Hit By A Truck? Here’s Our Semi Truck Accident Guide
The road ahead can be overwhelming for those involved in a trucking accident. The physical injuries sustained in such a crash are often severe, requiring extensive medical treatment, lengthy rehabilitation, and ongoing care. The financial burdens can quickly mount, with expensive hospital bills, lost wages, and the potential for long-term disabilities that may impact one’s ability to work and provide for their family.
Navigating this difficult journey can sometimes feel isolating and hopeless, but it’s important to remember that you are not alone. By taking proactive steps to protect your health, legal rights, and financial future, you can begin to rebuild your life and find a path forward.
What to do After a Serious Truck Accident
So, what should you do in the hours, days, and weeks after a semi-truck accident? How do you protect your health and your legal rights when you’re in no shape to do it yourself? Consider this your survival guide to navigating the difficult road ahead.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Your health is the number one priority after any truck wreck. Even if you can walk away from the crash site, never refuse medical treatment at the scene. Shock and adrenaline can mask the symptoms of serious underlying injuries. Some conditions like traumatic brain injuries, neck and spinal damage, or internal bleeding may not be immediately apparent.
Insist on transport to the nearest emergency room for a full trauma workup. Follow your doctor’s treatment plan in the letter, attend all follow-up appointments, and don’t try to tough it out. Pushing yourself too hard can jeopardize your recovery. Keep records of all your medical visits, treatments, and prescriptions. This paper trail serves as crucial evidence linking your injuries directly to the truck accident.
Call 911 and Cooperate With Investigators
Dialing 911 after a truck crash serves two important purposes. First, it dispatches emergency medical personnel to treat you and other injured victims. Second, it alerts law enforcement to respond to the accident scene, control traffic, and investigate what happened.
When San Bernardino police or California Highway Patrol officers arrive, give them an honest account of what occurred to the best of your recollection. Stick to the facts as you perceived them, but avoid admitting any fault for the crash, even if you think you could have reacted differently.
Document Everything You Can
Understandably, if you’ve been seriously injured, you may not be up to playing detective at the accident scene. However, to the extent that you’re physically able or you have able-bodied companions who can assist, try to collect as much evidence as possible before the vehicles are moved, including pictures of the vehicle damage, your injuries, eyewitnesses, and anything around you that might have contributed to the crash.
The more contemporaneous evidence you gather, the easier it will be for a skilled truck accident attorney to piece together what happened and who was at fault.
Don’t Give Recorded Statements to Insurers
The adjuster may pressure you to give a recorded statement about the crash and your injuries or ask you to sign a blanket medical records release. Politely but firmly decline both. Remember, the adjuster works for the trucking company and its insurer. No matter how concerned they sound, their goal is to reduce liability and pay you as little as possible.
Simply say your attorney has advised you not to give statements or sign documents. Then, tell them to direct all further communications through your truck accident lawyer. If they keep hounding you, let your attorney deal with them.
Hire an Experienced Attorney
Perhaps the single most important step you can take after a catastrophic truck crash is hiring an experienced San Bernardino truck accident lawyer. Look for a truck accident attorney who focuses primarily on truck accident cases and has a track record of successful settlements and verdicts. The sooner you involve a skilled advocate, the sooner you can offload your legal burdens and focus your energy on healing.
Trucking accident cases are highly complex, requiring intensive investigation and familiarity with the trucking industry and its voluminous regulations. An adept truck accident attorney can and will:
- Send spoliation letters directing the trucking company to preserve crucial evidence, such as the truck’s black box data, driver’s logs, dash cam footage, maintenance and inspection records, etc.
- Investigate whether the trucking company cut corners on safety, such as pushing drivers to exceed legal limits on driving hours, hiring drivers with poor safety records, or failing to maintain their trucks.
- Track down and interview eyewitnesses and first responders to get their statements on record.
- Locate video footage from traffic cameras, gas stations, or other businesses that may have captured the crash.
- Hire expert accident reconstruction engineers to analyze the evidence, determine how the crash occurred, and determine who was at fault.
- Consult medical experts to assess the full extent of your injuries, disabilities, and long-term care needs.
- Handle all communications with the trucking company and insurers so you don’t have to.
- Ensure you meet all legal filing deadlines and craft a compelling case for maximum compensation.
Most truck accident attorneys work on contingency, meaning they only collect a fee if they win money for you. Schedule consultations with a few reputable truck accident law firms in your area. Ask about their experience, track record, and assessment of your case. Then, choose the advocate you feel most comfortable with, who will fight tirelessly for you.
Contact Our Law Firm
If you were hit by a semi-truck, you need a law firm on your side from the very beginning. Reach out to a trusted attorney at our law firm today to begin your journey to justice and recovery.
Contact William D. Shapiro Law, Inc. today by calling us at 909-890-1000 or complete our confidential contact form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Remember, you don’t have to face this difficult time alone—trust the dedicated professionals at William D. Shapiro Law, Inc., to help you on the road to recovery.
William Shapiro has handled catastrophic injury/wrongful death actions for over 4 decades obtaining numerous seven and eight-figure verdicts and settlements. Honors include: 2022, 2016 and 2013 OCTLA “Top Gun” TLY; 2022 CAOC TLY Finalist; 2018 “Lifetime Achievement Award” Western State College of Law, 2021 & 2017 Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year; 2016 WSBCBA “TLY”; 2015 CAL-ABOTA “TLY”; 2014 “TLY” Consumer Attorneys of CAOIE; 2011 “Hall of Fame,” Western State College of Law; Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; International Academy of Trial Lawyers; International Society of Barristers; Diplomat, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA); National Board of Trial Advocacy; specialist in Trial Advocacy, State Bar of California; “Best Lawyers in America” and “Tier 1 Best Law Firms” U.S. News; AV Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell; SuperLawyers; Past President of: San Bernardino/Riverside chapter ABOTA; San Bernardino County Bar Association; Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire; The Joseph. B. Campbell American Inn of Court; Consumer Attorneys of California; IE ; National Sec of ABOTA, Adjunct professor, Western State College of Law. Learn more here.