Top Ten Things to Know After a Trucking Accident

1. Call 911 immediately or ask someone else to call if you are not able. Your health and safety is the number one priority in an accident.
2. Leave the vehicles where they are for police investigation and the accident report.
3. When the police arrive at the scene of the accident, they will ask you questions about the accident to help them write their accident report. This is totally normal and you should answer their questions to the best of your ability.
4. Take photographs and video of the scene and all damage if you are able. If you are unable, ask someone else. Do not put yourself or others in danger to collect photographs. Only do so if there is no traffic or roadway hazard.
5. Even if you do not immediately feel injured, you should ask to be examined by a medical professional. There are serious injuries that can occur during a severe collision such as a tractor trailer accident which you may not realize right away. Keep a watch for injuries to the neck and back, traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, and whiplash.
6. The trucking company’s legal team and insurance company begin working on the case immediately. The insurance company will often contact all involved parties as early as the day after the accident. Getting a lawyer involved immediately is crucial to make sure the trucking company and insurance company preserves all relevant evidence from the accident. Call for a FREE CONSULTATION with a DeGaris Law Birmingham truck accident lawyer first.
7. Act fast to hire the best attorney possible because the insurance company and the trucking company will begin work immediately to investigate and establish fault. At DeGaris Law we will get to work today to obtain the driver’s log (detailing how many hours the driver had been on the road since they last slept) and maintenance information on the truck.
8. Each commercial truck has what is called a “black box” to record data such as speed and braking information. Obtaining the information from this box is vital and is often a race against the clock. Hiring an experienced trucking accident attorney as soon as possible will ensure you get the data from this box that is so important to your case.
9. Parties liable in a truck accident case can include the driver, the trucking company, manufacturer of the truck, manufacturer of trucking equipment and parts, company hired to load the cargo of the truck, and/or companies who performed mechanical work on the truck.
10.  Social media will hurt your case. Fight the urge to post anything concerning   your wreck on social media. Posting something as simple as “I got in a wreck today but I’m fine” can come back to haunt your case. The defense will use anything you post to discredit your injuries and damages.

Don’t hire just any attorney, hire an attorney with a proven record of recovering money for clients injured by tractor trailers. DeGaris Law attorneys have over thirty years helping victims of trucking accidents. Call today for your FREE CONSULTATION.