The injuries suffered by people in truck accidents tend to be more serious than those in car accidents. It isn’t difficult to understand why that is as you are dealing with a larger vehicle with a lot more mass that can cause a lot more damage.
When you have a big truck against a smaller passenger car, the person in the smaller vehicle is usually injured more seriously.
If you ever get into a truck accident – here are your rights to know:
What Are Immediate Steps to Take After a Truck Accident?
When it comes to insurance, there is usually one or more layers of insurance due to the fact that it is a cab, which is the truck itself, especially if it is an eighteen-wheeler. Then, the truck itself might have a different insurance.
The first thing that you should do after a truck accident is to call the police. After you have called the police, if you are not feeling well, make sure to go to the doctor or the hospital. You might as well go to the emergency room or your private physician.
You should also take pictures of the accident site, damage done to your vehicle, and damage to the truck. Also, take pictures of the location of the truck and the location of your car.
What Damages Can You Cover?
If you have been involved in an accident with a truck, you are entitled to collect damages for your pain and suffering. This aspect is also known as the effect that your injuries have had on your life and your potential or ability to do the things that you used to do, such as running errands and having a job.
You can also collect for any medical expenses that you have had and that you might have in the future. You can also collect for any lost earnings that you might have suffered in the past and potentially in the future as well.
On that note, the potential damage that you can recover in a truck accident claim depends on the insurance policy of the vehicle – whether there is one policy or two policies. The potential damages that you can cover in a truck accident also depend on what the damages are.
Put these two aspects together and that depends on how much you can collect.
Who Can You Sue in a Truck Accident?
If you find yourself in a truck accident, you should know whom you can sue. In the case of a truck accident, you can sue the driver and the owner of the truck. Of course, any of the knowledgeable truck accident lawyers can guide you in this regard and ensure that all at-fault parties are sued.
Now, there can be a difference because there is the cab, which is the main part of the truck, and whatever the truck is hauling – that also can be owned by a separate entity. So, you can sue both of these entities.
The trucking company that the trucker was working for can also be sued. On that note, if you have been involved in a truck accident, call a lawyer so the professional attorney can help you figure out who the involved parties are and ensure that you are indeed making your claim against the right parties.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Truck Accidents?
When it comes to truck accidents, you should know the most common cause for a truck accident are the speeding truck drivers. A lot of times, truckers have to get from one place to another in a certain amount of time – so they are driving in a rush.
Also, driver fatigue is a common cause of truck accidents. Truckers who are driving their trucks have to go long distances, and they want to get their jobs done. More often than not – truckers fall asleep at the wheel or they lose their focus and stop paying as much attention as needed.
Of course, there are laws against fatigue – but – they are not usually enforced that strictly. Usually, truck accidents are investigated in a few ways. Firstly, lawyers try to get the video for the car or the truck. A lot of trucks today have videos in their cabs.
Also, another reason to get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible after you have gotten into an accident is that the lawyer will send out their team of investigators to investigate the car that you were in and the road to see if there are any markings that could potentially help with the case.
Also Read: Critical Steps to Take Immediately After a Car Accident
Why is Investigation the Most Important Part?
It is incredibly important to understand why a good investigation of the accident is crucial if you get into a truck accident. The thing is that the insurance company of the trucker will be sending out their investigators as soon as possible to do their investigations.
As always, insurance adjusters will only be trying to do whatever they can to prove that their driver was not the one at fault. That said, it is incredibly important to collect as much information as possible and at as early a stage as possible.
Witness information, documentary evidence, such as any forms that are filled out, statements about what happened, photographs, and video evidence about what happened – all these are important aspects of early investigation and can help you with strengthening your case.
With the help of a lawyer’s team, you can collect all these various forms of evidence as soon as possible so that later on, you have the ability to prove that the defendant was at fault for the accident.
Why Take Your Injuries Seriously?
If you get involved in a truck accident, you can sustain some serious injuries due to the nature of the truck being so large. There is also a high chance of wrongful death in truck accidents. So, there are all sorts of different claims that can be made against trucking companies for truck accidents.
So, if you have been involved in a truck accident, call a personal injury lawyer or a truck accident lawyer right away so that the attorney can represent you and protect your rights.
