What to Do After a Truck Accident

What to Do After a Truck Accident

If you are not certain what to do after a truck accident, put your trust in an attorney. While there are a few general tips you can follow, an attorney can give you much more personalized and actionable advice. From how to speak with insurance companies (or not speak with them) to ensure you get the medical attention you need, your lawyer will take the thought and worry out of it.

Truck accidents are traumatic for most. The period after the accident does not have to be. Allow an experienced truck accident lawyer to lead the way in your case. This will leave you more time for mental healthcare, medical care, and rest.

Careful What You Say to Insurance Representatives (and Anyone Else Involved in Your Case)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires trucking companies to purchase substantial insurance. Individual drivers must carry insurance, as many others involved in the industry, such as cargo loaders.

This means you will deal with insurance companies in some capacity, and you should:

• Have a healthy wariness of insurance companies—even including your own provider
• Acknowledge that insurance companies often actively strive to withhold compensation from claimants, as this may be a way to save money
• Allow your attorney to deal with insurance providers on your behalf to the greatest degree that you can do so

An insurance company may use one or more tactics as they try to deprive you of a fair settlement. If you hire an attorney, they will ensure no insurance company’s bad-faith tactics will succeed.

Document as Much as Possible 

Your attorney will immediately begin helping you document physical symptoms, psychological and emotional distress, financial losses, and other relevant aspects of your case.

However, it can’t hurt for you to:

• Keep written notes about physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms related to the accident
• Keep any names, insurance details, or other information relevant to the accident
• Maintain a copy of any police report from your accident
• Keep any financial records related to the accident (like bills for the repair of your vehicle)
• Write down how the effects of your accident have affected your day-to-day life

The effects of traffic accidents can include significant hardship that’s invisible to the naked eye—post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one example. Your written records can help illustrate these unseen scars that may result from your truck wreck.

A Few Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Aftermath of a Truck Collision

Everyone involved in a truck accident should be cautious. Knowing what they should not do is just as important as knowing what they should do. Some steps you should avoid are:

Don’t Wait to Speak with a Lawyer

There is no cost to speak with a truck accident lawyer. Therefore, there is no good reason to wait before completing a free consultation.

You can use these phone calls to:

• Find out if you have a case against a truck driver, trucking company, or other liable parties
• Ensure you are taking all the steps necessary to protect your case
• Ask any questions you have for the law firms
• Decide whether you’d like to pursue a lawsuit after the truck accident

Waiting to talk with an attorney may leave you unaware of information critical to your case. This can lead to substantial financial losses and the consequences of such losses.

Handling the Demands Your Case Will Require

Every truck accident victim should speak with an accident attorney skilled in these cases to lead them to the best financial outcome.

Truck accidents are complicated and you do not have to handle this difficult situation on your own.

Here are some of the items your truck accident attorney will handle:

• A lawyer will take all case-related responsibilities off your hands
• Your attorney will interact with the insurance representatives or anyone else involved in your case, to avoid you saying anything that can harm your case or create a misunderstanding
• You may experience both physical and mental health benefits when you choose to let a lawyer handle your case (recovery can then be your priority)
• A law firm can also provide financial support for your case

Truck accident lawyers don’t work on their own. They often have in-house paralegals, third-party experts, and various others contributing to cases like yours. You should at least speak with one or more law firms about the benefits they offer before choosing the right lawyers for you.

Speaking to Insurance Representatives Carelessly

You will need to report your truck accident to your insurance provider if you have not already done so.

While this may be a step you can’t avoid, you should avoid:

• Providing too much information about the accident without first talking with a truck accident lawyer
• Apologizing to insurance representatives in any respect to your accident
• Stating explicitly or implying that you did anything to cause the truck accident
• Answering any questions you are not certain of the answer to
• Speculating

Consult a lawyer before giving any substantial statement to an insurance company. Your lawyer may even have you provide a written statement to any insurance company that requires your account of the collision.

Let Your Attorney Handle the Insurance Companies (They Will Spare You from Bad-Faith Tactics)

Should you choose to hire a truck accident lawyer, they will protect you from the full spectrum of insurance companies’ questionable and outright unethical practices.

These practices can include:

• Accusing you of being at fault: Many states tie financial liability for a truck accident to the question of fault. If you are at fault, your insurance company, and possibly yourself, may bear liability. Therefore, one or more insurance companies may accuse you of causing a trucking accident to try and shed financial liability.
• Discounting your losses: If an insurance company or another liable party cannot credibly blame you for the accident, it may attempt to whittle down the cost of your losses. These parties may claim you’re seeking elective medical procedures or exaggerating injury severity—as just a couple of examples.
• Denying you the money you deserve: One or more insurance companies may deny your truck accident claim outright. A truck accident attorney can appeal such a claim denial on your behalf.

Extending lowball settlement offers is another way that insurance companies try to reduce their financial liability. Trust that your lawyer will prepare for any bad-faith tactics and will respond tactfully to these strategies.

Your Lawyer Will Work Hard to Obtain the Money You Deserve Due to the Collision

Those who hire a truck accident lawyer get many services in return.

A truck accident lawyer also brings you:

• Guidance (during what, for many, is a very confusing and murky time)
• Advice 
• Someone to speak to about your case
• A sounding board for case-related ideas
• A person who is unequivocally on your side (while others, like insurance companies, are not always so clearly your advocates)

Then, there are the day-to-day responsibilities your lawyer and their team will handle for you.

Expect your legal team to:

• Prove who caused the truck accident: Many types of evidence can help prove fault for a truck accident, from eyewitness statements to security camera footage and expert testimony. 
• Look specifically for evidence from the trucking company: Some types of evidence may come from a liable trucking company. Your attorney will file any necessary legal documentation to obtain work records, black-box data, and other relevant evidence from a liable trucking company. 
• Document your accident-related damages: Your lawyer will secure any medical records and images, bills for accident-related treatment, invoices for vehicle repairs, and other documentation of the economic and non-economic harm your accident has caused. 
• Calculate the value of your case: The total cost of your economic and non-economic damages will be your case value. Your lawyer may consult qualified experts to determine your case value and ensure its accuracy. 
• Fight for all the compensation you deserve: The final step in a truck accident case is delivering fair compensation to the client. Your lawyer may do this by negotiating a fair settlement. They can also fight for fair compensation at trial.

Your lawyer may need you to take certain steps at various points in your case. For instance, they might need you to provide a medical record or give a statement about the accident. However, your lawyer and their team will handle as much of your truck accident case as possible.

Your Truck Accident Lawyer Won’t Require Any Upfront Payment From You

While physical injuries and trauma are acute concerns for those involved in truck accidents, the financial pressure can be similarly stressful. You can hire an attorney for a contingency fee, which means they do not accept any upfront payment. Instead, they will only receive a fee if they get money for you.

There Are a Few Unique Challenges to Truck Accident Cases—Let Your Lawyer Worry About Those

Even if you were in a relatively minor car accident, you might find several benefits in hiring a lawyer.

You weren’t in a minor car accident, though—you were in a truck accident, and truck accident cases can be unusually complex, time-consuming, and high-stakes because:

• Trucks and the industry that governs their operation are complex by nature
• Your attorney may need to get evidence from trucking companies and other hostile parties that resist handing it over
• Truck accident cases can involve serious damage, injuries, and therefore high case valuations
• Trucking companies are often prepared and willing to fight claims like yours

Simply hire an experienced truck accident lawyer and forget about these challenges.

What Damages Are Included in Truck Accident Cases?

Your attorney will soon put forth a detailed record of your accident-related damages.

They will review all medical records and consider other relevant details, and they may identify your damages as:

• Pain and suffering, which may refer to physical pain, PTSD, lost quality of life, and other types of non-economic harm
• Vehicle repairs and any other property expenses, such as temporary transportation costs
• Professional harm including but not limited to lost income
• Medical costs, which will include bills for any accident-related diagnoses and treatments

If a truck accident led to your loved one’s passing, an attorney will also account for that tragic loss.

Hire Your Seasoned Truck Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible

Find a personal injury lawyer near you, sooner rather than later, as the consequences of hesitation may be steep. Quick action and the right attorney will maximize your compensation and bring justice to the negligent parties.