What To Do After a Semi-Truck Hits Your Vehicle

Semi-truck accidents often result in severe injuries for victims. These incidents can be incredibly scary, and the aftermath of the crash will be chaotic and confusing. Any person injured due to the careless or negligent actions of a truck driver or trucking company may be able to recover compensation for their injuries and other losses. However, there are various steps that victims need to take in the immediate aftermath of a crash, as well as in the weeks that follow, in order to help ensure they receive maximum compensation.

Important steps to take after a tractor-trailer crash

The steps that you take in the aftermath of a tractor-trailer collision will play a significant role in the amount of money you receive in a settlement with insurance carriers or through a personal injury lawsuit against the alleged negligent party.

1. Get a medical evaluation immediately. Regardless of the severity of the truck crash, any party involved needs to seek medical care. If any injuries are serious, victims need to be treated by emergency medical professionals and taken to the hospital in an ambulance. However, even non-life-threatening injuries must be evaluated by a trusted medical professional. Seeking medical care in the aftermath of a truck crash not only ensures a victim’s well-being, but also establishes a direct link between the crash and the injuries.
2. Report the truck accident to the police. Police need to be called in the aftermath of any semi-truck crash in California. The police are going to want to conduct a complete investigation into the incident to determine fault. Law enforcement agencies take semi-truck crashes very seriously, and you need to have a police report to give to your insurance carrier.
3. Gather as much evidence as possible. If you can safely do so at the scene of the crash, and if your injuries are not severe, you should gather as much evidence as possible that can be used to help determine liability. This can include using a phone or other camera to take photographs of everything at the scene, including vehicle damages, injuries, causes of the crash, traffic and weather conditions, and more. You also need to get the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses to the crash as well as the driver’s license number and insurance information of other drivers involved.
4. Refuse to sign anything. In the aftermath of a crash, the insurance carriers of the other parties involved may try to get you to sign settlement agreements or medical record release authorization forms. Do not sign anything in the immediate aftermath of a crash. If you do, this could result in other parties gaining access to information that could be used against you. If you sign a settlement agreement, you will be unable to go back later to obtain more compensation if you realize that you have suffered more significant losses than originally thought.
5. Continue all medical treatment. Any person injured in a truck crash in California needs to continue all medical treatment recommended by their doctor. Discontinuing care early, before reaching maximum medical improvement, could result in insurance carriers delaying or denying settlements.
6. Work with a skilled truck accident lawyer. If you or somebody you care about has been injured in a semi-truck crash in California, contact a skilled attorney as soon as possible. An Orange County truck accident lawyer will be able to handle every aspect of your case. They can use their resources to obtain any evidence needed to prove liability and negotiate with all parties involved to ensure you are treated fairly.