Motor vehicle accidents are difficult situations for the victims who weren’t expected to be crashed into. When one of these vehicles is a semitruck, there is a good chance that serious injuries will occur. The next steps are crucial so make sure that you are carefully considering what you are going to do.
The first thing that you should do is to determine if anyone needs an ambulance. In a semitruck crash, there is a very good chance that you will. You should contact 911 to get the police department dispatched. Make sure you tell the operator that you need medical care if necessary. If you think that either vehicle will catch on fire or if something flammable is leaking from a vehicle, you should also ask for the fire department.
You need to collect the same information in a semitruck crash as what you’d get in any other accident. On top of the basics like insurance information, name and driver’s license number, you also need to get the name of the company the trucker is driving for. Try to get pictures of the vehicles and the area around the accident. These can help to provide a visual representation of what happened.
When you are giving statements about the accident, stick to the facts. Don’t say anything that someone might think is you admitting fault. You might opt not to speak to the insurance company on your own and opt to have your legal representation handle those matters for you.
Once you have made sure that your injuries are being addressed, you might decide that you are going to seek compensation. Think carefully about your case. You need to include all possible defendants and include all of the damages you suffered.
Source: Stop Unsafe Trucks, “What to Do After an Accident,” accessed May 18, 2018