While at the scene of a truck accident, you should:
- Get to a safe location
- Get your vehicle to a safe location, if possible
- Call emergency response
- Examine yourself for injuries
- Receive treatment for any injuries you or medical responders find
- Exchange information with those involved in your accident
- Document your accident
- Call a law firm
You may want to speak with a lawyer or their team before making any on-the-record statements to your insurance company or any other insurance company, as statements may carry importance that you may not be completely aware of.
Your Actions After a Truck Accident Matter
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) outlines in detail some of the steps that you may want to take at the scene of an accident. These include:
- Obtaining information from others involved in your accident, including their phone number and address, insurer, and insurance policy number.
- Obtaining contact information from any witnesses to your accident.
- Photographing the scene of your accident, focusing specifically on damage to vehicles and other property, and any indicators of where the accident occurred.
The GSA also makes it clear that you should not comment on whose fault the accident was, whether in a formal or informal manner. It also advises that you do not sign any official paperwork—it may benefit you to consult with a lawyer before doing so.
Statements that you make after an accident could be used against you later, even if they are not factually accurate. Being cautious and consulting a lawyer or their team may help you get the compensation you could be entitled to.
Insurance Companies May Not Have Your Best Interest in Mind
Auto insurance companies, like most businesses, typically have one primary incentive: To preserve their bottom line, even if that does not always appear to be their motive. It may generally be in an insurance company’s interest to pay as few claims as possible and pay as little on individual claims as they can.
Your lawyer may have experience with auto insurers and may be able to help you in several ways. Their assistance may include:
- Direct communication with your insurance company and insurance companies for others involved in your accident.
- Advising you on how to go about making statements to insurance companies so that you do not compromise your rights.
- Making you aware of tactics that insurance companies may use to induce statements that could harm your ability to seek or obtain compensation.
- Combating tactics by insurance companies aimed at depriving you of fair compensation after your truck accident.
- Negotiating an insurance settlement.
You and your lawyer could determine that insurance will not be a possible route to fair compensation for one or more reasons. If this is the case, you may choose to pursue compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
When a Lawsuit May Be Justified
There are several possible reasons why you may bring a lawsuit. These reasons could include:
- You or a loved one suffered a significant injury because of a truck accident.
- Your loved one died because of a truck accident.
- You know that one or more parties aside from yourself or your loved one are responsible for the truck accident in question.
- You believe or know that insurance is not an available means of obtaining the compensation you should be entitled to.
Whatever your motivation for bringing a lawsuit is, a lawyer could help you seek compensation from those responsible for your truck accident. One element of your lawsuit may be arguing that one or more defendants in your case were negligent.
As the American Bar Association (ABA) affirms:
- A person does not have to intend to do harm in order to be negligent.
- Somebody might be negligent if they were careless or reckless in the way that they were operating a motor vehicle, or in some other way that contributed to the onset of your accident.
- Somebody might be negligent if they did not act in a way considered reasonably necessary to protect others from harm.
Your lawyer may explain to you the specific acts of defendants named in your lawsuit that they believe are negligent in nature.
Those who are negligent and cause an accident may be held responsible for the losses they cause to others, possibly including yourself or your loved one. Your losses could include:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Diminished quality of life
- The cost of losing a loved one
Your lawyer can help you seek justice for any accident-related losses you have suffered.
Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC Today
The team at Ben Crump Law, PLLC wants to ensure that you do not suffer any more harm from a truck accident, and we do not shy away from tough cases. Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC today at (800) 235-0444 for a free consultation.
