One of the most devastating accidents on the highway is an accident where a car is in an accident with a heavy truck – an 18-wheeler or other tractor-trailer. The costs of the accidents can be very high – property damage is usually greater, injuries are more likely to be more severe, and fatalities are also more probable to occur.
All these translate into financial or economic losses, in addition to the pain and suffering experienced by the victim. It is then essential for you to understand some of the things you should consider doing after a trucking accident. Here is a quick guide on some things you might want to do:
- Seek Medical Attention
- Get the Contact Details of the Other Party in the Accident
- Contact Your Insurance Company
- Avoid Speaking to the Other Party’s Insurance Company
- Gather As Much Information As You Can From the Crash Site
- Keep Detailed Report and Documentation of Your Expenses
- Get Copies of Reports
- Consider Contacting a Competent Trucking Accident Lawyer
Health and safety always come first. You may want to make sure that everyone in the crash site is all right, and that those who need immediate care are brought to the hospital. If you, yourself, are involved, you should consider going to the hospital even when you do not feel anything that is out of the ordinary.
You should consider getting the name, age, contact details, and insurance information of the other party involved.
Your insurance company will want to know that you have had an accident on the road. A brief explanation of what had happened will often be enough to let the insurance company know what they need to know.
You may want to avoid giving information to the other party’s insurance company. You may not want to allow the other insurance company to record your statement, and you have a right to refuse to speak to them.
You may want to take photographs from the scene and get the contact details of potential witnesses.
This is a very important step that you should very strongly consider. You will almost always need enough documentation and receipts to back up your claim for the amount of damage you have suffered.
You may want to secure a copy of the accident report of the police department, and any reports or clearance by the relevant agency.
Accidents of this type usually involve large sums of money. A competent trucking accident lawyer knows how to handle the case and what resources will be needed in your particular case. Contacting a trucking accident attorney will save you so much time and effort.
Have You Been in a Car Accident Involving a Tractor-Trailer?
If you or a loved one has been in an accident, you should consider contacting a personal injury lawyer with experience in handling these types of cases. The trucking accident attorneys at d’Oliveira & Associates would like to meet with you and discuss the investigation of your accident. Our law firm has represented and assisted numerous trucking accident victims in bringing lawsuits against other drivers and insurance companies alike, and there are no fees unless we are successful.
To have a member of our law office contact you, please fill out a contact form or call us at 1-800-992-6878.
Paul d’Oliveira
Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.
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