Truck Accident Attorneys
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What to Do at the Scene of a Truck Accident with Injuries or Damages
If you find yourself involved in a truck accident with damages or injuries, the first thing you need to do is to try to remain calm. Here are a few very important steps to take:
In case there have been serious injuries in the truck wreck that you have been involved in, you need to call for help as soon as possible. This gets police, ambulances, and even firetrucks on alert and on their way to you. Often, the operator will ask you to perform step 2 while on the phone with them. If there is a fire or smell of fuel, report this immediately.
2. Check yourself and everyone involved for injuries.
While remaining on the phone with the emergency services operator, check yourself and all of your passengers for passenger injuries. If you are able to exit your vehicle, check the driver of any other truck involved for driver injuries, check the passengers, and any pedestrians involved for pedestrian injuries. If you are a pedestrian and are able to call for help, you can report your own injuries. This will help the operator to know what type of help and how much help is needed.
3. Take photos of the scene.
If you are uninjured and can walk around, use your smartphone to take pictures of the truck accident scene. If you are not able to do so, see if anyone else can. Be sure to photograph any personal injury, property damage, skid marks, or any other evidence that could show who was at fault. It may also be a good idea to get a photograph of the make, model, and tag number of any other vehicle involved in the accident.
4. Get the information of any other driver.
5. Remain at the scene.
What To Do After Leaving the Scene
Many truck accident victims do not know what to do after they have left the scene after being involved in a truck wreck. You may have some of the issues mentioned earlier, such as mounting medical bills, lost time from work or school, loss of transportation, or even death and funeral expenses. Where can you turn for help? A truck accident lawyer can advise you on how to proceed to receive compensation if you have to deal with personal injury or property damage from a truck accident that was not your fault. Here are a few steps to take after you have left the scene of an accident:
- Call a truck accident attorney. As truck accident lawyers, we can help guide you through the process of filing a claim for a truck accident lawsuit. Without an accident attorney, you may have to pay out of pocket for any injuries or damages incurred in the accident, even if it was not your fault. By choosing us to represent you in your case, you can be assured that we will do everything possible to help you through this traumatic time. It is a good idea to call a truck accident lawyer before speaking with anyone else.
- Gather paperwork. If you are out of the hospital, you may want to gather any medical bills, doctor notes, diagnosis, the costs of any prescriptions related to the accident, receipts for towing services, rental cars, hospital and doctor visits, and any other expenses incurred from the truck accident. You should also gather estimates for repairing damages to your vehicle or other property, and/or paperwork from the insurance company if they have totaled the vehicle.
- Make notes of other inconveniences. Notes should be made about the time that you or your passengers have had to miss from work. You may be able to receive compensation for this in the event of a truck accident lawsuit. Other expenses directly related to the accident should also be reported, such as childcare, maid services, etc. for someone who is unable to take care of their daily tasks.
- Bring everything to us. Once you have scheduled an appointment to speak with one of our truck accident lawyers, be sure to bring in any of the paperwork, receipts, bills, pictures of the scene, pictures of damages and injuries, estimates, and witness testimony to the meeting. We can use all of this to determine your right to pursue damages in a truck accident lawsuit and how much those damages should be if you choose to pursue them.
Taking photographs at the scene of an accident, making notes after an accident, and keeping records of what happens after can make all of the difference in a truck accident lawsuit. People generally forget the details of a collision soon after it has finished, so, keeping these basic records can help build a more robust lawsuit if you need to pursue legal action for any injuries or damages that you may have sustained.
Common Truck Accident Factors
In many cases, some truck accidents are simply unavoidable – especially in circumstances when the negligent actions of a driver cause the accident or if there is a mechanical malfunction that causes a driver to lose control of their vehicle.
While there can be a variety of circumstances that contribute significantly to the cause of a collision, in the many years the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has collected collision data, there are a number of factors that consistently arise in many accident situations. Some of these factors include (but are not limited to):
- Parking Lot Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Distracted Driving Collisions
- Hit & Run Accidents
- Commercial Vehicle Collisions
- Drunk Driving
- Rear-End Crashes
- Parking Lot Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Distracted Driving Collisions
- Hit & Run Accidents
- Commercial Vehicle Collisions
- Drunk Driving
- Rear-End Crashes
- Reckless Driving
- Seat Belt Injuries
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Texting & Driving
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Teenage Drunk Driving
- Reckless Driving
- Seat Belt Injuries
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Texting & Driving
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Teenage Drunk Driving
Injured Drivers and Insurance Companies – What To Do
In most auto collisions that involve considerable damage, the insurance company that issues the at-fault driver’s insurance policy will usually send out an investigator to assess the damage and try to determine the cause of the accident.
It is very important to remember that these adjusters are not your friend. They are highly-skilled individuals that are trained to obtain sensitive information from you when you are most vulnerable. In the event of a lawsuit, this information can be used against you, which can substantially reduce the compensation amount to which you may be entitled.
By hiring the services of a competent Georgia auto accident lawyer, you will have someone that can act as a shield to these investigators, and help to guide you safely past the dangers of dealing with insurance companies.
Truck Accident Settlements
It is very uncommon for injury or vehicle damage claims following a truck accident to be heard at trial. These cases are typically resolved by dealing directly with insurance companies. Even if a claim is filed against an individual and not the insurer, it is still likely to be settled without a trial. Therefore, it is important to have an experienced truck accident lawyer to help you understand how truck accident claims and settlements are resolved.
A settlement is a compromise among the parties involved in a dispute and having a skilled attorney at your side will increase your chances of a higher settlement amount. To reach an appropriate settlement, hire an experienced truck accident lawyer. The factors that must be considered include:
- Insurance coverage
- Truck damage and repairs
- Medical bills from both the past and future
- Pain and suffering of the injured
- Lost wages from missing work
In a truck accident lawsuit, there are many different types of liability truck accident claims and other possible defendants besides the other driver.
Please seek the advice of a medical professional before making health care decisions.
At the Eichholz Law Firm We Are Lawyers That Care About You
Our clients are at the center of everything we do and our team is focused on delivering results. We are committed to fighting for justice and increased social responsibility in our community.
Our objective is to provide expert legal services in an effort to maximize results for clients who have been injured through the negligence of others.