Any serious trucking accident can be devastating for the victims involved. If you suffered a trucking accident injury, you could face potentially life-changing circumstances.
What you do in the hours and days after a commercial vehicle accident can determine the outcome of your injuries. If the accident was not your fault, the next steps you take will also profoundly affect your economic outcome.
If you aren’t sure what to do after a truck accident, personal injury attorney Blake Friedman of Friedman Injury Law can help.
Serving clients in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada, we offer a no-cost consultation and case review.
Talking to a truck accident injury lawyer as soon as possible is one of the most important steps you can take after an 18-wheeler crash. Before you make that call, however, first see to your personal safety and well-being.
No. 1: Get to a Safe Location
If you are involved in a semi-truck accident, get clear of the roadway as quickly as possible. If you can safely move your vehicle, do that as well. However, if someone is seriously injured, it might be best not to move the vehicle.
No. 2: Call 911
After an injury accident involving a commercial truck, call 911 immediately. Request emergency medical attention for anyone who suffered injuries.
Even if you don’t believe you are seriously injured, it is usually a good idea to have emergency medical technicians evaluate you. If you sustained an internal injury or if you’re in shock, you might not realize that you’ve been hurt.
Request copies of any paperwork that the EMTs can provide that include details of your evaluation and any treatment provided.
No. 3: Collect Information
If you can safely accomplish this goal, use your phone to take videos at the scene. Obtain a video of the at-fault driver admitting fault at the scene. Obtain a video of other involved drivers, passengers, and witnesses explaining what happened.
Additionally, the more photos you can take, the better. Use your smartphone camera to take both close-up photos of the damage to the vehicles, as well as wider shots of the entire scene of the crash.
Take photographs of license plates, VIN numbers, driver’s licenses, and insurance cards. When a truck is involved, obtain photographs of the company name on the side of the truck and the truck’s Department of Transportation (DOT) serial number.
Record any and all information regarding the commercial vehicle. Note that you may need to document information for both the truck and the trailer.
Gather contact information from anyone who was involved in the accident. Talk to any witnesses who might be present. Collect their contact information. Ask if they have any photos or videos of the accident, and if so, ask if they would share them with you.
No. 4: Talk to the Police
When the police arrive, they will collect the information necessary to complete an accident report. Provide basic facts about the accident, but do not speculate about what happened or admit fault if you are not sure.
Unless you are 100% clear about what happened, do not complete a written statement. Keep in mind you can always provide a written statement at a later date when things have calmed down.
Ask the police officer for an accident report number and how to get a copy of your truck accident report.
No. 5: Seek Medical Attention
Even if you got checked out by the paramedics at the scene, it is imperative that you go to the emergency room or urgent care after a truck accident injury. Emergency medical technicians don’t have the necessary equipment to conduct a thorough examination at the scene.
Seeing a qualified medical professional will help ensure that you get the treatment you need. The medical records of your trip to the ER will also form the basis of your trucking accident injury claim.
No. 6: Contact a Nevada Truck Accident Injury Attorney
It is important to talk to a lawyer after a motor vehicle collision. After a commercial truck accident, calling a lawyer is even more critical.
The nature of commercial vehicle and trucking accidents is much more complex than passenger vehicle crashes. Below are a few reasons:
Multiple Parties Are Involved
Car accident claims typically involve two drivers and their respective insurance carriers. Trucking accidents often involve multiple parties.
Your claim might involve the truck driver, the truck driver’s employer, the owner of the truck (if different from the employer), the owner of the trailer (if different from the employer), multiple insurance companies, etc.
Your claim might also involve manufacturers and maintenance providers of the truck, trailer, tires, and other vehicle components.
For every party to your claim, you can also count on their insurance company’s involvement. These will be large national or multinational corporations that have significant resources and a lot at stake if their client is found liable for your damages.
Investigational Challenges
Out of all the potentially involved parties, your attorney must determine and demonstrate who was at fault. To accomplish that goal, your lawyer must conduct a thorough investigation and gather the necessary information and evidence.
Getting to the scene to investigate is critical, as is the ability to inspect the truck and any other physical evidence.
Unfortunately, evidence is often quick to disappear after a major crash involving a commercial vehicle. An experienced truck accident attorney knows how to compel the involved parties to preserve evidence.
Having an experienced truck accident lawyer on your side provides multiple advantages.
To get the compensation you deserve, you will be fighting large corporations who care much less about your future health or well-being and much more about getting your claim denied or minimized.
Your attorney can help put you on a more even footing and fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Talk to a Nevada Trucking Accident Lawyer Today
One of the most important things NOT to do after a trucking accident is talking to the insurance company—any insurance company. Do not provide a recorded statement or discuss any payment or potential settlement until you consult an attorney.
Contact an experienced Nevada personal injury lawyer to learn more about your options.
Attorney Blake Friedman has assisted more than 1,000 clients, recovering tens of millions of dollars in awards and settlements.
Although these results might not reflect on the potential outcome of your case, you can rest assured that we will fight tirelessly to get you the results you deserve.
Contact us today to learn more or to schedule a consultation to discuss your truck accident injuries.
Blake S. Friedman, Esq. is a personal injury lawyer helping those in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blake was born and raised right here in Las Vegas, Nevada. He grew up watching his father, a battle-hardened lawyer, fight for his clients’ justice in the Clark County court system.