If you are reading this you are frightened, upset and confused. You or someone you love has been in a trucking accident. Looking at hundreds of thousands in hospital bills. You may suffer months or years of recovery. A loss of income or even a life.
Often, you are looking at bankruptcy, collection calls and years of recovery. A good attorney can often help reduce the hospital bills and make sure all the medical costs are covered. They also can help get your funds to help you get back on your feet or help with the care you will require.
Assuming that you are awake and not in the hospital. Call the police. Next find the best truck accident lawyer near you. Do not talk to any lawyer you did not call yourself. The insurance company lawyer will never offer you a fair settlement.
Alert! Do not post anything to social media without talking to your lawyer.
Anything you post to the internet can and will be used against you by the insurance company.
18 Wheelers are the behemoths of the road, topping out at about 80,000 lbs. Traveling at 60 MPH or faster, they can destroy a car in and carry many types of hazardous materials.
At the scene of the accident
We know that you are frightened and in shock after a truck accident. There are things you need to do.
Call 911 immediately if anyone is hurt.
Get to safety first. Drive to the side of the road if you can. Get away from the vehicle if you can. Remember to keep out of the road so other drivers do not hit you.
Seek immediate medical care. The energy involved in a truck accident can cause many internal and spinal injuries. When you first get hit, you can be is shock and not feel the full extent of your injuries until later.
Call the police. By law you have to report crashes.
Speak to the police truthfully from your point of view. Even if you are not sure what happened, the evidence is there to be collected.
Share your insurance and contact information with the other driver.
Do not get angry with the police or the other driver. You will be excited or angry, so do not yell or berate anyone.
If you suspect the other driver was under the influence or fatigued, please inform the police so they can note it in the reports.
Take photos of everything at the accident, the car, truck, skid marks, and your injuries. These can all be used as evidence. Post Nothing Online.
After you leave the accident, go to the doctor. There are many injuries that you may not feel, from concussions to internal injuries.
Find yourself an excellent lawyer.
If you wake up in the hospital
As soon as you can call a good truck accident attorney.
Do not talk to any lawyers or adjusters from the insurance company or the other accident victims.
You are entitled to having your attorney present when questioned by the police or adjusters.
Make notes on what happened as soon as possible. If you cannot write, then try recording your notes on your phone.
Keep track and take notes on all communications with the insurance companies.
Track the name and conversations of all your communications.
Remember, the responsible insurance company’s responsibility is to settle for the least amount they can get away with.
What can an attorney do for you?
For example, when my daughter was in an accident, she broke her arm, her scapula and fractured her pelvis. She also had a liver laceration. After 5 days in the hospital, she was the owner of a $150,000 hospital bill. She also was looking forward to 5 months of recovery time.
The insurance adjuster came in to see her while she was under pain management and tried to offer her $10,000 to settle her claim. With the help of her attorney, he negotiated with the insurance company and the hospital. The insurance company settled the claim for $90,000. The first ⅓ going to the hospital. This settled the entire hospital bill. The second ⅓ went to the attorney for his contingency. The last 30,000 went to my daughter for future medical care costs, and her pain and suffering.
Considering she ended up saving herself $200,000. If she had listened to the insurance adjuster when they first came to her. My daughter would have been bankrupt while still going to college. With outstanding student loans on top of that.
While collection agents from the hospital and medical services hounded her for payments. This was the best decision that could have ever make.
So if you are reading this because you are involved with a trucking accident, what should you do now?
Call The SSD Law Firm – (559) 342-2000
If you or a family member have suffered any serious injury because of someone’s negligence or recklessness law may entitle you to receive money for your losses. Not all personal injury cases fall into a specific category, If you or a family member have suffered any serious injury because of someone’s negligence or recklessness law may entitle you to receive money for your losses.
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