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Truck Accident While Traveling? Here are Legal Tips to Help You Through

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Truck accidents can be hazardous, and you need to call an ambulance immediately if you come across one while driving. Being a bystander during an accident is chaotic. Your brain scrambles, and you have no idea what the appropriate course of action is, especially if it’s someone you know. If a family member gets injured, there are a few steps you need to take in order to preserve their legal rights and ensure they get proper attention and treatment.

The following are steps to take immediately should you or someone you know are in an accident.

Call the police 

It is important to remember the helpline of the police station in your area. You can dial 911 in most situations and ask them to connect your call to the relevant department. Provide the dispatcher information about the number of people injured in the accident and the vehicles involved, so they arrange ambulances according to the situation. It's crucial to report to the police even if there are minor injuries. 

Determine the cause of the accident

Regardless of the safety regulations of commercial vehicles, accidents occur frequently. Numerous factors can cause accidents and result in injuries and deaths. The most common causes of truck accidents are careless driving, poor vehicle maintenance, excessive load, and malfunctioning brakes. True causes and liable parties can be identified after the investigation by the emergency team. 

Seek medical help

If no one is hurt, you still need to seek medical help after an accident because some injuries won’t appear immediately. You may feel severe symptoms after a few hours, or even a few days.  Seeking medical attention after a few days may not help demonstrate the exact cause of the pain. Emergency doctors can even diagnose internal bleeding and provide you with a prescription immediately after the accident. 

Document the accident

If you are safe and sound and can quickly get out of the vehicle, then you can do this. If the police have not arrived due to the busy highway, you should wait for them. When the police come, help them with documentation that can include the causes of the accident, contact information for witnesses, and photos. 

If the weather was the primary factor, you should provide them with photos. Pictures may not provide complete details, but still, they can sometimes be enough to justify the causes of the accident. 

Other drivers' information is also essential to gather as much information as possible. Information may include: 

  • Contact number, address, name, and email address of the drivers.
  • Policy number and insurance company of the drivers.
  • The license number of other drivers.
  • Contact number and name of the trucking company.
  • Identification numbers of the truck, including the license plate.

Note contact numbers of witnesses

People who observed and saw the accident are witnesses. They could be drivers of nearby vehicles, bystanders, and passengers. Taking witness statements is not your duty, you can leave this task to the police officers. However, suppose there is a severe accident. In that case, where people are injured and things are not under the control of the police, you can record statements of the witnesses to provide the emergency team with the required information. You can note down the names and contact numbers of the witnesses to build your case if necessary. This information can be used if the police investigate you about the accident. 

Don’t get your car repaired

Your car may have minor damage, but just like the human body, the damage may not be visible. Never take your vehicle to a workshop immediately because your insurance company won’t be able to estimate the amount of damage if you get your car repaired before the inspection. 

Insurance companies usually have different policies; they might need photographs of the damage or ask you to bring the car for exact estimation of the damage. So make sure not to invest anything to repair the vehicle before the insurance company has an assessment. 

Choose your words wisely

The accident can be one driver's mistake, so being offensive to others may worsen the situation. Sometimes we say things in anger that we don't mean, and these harsh words can weaken your case down the road. Don’t admit fault if you made a mistake on the road, either. Instead of lying, you should avoid details and let your lawyer handle the matter. Your lawyer might be able to figure out other causes of the accident and your liability could be reduced. 

Police may ask you different questions, but you don’t need to admit fault. Lying will damage your credibility, so you must be careful with your words. At this time, it also may not be clear to you exactly who or what caused the incident. 

Truck accidents are usually complicated because different parties are involved, including drivers and their employers, manufacturer, other vehicle owners, and the shipper. It is crucial to follow the traffic rules to avoid these types of accidents and save lives.

Traffic, Transportation, Accidents, Trucking Accidents, What should I do if I'm in an accident? Tips for what to do if you're in an accident, Police, Cause, Medical Help, Documentation, Witnesses, Car Repairs

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