Got Tangled in a Truck Accident? Here's What You Need to Do

Secondly, in many cases, there's one additional factor working against you: Many big rigs are driven by individual rather than corporate owners. This can make it tough to find out who exactly is responsible for your losses; not knowing where to turn can be frustrating and scary. But if you act fast after getting rammed by an 18-wheeler (or other types of commercial car), you'll have a much better chance at protecting yourself financially—and holding someone accountable for your pain and suffering. Here's what you need to do if you're unlucky enough to get smashed by a truck.

Disputed Fault In The Accident

The first rule is to take steps to resolve liability—that is, identify who's at fault for the crash. You can't go after someone for damages or injuries that occurred because of her carelessness if she wasn't careless when it came to you. If you're lucky, you'll have proof in black-and-white: a person ran a red light while you were going through an intersection on green, or a person slammed into your car while yours was legally parked at curbside.

Seek Medical Attention

Before calling any lawyers or talking with anyone else involved in the accident, it's essential to seek medical treatment for your injuries. Once you know how serious they are, you can decide on your best course of action. If the injuries are simply painful but not debilitating, your doctor may say that recovery will be slow and require aggressive treatments like physical therapy or surgery.

However, if the injuries keep you off work for a long time—a month or more—or cause permanent damage to bones, joints, or organs (with resulting chronic pain), it may be worth getting legal representation immediately.

Retaining An Attorney

Once your injuries have been resolved and it's safe to assume that they will not get worse or new ones crop up unexpectedly, retaining a lawyer is the next step.

When you look for representation, it's crucial to choose someone who specializes in truck accident cases rather than getting involved with a lawyer who does everything under the sun. This is especially true if you live in some States where legal experience is necessary, like Los Angeles; getting injured in a truck accident in Los Angeles requires you to find a qualified attorney. The reason behind this is simple, knowing exactly how these cases are handled will put you in the best position to build your own claim correctly and completely—and formulating an accurate legal strategy is something that takes years of experience on top of natural talent.

Once you've chosen an attorney, sit down with him or her one-on-one to discuss exactly what happened; make sure you explain all of the details surrounding your accident before giving him or her permission to act on your behalf. This will help prevent misunderstandings later on (for example, if there were witnesses who said something different from your version of events) and will also give your lawyer some idea of what evidence—police reports, witness testimonies, insurance documents, and so on—he or she needs to track down in order to build a strong case.

Get Witnesses Involved

If there were other drivers who stopped at the accident scene and told police officers their recollection of how everything happened, get them on board with you and your legal team. If someone snapped pictures showing exactly what went down just before impact, try to get ahold of them.

Keep in mind that letting a trucking company or its employees know that they're being sued can cause problems down the road. So try to get any evidence you have before taking any steps toward actually going to court. Otherwise, your lawyer will have an incredibly hard time overcoming their claims (or the ones made by their insurer).

Notify Your Insurance Company

If you were hurt in an accident involving a truck, there's no doubt it had some sort of insurance coverage on file. Whether it was full-coverage auto insurance; commercial liability; or comprehensive business insurance, among other things, each policy has its own legal loopholes that may leave you with nothing (or even making it more difficult for you) if you don't report your accident to the insurance company. If you were the one responsible for causing the collision, this isn't as big of a deal, but if not, you should try to notify your insurance company as soon as possible.

Truck accidents, particularly ones that occur on a highway, can be complicated and laborious to prove in court. If you're not sure how to take the next steps, then hiring a qualified personal injury attorney is your best option. He or she will help you get through this difficult time and will fight for the compensation you deserve.