Truck collisions often cause severe injuries and extensive property damage. Truck accident tips such as seeking immediate medical attention and documenting the scene, if possible, can help you recover from injuries and maximize your compensation. The legal processes involved can be complex. There can be multiple liable parties or defendants, and prompt medical attention solidifies the link between the accident and your injuries. Getting photos and other documentation of the scene can help prove liability.
For truck accident legal advice, reach out to experienced personal injury lawyers. Call Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch, and Turcy at 312-775-0042.
Steps to Take Immediately After a Truck Accident
Illinois is home to 2,185 interstate miles, and they are popular with tractor-trailers. These trucks and other large vehicles are heavy, travel at high speeds, and often take longer to stop. Due to lengthy work hours, truck drivers may also be more fatigued than the average car driver. When trucks collide with cars, the consequences can be severe. Traumatic brain injuries, head wounds, spinal cord injuries, and neck, back, and chest injuries are just some common injury types in truck-car collisions.
Assess Yourself and Others Involved for Injuries
Maintaining safety is a crucial part of what to do after a truck accident. Check for injuries. Call 911 to report the truck accident and to request emergency assistance, if needed.
If you need to move your car because staying put in the roadway is dangerous, ask 911 what to do. Moving over usually is encouraged for minor accidents, but not necessarily for accidents with serious injuries or fatalities. Moving people could hurt them more and might compromise the evidence in an investigation.
Get Medical Attention
Truck accident tips include seeing a medical professional even if you feel fine. Injuries sometimes do not make themselves known to people right away, but medical examinations can change that. For example, whiplash and internal trauma may take a while to become seriously symptomatic. You may also be in shock and dealing with emotional distress after an accident. Both of these can mask injuries.
Prompt medical attention also helps establish a credible timeline for the truck accident. It should clarify the link between the accident and your injuries. Meanwhile, if you wait a few days or even longer to seek medical attention, other parties could argue that you got injured another way or are faking.
Document the Scene
If you are able to, photograph the accident scene. Get photos of the truck involved, your vehicles, other vehicles, injuries, any obstacles, road conditions, and traffic signs. Get contact information from any witnesses. Their testimony could help later during an investigation.
Get the Truck Driver’s Information
Get the truck driver’s name, contact information, insurance details, and trucking company information. Avoid discussing the accident or admitting fault, even if you think you are at fault. For instance, it is possible the truck driver holds more liability due to distracted driving, fatigue, or other reasons.
File a Police Report
Law enforcement shows up at many Naperville-area truck accidents due to the higher chances of severe injuries. However, if the police do not show up at your scene, file a police report. This report can help with your truck accident claim.
How to Protect Your Rights After a Truck Accident
Truck accident tips should include safeguarding your rights after an accident. One way to protect yourself is to be cautious about speaking with insurance adjusters.
Get Legal Advice Before Speaking with Insurance Adjusters
Trucking companies and their insurers often rush to investigate the accident. They do this hoping to reduce their liability and confuse or pressure others involved in the accident. After all, it is easier to get an injured person to give a statement or sign documents a few days after a collision rather than weeks after when the person might know more about the extent of the injury, be in a less shocked mental state, and have had more time to look into compensation options.
Talk with truck accident lawyers for legal advice before making statements to insurance adjusters. People can hurt their case at this stage in many ways, including accidentally admitting fault, speculating about the accident, and saying things that the insurer can misrepresent, exaggerate, or take out of context.
- Seemingly casual remarks such as, “I could have braked faster,” and, “I didn’t see the truck,” have been used against injured car drivers for partial or even full liability.
- Speculating about what caused the collision may lead to inaccuracies that the insurer uses to undermine your credibility.
- Incomplete or conflicting statements also may undermine your credibility or reliability.
- Making your injuries sound worse than they are hurts your credibility and can limit your compensation. Minimizing them can have a similar outcome, too.
- Agreeing to settle too quickly often means you miss out on sufficient compensation, especially since the full extent of injuries and lost income may not be known yet. Being methodical and deliberate is helpful.
Many people do accept early, unfair settlement offers due to immediate financial worries. Your lawyer can help you explore financial options and usually works on a contingency basis. Any payment is made out of future settlements or awards. Keeping these truck accident tips in mind can help.
Save Accident-Related Documents
Save and organize medical records and bills, vehicle repair estimates, insurance correspondence, and anything else related to your accident. This information could help during the truck accident insurance investigation.
Follow Medical Advice
Attend medical appointments, take medications you are prescribed, and stick to therapeutic regimens doctors advise you to follow. Not only should this help in your recovery, it protects your legal rights. It shows the severity of your injuries, and can prevent claims of contributory negligence. If you do not follow medical advice, other parties can say you worsened your condition. Following medical advice also shows you are taking your injuries seriously and want to recover.
Be Aware of Modified Comparative Negligence in Naperville
Illinois uses a modified comparative negligence rule. It can reduce compensation for people found partially at fault in an accident. If you are 10% at fault, your compensation may go down by 10%. In other words, $100,000 awarded in damages may turn into $90,000 compensation for someone 10% at fault. The rule also states that people cannot collect compensation if they are more than 50% at fault.
Get Legal Advice, and Keep the Statute of Limitations in Mind
Lawyers can still be valuable allies if you have already spoken to insurance adjusters without getting legal advice. Choosing the best truck accident lawyer for your situation gives you more tools for dealing with various nuances.
A lawyer can explain truck accident tips and assist with the truck accident claim timeline, insurance company negotiations, and court representation, if filing a lawsuit is necessary.
Get legal advice as soon as possible. Illinois generally gives people two years from the date of an injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you wait to talk with a lawyer, insurance investigations and other events can eat up a lot of those two years. Waiting might leave you having to rush at the end for an adequate insurance settlement or hurrying up a lawsuit filing.
Key Truck Accident Tips for Building a Strong Case
A few tips can help you build a compelling case in Naperville.
Avoid Posting on Social Media
Be careful about posting anything on social media. Even mentioning a little walk can have other parties claiming that you exaggerated your injuries. Insurance companies, trucking companies, and others may try to unfairly dispute the validity of your case. Truck accident lawyers can help protect you.
Be Proactive
Time is important in truck accident cases. The statute of limitations is just one of the considerations. Witness memories can become less reliable over time, and surveillance camera footage of the accident may be deleted or erased. Get in touch with truck or car accident lawyers promptly for decisive action.
Make sure you work with a lawyer you feel comfortable with and who can explain aspects of the case such as filing claims, negotiating settlements, and going to trial in ways you understand.
Identify All Liable Parties
Truck accidents are more likely than car accidents to involve multiple parties. Common ones are the truck driver, trucking company, and maker of defective parts. Having multiple parties can maximize your compensation, so truck accident tips to keep in mind should include reviewing and identifying all liable parties.
Stay Communicative
Stay in touch with your attorney, and provide any paperwork or documentation your attorney needs as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Remain honest, transparent, and communicative to make the process smoother.Truck accidents can lead to serious injuries and property damage. Contact us at Chute, O’Malley, Knobloch, and Turcy for assistance with your case.
