What To Do After a Fatal Truck Accident
If you are involved in a truck accident that results in fatalities, it can be a difficult time for everyone involved. The first thing you need to do is stay calm and assess the situation. If there are any injuries, or if the truck is leaking hazardous materials, you need to call 911 immediately.
Once emergency personnel have arrived on the scene, there are specific steps you will need to take to protect yourself and ensure that an objective investigation can take place.
Seek Legal Advice
You should also seek legal advice as soon as possible. You will need an attorney to help you understand your rights and any compensation options available to you.
Less than 20% of people injured in truck accidents end up making a claim – the rest don’t know how or they think they can’t afford it. However, a New York truck accident attorney can be of great assistance when such an incident occurs.
Take Pictures at the Scene
It’s essential to take as many pictures as possible, mainly if there were cars involved in addition to the truck. For there not to be any question about how the crash happened, take clear photos before anything is moved or touched. You should also ensure that you get pictures of license plates, truck decals, and other identifying details.
Get Witnesses Names and Contact Information
As soon as you can, take down the name and contact information of those who witnessed the accident. Depending on how your case goes, you might need to rely on witness testimony. This is a powerful legal tool that can greatly benefit your case.
Get Medical Attention
No matter how minor your injuries may be, you must see a doctor after any car accident, including ones involving trucks. Many injuries are not immediately noticeable or apparent right away but could cause serious health problems in the future if left untreated.
For example, whiplash is often thought of as only something that happens when a typical car accident occurs. However, it can also happen when someone is in the back of a truck that has been hit from behind.
Gather Information About Your Car
If you’ve been injured or had your car damaged in the crash, you need to find as much information about your vehicle as possible. Ensure you have an itemized list detailing what was wrong with your car after the accident and how badly it was damaged.
If any witnesses saw the full extent of what happened, make sure to ask them for their name and contact information so that you can give this data to your insurance company.
Collect Information About the Truck Driver
If possible, try to get the name and contact information of the truck driver involved in the accident. However, if they are still around once the police arrive on the scene, ask an officer for this instead. You will also need to find out who employed the truck driver so that you can inform their employer after everything is settled with your insurance company.
Contact Your Insurance Company Immediately
No matter how minor or severe your injuries are, and no matter how much damage your car sustains, you need to contact your insurance company as soon as possible after the accident. You will also need to give them any other relevant information such as names and addresses of everyone involved, license plate numbers, and further identifying details.
Document Your Injuries and Accident Details
As soon as you’re able to write again (assuming you were injured in the accident), this would be an excellent time to start documenting everything that happened.
This should include describing what happened before and during the accident, giving a thorough description of the truck driver and whoever else might have been involved, and noting any injuries sustained and how they affect your daily life.
Take Care of Yourself
Finally, give yourself some time to recover from your injuries. If for any reason this is impossible or difficult, make sure to take care of yourself as best as possible during the accident claims process and until you’ve recovered completely.
There’s a good chance that dealing with insurance adjusters will be enough stress on its own without adding your health problems into the mix.
Take Things One Step at a Time
Truck accidents can happen when you least expect them. Make sure to watch out for large trucks and other vehicles in the road when driving, especially during adverse weather conditions like snow or ice; if necessary, slow down and take another route.
If you’ve been involved in an accident with a truck that wasn’t your fault — or even if it was — the best thing that you can do is get in touch with an experienced lawyer who can help you through this process so that nothing gets overlooked.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Early in his journalism career, Kerry L. Tucker had a revelation: there were not enough experts reporting on law issues. Legal matters are part of daily life. Yet, there seems to be a general aversion towards them. One of the main reasons for this is that the convoluted legal language is difficult for many people to follow. Therefore, he decided to change how the law is perceived by the public. Throughout his career, he met with many people who shared their personal stories with him. Some of these hit him harder. One of the cases that stayed with him and influenced his future career development was a car accident case involving a child. From then on, he decided to zero in on car accident lawsuits.
