Accidents involving semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles are rarely straightforward, so what you do immediately following a crash is critical. These types of incidents often involve multiple vehicles, and liability can fall to many different parties, including the truck owner, driver, and trucking company. The hefty size of these vehicles can also make these types of crashes especially damaging, if not deadly, which only adds to the complexity of the situation.
To protect your rights after a serious truck accident, it’s important to discover what you should do after a truck accident. A proactive, comprehensive action plan can go far to protect your rights and your future.
1. Pursue Medical Attention
Immediately following a truck crash, the top priority should always be to ensure your safety. After an accident, you should take stock of your injuries and, if you are able, call for an ambulance. If you are unable to call for any reason, ask someone nearby to do so for you. In the event that your injuries are not serious or life-threatening, you may also ask the other accident survivors if they need medical attention.
2. Call 911
However serious your crash, you should always contact the police to report the incident. If you haven’t already called 911 to request an ambulance, you should contact the local police to report the accident, even if you weren’t injured. Even if the damage or injuries were minor, reporting the incident can go a long way to help with the claims process. When you report a crash, an officer will arrive on the scene, draw up an official report, and record the facts as they see it, without bias.
3. Exchange Information with Other Drivers
Once you’ve reported the incident to the appropriate sources and seen to your injuries, make sure you exchange information with the other drivers involved in your crash. When dealing with commercial trucks, always be sure to gather as much information about the driver and their trucking company as you can. Write down the name of their company, the driver’s name, the license plate number, the name of the insurer, and anything else you can. If other passenger vehicles were involved in your crash, collect their information as well, including an email or phone number you can use as a point of contact.
4. Collect Evidence
Take photos of the crash site, vehicles, and anything else that was damaged in the accident. Tire marks, damaged walls, broken signs, and loose debris can all help build a case and explain either the cause of the crash or the resulting damage. If there were any witnesses, ask them for a brief statement and write down their names and contact information. Lastly, ask the responding police officer for a copy of the accident report for your records.
5. Contact an Attorney
After the most pressing concerns have been addressed, you need to act quickly to protect your rights and your future. Contact an experienced attorney who has experience working on truck accident cases and discuss your current situation. Our team at Martin Jean & Jackson has ample experience with these types of cases and we can walk you through each step of the legal process while you focus on healing and recovering from your injuries. However complex your truck accident case may seem, we’re here to provide you with the representation you need and deserve.
Contact Martin Jean & Jacksontoday to discuss your case with our team.
