What Happens if You Get Hit by a Truck?
By Space Coast Daily // October 7, 2020
Driving always comes with a certain level of risk.
The average driver will be involved in three to four accidents in their lifetime. Many of these accidents are fender benders that may damage your vehicle, but won’t result in injuries. Accidents involving semi-trucks, however, are rarely ever minor. In fact, they are often deadly.
If you are in a collision with a truck, you will likely find yourself in a lengthy legal battle. If involved in an accident with a semi-truck, it’s important to have a competent attorney with experience dealing with trucking accidents on your side. In this sort of case, you will not just be facing off against the driver of the truck.
Instead, you will be up against the trucking company and their legal team who have most likely faced many similar legal battles in the past. For more information, seek help from a truck accident legal expert who got a $1.6 million settlement for one family that was involved in a head-on collision with a semi-truck.
Steps You Should Take If Involved in an Accident With a Truck
There are many steps you need to take when involved in an accident. These steps are critical both in ensuring your personal safety and putting you in the best position for any potential legal battle you will face.
Here is a checklist to go through when involved in an accident:
• Remain at the scene
• If uninjured or dealing with only minor injuries, check on the status of anyone else involved in the accident and, if safe to do so, provide assistance as directed by a 911 operator if necessary
• Report your accident to the proper authorities
• Collect data from the scene, including information from the driver of the truck, details about their vehicle, and any other relevant information about the crash site
• Talk to witnesses and get their contact information
• Even if your injuries are mild or you don’t believe yourself to be injured, don’t fail to seek medical attention. Some injuries are hard to immediately detect, and waiting to consult a doctor can hurt your chances of getting compensation
• Contact your insurance agency
• Consult with a qualified truck accident attorney
What Makes Trucking Accidents Different?
The clearest difference between being involved in an accident with a passenger vehicle and an accident with a semi-truck is a matter of size. Being hit by a truck that likely outweighs your own vehicle by a degree of at least ten to one is typically going to result in heavy damage that can very easily involve severe personal injury or death.
The differences don’t stop there. Being involved in a truck accident is going to represent a completely different legal battle. Trucking companies are prepared for accidents, and their experienced, highly paid legal teams are ready to attempt to squash any claim that is brought against them.
Without experienced representation on your side, you stand little chance of taking on these giants and achieving a settlement that comes close to fair compensation for the pain and suffering you incurred in the accident.
Steps Your Attorney Will Take
After consulting with your attorney, they will explain all of your options to you and then lay out their plan to get you fair and adequate compensation, should you choose to pursue a case against the truck driver and the trucking company. After going over everything with you, your attorney will begin the process of filing your lawsuit.
First, they investigate the scene of your accident, obtain a copy of the police report, and speak with witnesses. Then they will get copies of all of your medical bills, along with your medical records. Any information you were able to gather immediately after the accident can help you greatly in this phase. Your lawyer will then consult with experts before officially filing your case and entering into negotiations with the trucking company’s legal team to negotiate a settlement.
If a settlement can not be reached, then your lawyer will fight your case in court and work to prove the liability of the truck driver and the trucking company in your accident and win you the proper compensation.
