No one wants to find themselves involved in a road traffic accident at all, but sadly this is a common occurrence for thousands of Americans every single day. But finding yourself involved in a truck accident can add an extra layer of complexity at a time when you least need it.
For starters, it’s not just the driver you’ll be dealing with, but the trucking company, their insurance, and the whole set of records and rules that don’t exist when it’s cars and private citizens who are involved in an accident.
That opens the door for more mistakes to occur, and here are a few things that are best avoided if you find yourself in this exact situation.
Admitting Fault at the Scene
It is only natural to blurt out “I’m sorry” or “I didn’t see you” right after a crash; however, that kind of comment can come back to haunt you down the line. If it’s recorded, it’ll be taken as an admission of guilt even if you didn’t mean it that way.
Working out who is actually at fault in a truck accident isn’t simple, and it can take more than a quick exchange between drivers, so it’s best to avoid saying anything that can implicate yourself and rely on things like black boxes, driver logs,s and whether the trucking company was following hours of service rules.
Skipping Medical Treatment
Some injuries like whiplash or a concussion don’t always show up straight away. You might feel okay at the scene but then hours later or the next day wake up in more pain. Turning down an ambulance or putting off a doctor’s visit because you feel fine at the moment leaves a gap between the crash and your first medical record.
And it’s this gap that insurance adjusters look for. They’ll use it to argue the injury either happened somewhere else or wasn’t serious enough to get quick treatment as soon as you sustained it. So it’s important to get medical treatment even if you feel fine.
Waiting Too Long to Contact a Lawyer
Trucking companies don’t hang about after a crash. Their insurer might have someone at the scene before the truck has even been towed, and things like dashcam footage or electronic logging data can get wiped or overwritten within weeks if nobody steps in to preserve it.
A truck accident lawyer can send a preservation letter, pull maintenance and driver records before they disappear, and start building your case while everything’s still fresh. Leave it a few weeks, and that evidence might already be gone.
Giving a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company
Getting a call from an adjuster a day or two after the truck crash asking to “get your side of the story” might sound routine, but it’s more than just a formality. These calls and the questions asked are designed to get you to answer at speed and potentially trip you up or have you miss things out under pressure. And anything said will be used to build the case and ascertain guilt. You are not legally required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and it’s worth holding off until you know the full extent of your injuries and damages so no off-hand comment comes back to impact your claim.