If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you probably already know that accidents involving eighteen-wheelers are a lot different than accidents involving only smaller motor vehicles, such as cars. Perhaps you sustained severe or life-threatening injuries as a result of your tractor-trailer truck crash. Perhaps your vehicle has been declared a total loss […]
If you have been injured in a trucking accident, you probably already know that accidents involving eighteen-wheelers are a lot different than accidents involving only smaller motor vehicles, such as cars. Perhaps you sustained severe or life-threatening injuries as a result of your tractor-trailer truck crash. Perhaps your vehicle has been declared a total loss by your insurance company. Whatever you have experienced as the result of an accident involving a tractor trailer, your damages are most likely more extensive than they would have been if you were involved in an accident with a smaller vehicle.
The amount of property damage and the severity of injuries that result from accidents involving eighteen-wheelers are not the only things that are different about accidents involving these trucks, though. A lot of important things go on during the hours, weeks and months after a trucking accident. It is therefore important that accident victims understand what happens after trucking accidents so that they can take prompt action to protect their own rights.
For example, you may or may not already know that trucking companies have teams of investigators, lawyers, and other professionals at their fingertips twenty four hours a day. When a trucking accident occurs, those professionals immediately report to the accident scene, where they begin gathering information that they can use to defend the trucking company. If you are still at the scene of the accident when lawyers, investigators, and others who are associated with the trucking company arrive, it is best to keep your distance from them. They work for the trucking company, and they do not have your best interest in mind. If they ask to speak to you, it is a good idea to politely decline to do so.
The accident response team from the trucking company is at the accident scene to collect information which could prove helpful to their case. Unfortunately, you do not have an accident response team collecting information on your behalf. If you are fortunate enough to be at the accident scene at this time and not in the hospital, you can collect information for your own purposes. Every bit of information could prove useful later on, so write down descriptions of what happened, take a lot of pictures, draw diagrams, and be sure to include anything that you think could provide useful information to an attorney who will represent you.
Since trucking company attorneys get right to work on building a trucking company’s defense after an accident, the sooner you get an attorney to represent your interests, the better. A Truck Accident Attorney can begin working for you right away, doing things like obtaining valuable information from the trucking company, such as business records, before they can be altered or destroyed. Also, the attorneys who represent trucking companies are very familiar with the state and federal laws which apply to their clients. An experienced Trucking Accident Attorney, from our firm, understands those laws well, and can prepare a strong case in your favor.
If you or a loved one has been harmed in a serious truck accident, Parker Waichman LLP are ready to fight for the justice that you deserve. Call us at 1-800-YOUR-LAWYER (1-800-968-7529) to receive your free case evaluation where we can determine the plan that meets the needs of you and your family.