What You Should Do After A Semi-Trailer Truck Accident

After a semi-trailer truck accident, you may feel shocked, injured, and possibly afraid. You’re not alone. Collisions involving heavy trucks are some of the most dangerous traffic accidents.

Semi-trailer trucks have large blind spots and cannot see around their cabin, so they must rely on other drivers to alert them to smaller vehicles traveling nearby. Fortunately, help is available after a semi-trailer truck crash.

In the aftermath of this type of incident, there are many steps you can take to protect your rights and recover from your injuries as quickly as possible. Read on for advice about what to do after a semi-trailer truck accident.

Consult with a lawyer

If you’ve been injured in a collision, a semi-trailer truck accident can be extremely serious, so you should speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. A lawyer can help you navigate the insurance claim process, manage communications with the other parties involved, and file an injury claim if necessary.

A truck accident lawyer can also help you gather more evidence by securing police reports, requesting copies of truck driver logs, and contacting the trucking company’s insurance representatives.

Your attorney can also help you cope with the emotional aftermath of a truck crash. They can walk you through the injury claim process and guide you through any therapy or recovery programs that may help you heal.

Check for injuries

You may injure your head, back, or neck in a truck accident. You may suffer a concussion, whiplash, or broken bones. And you may experience soft tissue damage to your arms, hands, or legs.

You may cut yourself or break a fingernail or toenail. It’s important to get checked out by a doctor immediately, even if you don’t think you are seriously hurt. As you wait for treatment following a truck crash, you may experience ongoing pain and other symptoms that could mislead you into thinking you’re OK when you’re not.

As a result, you may miss out on critical time to collect evidence and pursue financial compensation for your injuries.

Assemble evidence

Semi-trailer truck wrecks often cause serious car accidents, so you will want to gather as much evidence as possible. You should carefully photograph your damaged vehicle and any debris left at the scene. If you’ve suffered soft tissue injuries or broken fingernails or toenails, you can also take photos of these. You may also want to take measurements of skid marks left behind by the accident or other road markings.

If you were issued a traffic citation, make sure to save it. Likewise, if you were involved in a collision with a semi-truck, make sure to save the citation. You should also gather information about the truck driver, including their name, contact information, and employer.

You may want to find out if the trucker was speeding or if they were using a handheld device while driving.

Exchange contact information

The aftermath of a semi-trailer truck wreck can be stressful, and emotions may run high. That’s why it’s important for everyone involved in the collision to exchange contact information. If the trucker does not exchange information with you, you should ask for it anyway.

If the truck driver cannot give you their information, you may want to ask the trucker to call their supervisor so that you can obtain contact information from that person. Also, if you cannot reach the truck driver by phone, you may want to go to the trucking company’s office or ask the police to reach out to the trucker.

It would help if you also asked the other drivers or passengers involved in the crash for their contact information.

Document the scene

If you can, it’s a good idea to document the scene of a semi-trailer accident. This can be particularly important if you are cited for the accident, as it can help you defend yourself against the citation.

If you have a camera that can take pictures on a timer, you may want to set it up to snap pictures of the accident scene from different angles. If you have witnesses, you should ask them to write down what they saw. And if you have a smartphone, you can use its voice recorder function to record your observations.

It would be best if you also grabbed any pieces of debris from the accident scene that you think might be relevant to the investigation.

Take recovery steps immediately

The aftermath of a semi-trailer truck accident can be a long road, so it’s important to get started as soon as possible. In the days and weeks after a collision, you can.

If you were injured in a truck crash, you might need to take time off work to heal. Make sure you are seeing your doctor regularly and taking any prescribed medications. If your injuries are long-lasting, you may also want to attend therapy or participate in other recovery programs.

Keep track of your finances. If you’ve lost wages or incurred other expenses due to the accident, keep track of them so that you can submit an insurance claim.

After a truck crash, you may need to apply for a loan to cover your medical bills. If you take out a loan, ensure you understand its terms and keep up with your payments.

Summing up

Semi-trailer truck accidents are some of the most destructive collisions on the road. If you’ve been involved in a truck crash, you’ll want to take steps to protect your rights and recover from your injuries as quickly as possible.

First, make sure your injuries aren’t serious. Then, gather evidence from the scene and exchange contact information with other drivers.

Finally, take steps to recover from your injuries as soon as possible to minimize the impact of the collision on your life.