Have you ever been involved in an automobile accident? It is a very traumatic, stressful, and exhausting experience for a regular person. Now imagine if the accident was with an 18 wheeler. Due to the mass and momentum of the truck, an injured person would be very likely, and all that trauma and stress will be exponentially increased.
So what should you do if you, unfortunately, find yourself in the situation described above?
Here are some steps to take if you have ever hit by a truck and need an attorney.
Source: baumgartnerlawyers.com
1. Remain Calm
Easy to say, but hard to do, especially after considering that an average person only experiences an average of 2 traffic accidents their whole lives, it would be a tough task to remain calm in highly stressful situations such as this. But try to remain calm. This will help you check for injuries properly, remember and preserve the details of the accident which will be very important for the investigation of authorities.
2. Medical Attention
Commercial trucks are extremely heavy, and they generate a lot of force upon impact, thus physical injuries will be highly likely. Apart from serious physical injuries, there is also a likelihood of obtaining injuries that won’t be noticed until days after the accident, such as internal organ injuries. After checking yourself for any obvious physical injuries, wait calmly for paramedics and emergency response personnel.
If you feel any of the following symptoms, make sure to notify the emergency response personnel in charge of your care:
- Dizziness and disorientation.
- Loss of consciousness
- Bleeding, bruising, numbness of limbs
- Painful areas should be shown to the medical personnel
3. Information Gathering for Legal Action
After your own health and well being, gathering details and information about the accident should be your top priority. Of course, if you are not able to communicate with the truck driver, a police officer should be investigating the accident already. Just try to remind the officer to ask for the following details too, in case they are left out of the investigation, which is not likely. You can also speak with an attorney from law firms like Kania Law Office to help you organize the details of your accident.
Source: Improve Budget
Here are some details that you should try hard to obtain as soon as possible:
- Truck and trailer registration details
- Driver’s information, including their license
- Company details, or the driver’s employer
- Tuck’s cargo if possible
Trucking companies have monitoring procedures for their drivers and trucks, and after obtaining the trucking company details, contact them and advise them to preserve driver and truck records showing routes, driving hours and vehicle maintenance for further investigation.
4. Documentation
Take pictures with your phone. Document as much as you can that you think are important for the investigation, such as skid marks, road conditions, scene of the accident.
The final thing you should do is suing the truck company. If you need more information, visit: https://baumgartnerlawyers.com
Source: Improve Budget
