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What To Do If Injured In A Truck Accident

Posted by Inna Gorin | Nov 02, 2017

Any motor vehicle accident in Los Angeles County can result in severe injuries and property damage.

However, trucks, tractor-trailers, and big rigs are vast and fast vehicles. When they collide with cars and other smaller vehicles, they can bring about severe and catastrophic injuries and damages, like fractures, broken bones, soft tissue injuries, traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, and death, in the worst cases.

Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer

Truck accidents usually occur when truck drivers speed, change lanes abruptly, disregard motor vehicle and trucking laws, or otherwise fail to drive reasonably and prudently under the circumstances.

If you were injured in a truck accident, you could bring a legal claim against the other parties involved, even if you are partially at fault.

Determining accident liability can often become complicated, so it's in your best interest to contact a skilled personal injury lawyer with experience dealing with these types of truck accident claims.

Again, it's important to remember you may be able to recover compensation for injuries even if you were partially responsible for the accident.

This will depend on the specific facts and circumstances of the accident, as every truck accident is unique. The experienced lawyers at Injury Justice Law Firm LLP can represent you throughout your truck accident personal injury case and can help you to maximize its value.

Below is a general guideline on what steps to follow immediately after an accident with a tractor-trailer, tanker, semi, or 18-wheeler anywhere in Los Angeles County.

Your priority would always be to seek medical attention for any injuries you may have sustained. After the truck accident, you should contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Our experienced attorneys can provide the steps you need to preserve evidence and pursue a claim. Here are the steps you should follow if injured in a truck accident.

Speak with the Police Officer and Paramedics at the Scene

Calling 911 after a truck accident will immediately dispatch the police and paramedics to the accident scene. If you claim that you were injured in the accident, the police will most likely fill out a complete police report.

You should be complete and concise when describing the accident to a police officer and when detailing your pain levels, symptoms, and injuries.

When you are exchanging license and insurance information with the other driver or drivers involved, you should never apologize or admit full or partial responsibility for the accident, as this could cause problems for you later on – especially when dealing with an at-fault truck driver's insurance company.

Seek Immediate Follow-up Medical Care at the Hospital

In many cases, injuries, pain, and symptoms will not manifest themselves until well after a truck accident occurs, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Therefore, you should seek immediate follow-up medical treatment at a hospital or urgent care facility. A significant delay in medical treatment might also hurt the monetary value of your truck accident case.

If you delay in seeking initial medical treatment, the at-fault truck driver's insurance company will claim that you were not all that seriously injured in the accident.

Follow up with Your Primary Care Doctor

If you have a primary care doctor, you should follow up with them as soon as possible after being involved in your accident.

It would help if you described any injuries you sustained in the accident and the pain and symptoms you are experiencing. You should also follow through with all of your primary care doctor's treatment recommendations.

Following up with your primary care physician is important because it shows that at-fault truck driver's insurance company is taking your injuries seriously, leaving the insurance company less wiggle room to contest medical treatment or medical bills. It also shows that you are proactive about your treatment rather than just following through with lawyer-referred medicine.

Do Not Self-discharge

If you seek medical treatment at a healthcare facility, you mustn't stop treating there until a health care provider formally discharges you.

You should not simply stop going to your appointments or “discharge yourself.” Doing so will send the wrong message to the at-fault truck driver's insurance company and could potentially affect the settlement value of your case.

Contact Our Injury Attorneys for Help

If you or a family member has been injured in a truck accident, it's essential to contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

In most cases, you will need to file a legal claim to make sure you receive fair compensation, and it's critical to have a lawyer start investigating the truck accident and preserve evidence early in the process.

An experienced personal injury law firm can help you gather critical evidence for your claim. This includes:

  • The truck driver's history and whether they had prior accidents
  • The truck company's policy and procedures involving safety and maintenance
  • The truck company's history of prior accidents
  • The logbook of the truck driver and GPS information
  • Information about the age of the truck, condition, and maintenance records
  • Information about the speed of the truck at the time of the accident
  • Any eyewitness or first responder statements
  • Information on the connection between the driver and truck company. Were they employees or independent contractors?

Our lawyers can also work with expert witnesses who might be needed to testify about the potential negligence of the truck driver or trucking company.

In some cases, these experts have experience in the trucking industry, including former trucking company executives or a department of transportation accident investigators.

After a severe accident involving a truck, our law firm knows you will have many questions.

We can discuss the facts and circumstances of your case with you and answer all of your legal questions and concerns.  

For a free consultation and case evaluation with our truck accident lawyers, please call our law firm at 310-734-7974.

Related Page:  California Personal Injury Lawsuit Process

About the Author

Inna Gorin

Inna Gorin, the founding Partner of Injury Justice Law Firm modeled the Firm after her ideals and principles of what skilled, aggressive and tenacious representation of individual clients should embody. Ms. Gorin's mission is to level the playing field, and provide her clients with the same level...

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