Steps To Take After A Truck Accident
Trucking accidents are often serious, resulting in severe injuries for occupants of passenger vehicles involved in the crash. Much too often, given the weight and size of an 18-wheeler, occupants of smaller passenger vehicles who are involved in a collision with a large truck suffer life-threatening or fatal injuries. After a trucking accident, it may be physically difficult or impossible to take certain steps to document the scene due to your injuries. If you are able to do so, it is important to consider taking the following steps in order to preserve evidence and to build a strong case for compensation.
- Call the Police
Under Alabama law, any driver in a motor vehicle accident that results in injury or death must “immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of such accident to the local police department if such accident occurs within a municipality” or “to the office of the county sheriff or to the state highway patrol.” By calling the police immediately following the crash, you will be in compliance with Alabama law, and you will also be able to obtain a police report that may provide essential information to support your accident claim.
- Document the Trucking Accident Scene
If possible, take photographs at the scene of the accident. You should document the area where the crash occurred in addition to close-up images that show injuries and damage.
- Obtain Witness Contact Information
You should obtain contact information for anyone involved in the collision, as well as for anyone who witnessed the accident. Witnesses can be critical for building a strong trucking accident case.
- See a Doctor Immediately
You should seek medical attention immediately. Given that many truck crashes are severe, there is no option but to get emergency medical attention. Even if you do not think your injuries require emergency attention, you need to be seen and evaluated by a doctor. According to the Mayo Clinic, some serious and life-threatening injuries may not produce immediate symptoms, such as an injury to the spinal cord.
- Report the Accident to Your Insurer As Soon As Possible
You will also need to report the accident to your own auto insurer as soon as possible. Even though you will likely be working with a trucking accident lawyer in Birmingham to file a claim through the trucker’s insurance or to file a claim against the truck driver or trucking company, you will need to inform your auto insurance company about the collision. When you tell your insurer about the crash, do not provide anything more than the facts until you have spoken with your lawyer. Insurance companies are not on your side—even when it is your own insurance company—and you will need to be careful about making statements that could later be construed as admissions of fault.
Contact a Birmingham Trucking Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one suffered a serious or life-threatening injury in a trucking collision, it is important to speak with one of the Birmingham truck accident attorneys at Goldasich, Vick & Fulk to learn more about your options for seeking compensation. The evidence you gather at the scene of the collision and in the days and weeks that follow will strengthen your case, and our firm can assist you with your claim.
Sources:
casetext.com/statute/code-of-alabama/title-32-motor-vehicles-and-traffic/chapter-10-motor-vehicle-accidents/section-32-10-5-immediate-reports-of-accidents
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20377890
