. This is not only an important legal requirement after any serious truck accident or crash. The police report may also represent a key piece of evidence in your personal injury claim case.
We’re Florida’s top litigation team with over 75 years of combined experience The Importance of Beginning to Collect Evidence for Use Against Your Insurance Company
It is incredibly important to make sure that you get as much evidence as possible to support your truck accident claim. The steps involved in this process begin at the scene of the crash immediately after the accident.
While it may seem like the furthest thing from your mind, especially if you have sustained injuries, this information can help you to secure the compensation needed to financially recover from your accident.
Insurance companies and their insurance adjuster teams use a well-practiced arsenal of tricks to lower your claim amount. Any information you get could prove that the truck driver violated their duty of care and is therefore liable for your injuries will help your case.
From the initial call to updates on your case status, we are here to get you answers. Make Sure to Take Photos at the Scene of Truck Accidents
One of the simplest and most important ways to get the evidence necessary for your case is to take photos. Luckily, in the twenty-first century, almost all drivers will have access to a camera in the form of their mobile phones.
Make sure you take clear photos, at multiple angles, of all of the following things:
- Your injuries as soon as is possible after the truck accident.
- The car you were driving, to make clear the extent of the vehicle damage.
- Photographs of all of the other vehicles involved in the accident, both for the purpose of showing the extent of damages from the crash and for capturing the license plate number, in order to track drivers down for eyewitness accounts.
- Photographs of the truck driver’s vehicle. Be sure to get a picture of the trucking company or the driver’s employer logo on the truck.
- Any tire skid marks present on the surface of the road at the scene of the accident.
- Any damage to road signs, foliage, or any other environmental damage at the scene of the accident.
In addition to all of these, ensure that you take photographs of your injuries at each significant stage of the recovery process. This will provide important information to help prove your medical process and get the appropriate level of compensation.
Make Sure to Exchange Contact Information With All Others Involved or Witnessing the Crash
One of the most important steps following a truck accident is seeking the contact information of all others involved in the crash. It is a requirement of your insurance company to exchange information with the other party involved in the crash, even with truck accidents that involve major trucking firms.
At a bare minimum, you should try and take down the following contact details from each driver:
- Their full name.
- Their contact phone number.
- The details of their insurance company and policy number.
- Their driver’s license number.
- Their registration plate number.
Your lawyer from The Law Place will have access to personal investigators, who can use this information to track down witnesses to submit an eyewitness report where necessary or possible.
For more information on how a lawyer from The Law Place can help you, call the free phone number at the top or the bottom of the page as soon as possible.
Additional Steps to Take After Leaving the Scene of the Commercial Truck Accident
There are some things all people who have been involved in an accident that resulted in injuries should do after they leave the scene. These are things that are used by your attorney to ensure that you receive the highest amount of compensation possible following your commercial truck accident.
Retaining Relevant Documentation to Help Your Attorney Fight Your Case
Even though a personal injury case is an example of civil law, which holds a much lower burden of proof than criminal law cases, you will still need as much evidence as possible to maximize your claim amount.
Your insurance company may try to dispute this evidence, so having a solid case is important. The following sections will quickly talk you through the various types of documentation to retain.
Retaining Your Medical Bills
If you sustained injuries that required a hospital or paramedic visit, this would have cost a lot of money. Countless people go bankrupt due to hospital bills in America every year, but with the correct legal support, you can seek compensation from your insurance company to cover this.
As such, you should keep copies of all the itemized bills from your doctors or hospitals. These are excellent proof for your attorney to demonstrate the level of compensation you deserve.
You should also try to seek out any past medical report or medical history possible. These may be useful if your insurance company attempts to argue that complications from your injuries were, in fact, pre-existing conditions.
Retaining Correspondence With Your Employer Concerning Any Time Off Work
Medical bills are not the only way an injury sustained in a truck accident can cost a victim money. Often, serious injuries will require time off work. Not all of us have access to a job that will pay us appropriate sick leave for this process. When combined with medical bills and property damage, this can leave many people in a financially precarious position.
Luckily your attorney will give you access to legal recourse for this. Lost wages damages are designed to take into consideration the money you have lost while spending time off work recovering.
For the best chance of recovering lost wages following an accident, retain any email or written correspondence with your employer concerning time off for use by your law firm.
Retaining a Copy of the Police Accident Report
Your truck accident attorney will need all the evidence they can get to maximize your compensation.
This includes the police report, which will be written by the officers who come to the scene of the accident. This will also most likely include the truck driver’s vehicle details and driver’s license number.
If you are unable or struggling to get access to this report, this is another thing your legal representative can help you with.
For more information, call us for free on the number at the bottom of the page.
What Possible Damages Can Your Legal Counsel Help You to Recover?
There are many different damages that your lawyer can help you to recover compensation for. These include:
- Property damage.
- Medical bills.
- Pain and suffering, which considers the duration of your recovery and possible complications.
- Wrongful death.
For more information on which of these damages apply to your accident case, call us for free legal advice today.
How Much Will an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney From The Law Place Cost You?
Legal representation for personal injury and accident cases from The Law Place all take place on a contingency basis.
This means that you will pay absolutely nothing until your settlement is concluded. The fees will be subtracted from the compensatory amount. This also means that if your case should be unsuccessful, the whole legal process will be free.
The Law Place is monitored by the State Bar Associated, so you can rest assured there will be no hidden costs or fees.
Contact The Law Place Today
If you have been involved in any form of truck accident that caused injury or damage in the last four years, you could be entitled to compensation.
Let the lawyers at The Law Place fight for that compensation. Our team has over 75 years of combined experience fighting to maximize the compensatory payout of people in positions just like yours.
For toll-free legal advice at no-obligation, call our office today. Our lines remain open all day, every day. This way, we can work around your busy schedule. Our contingency work also ensures that there is no risk involved in seeking the compensatory justice that you deserve. Nobody should be denied legal access to justice based on their financial budget.
Make the first step towards winning back the money that you are owed by calling our office at (941) 444-4444. Our phone lines are open 24/7.
