You set off on your way to making one of many deliveries for the day blissfully unaware that the day has other plans for you. Whether it’s your fault or someone else’s, you find yourself hammering the breaks in an attempt to stop a devastating crash. With life passing by slowly before your eyes you find yourself involved in a truck accident. You might be asking yourself what you need to do if this happens to you. Below, we will examine some common causes of truck accidents and look at things you can do immediately after the event.
A Glance at Common Causes
There are approximately 500,000 accidents involving trucks per year in the United States alone. The most common cause is fatigue, likely due to the long and demanding hours truck drivers are required to work.
Speeding and reckless overtaking are two other common causes. Making up for lost time to meet tight deadlines can put pressure on you, tempting you to break speed limits at the potential cost of unnecessary accidents. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Negligent Business
Sometimes, the fault falls with the truck owner. With costly requirements to maintain trucks, businesses are known to flout the rules. This can hold disastrous consequences including loss of life and heavy lawsuits. Make sure you use a trusted accident solicitor like Horst Shewmaker if you find yourself in this position.
Immediately After the Event
There are things you can do straight after being involved in an accident both for your safety and to strengthen potential accident claims.
- Like with any collision, the police should be called even if the incident is minor – this will generate an incident number that you can link to your claim.
- Having a medical evaluation is important to find any injuries that might not be immediately visible. You can also get documentation to use as evidence of potential injuries.
- If safe to do so, speak to witnesses, take photos of the scene, and get the contact information of involved parties. Make sure to include the name and company of the truck driver, if that’s not you.
- Get your vehicle checked over even if there seems to be barely any damage, as there could be internal damage. This is important because a repair estimate is needed for insurance purposes.
- Speak kindly. It might be difficult to hold your emotions at bay in the moment, but getting angry towards other people won’t go in your favor. On a side note, do not own up to being responsible even if you know you are.
- Call a truck accident lawyer. Even if you weren’t driving the truck, get in touch with a trusted accident lawyer to evaluate your claim and guide you through seeking compensation.
Accidents are awful at the best of times, but hopefully you feel a bit more prepared for what needs doing straight after an accident involving a truck. Keep level-headed and do everything you can to cover your back and strengthen your accident claim.
