After an 18-wheeler accident, you should contact the police, seek medical attention, gather and preserve evidence, and contact a New Orleans truck accident lawyer to help you get the money you deserve.
Due to their massive size, semi-trucks can blast through your vehicle, your body, your finances, and your entire life. Taking the appropriate steps after a trucking accident helps protect your life and your ability to get the compensation you’ll need to start moving forward again after experiencing potentially catastrophic injuries.
What to Do After an 18-Wheeler Accident
You’ll want to follow these steps in the order that makes the most sense at the time. If everybody in your vehicle was seriously injured in the crash, don’t force somebody to get out and take pictures, for example.
If you or a loved one suffered a TBI in a trucking accident, a New Orleans traumatic brain injury lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve for your potentially lifelong disability.
Contact the Police
Assuming you’re conscious after being struck by an 18-wheeler, call 911 to have police and paramedics come to the accident scene.
If your injuries were so severe that you didn’t regain consciousness until reaching the hospital, you’ll still want to contact the police at some point to contribute to and receive a copy of the official police report.
Seek Medical Attention
Even if you feel fine immediately after the accident, you should seek medical care as soon as you can because the rush of adrenaline you experience in a crash can hide any pain your body might otherwise be feeling. You could have internal injuries, whiplash, or other injuries you aren’t aware of.
Getting medical care right after the truck wreck also creates a paper trail proving that you were injured in the truck crash and not somewhere else. Waiting a few days or weeks until your pain gets worse before seeing a doctor can make it harder to prove that the truck crash caused your injuries.
Gather and Preserve Evidence
If you can, take pictures or videos of the crash scene, your damaged vehicle, and the semi-truck. Get the contact information of any eyewitnesses who saw the accident. Take pictures of the truck driver’s driver’s license and insurance.
The more evidence you can gather and protect, and the sooner you can collect this evidence, the stronger your case will be.
Mind What You Say
Don’t talk to the insurance company any more than you have to, and make sure not to give them any unnecessary details. You could accidentally say something that sounds incriminating enough for them to deny your claim.
Avoid the temptation to talk about your accident on social media or with many people outside your inner circle, as well, because insurance companies are masters at turning any seemingly innocuous detail into a reason not to pay you.
Contact a New Orleans Truck Accident Lawyer
Insurance adjusters are not your friends. Their job is to pay you as little as possible so the company they work for can maximize their profits. A New Orleans truck accident attorney from Scott Vicknair Law will fight to get you every last penny you’re entitled to.
How Much does a Truck Crash Lawyer Cost?
Medical bills after a trucking accident can be extraordinarily high, and losing income because you can’t work just makes a situation worse, so our experienced personal injury lawyers work on contingency fees.
Instead of charging you a retainer fee and then billing you for every hour we work on your case, we take a percentage of your settlement money. If we don’t get you any money, then you don’t owe us a single dollar.
How Long After Being Hit by a Truck Should I Contact a Lawyer?
According to Louisiana law (CC 3492), the statute of limitations is only one year from the date of the accident, so you should contact a truck crash attorney as soon as you can after being hit by a semi-truck.
While it’s important to start the process as soon as possible, we might advise you not to accept a settlement until you reach maximum medical improvement. What is maximum medical improvement (MMI)?
MMI is the full extent to which your injuries will ever heal. If there’s still uncertainty about whether or how well your injuries will heal, you’ll want to wait until you reach MMI so you know exactly how much compensation you’re truly owed.
Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney
After an 18-wheeler accident, contact the compassionate truck accident lawyers at Scott Vicknair Law. We offer an exceptional solutions-focused approach to each of our clients.
Our attorneys have a combined 30 years of experience and have recovered more than $100 million for our clients, so you know you’ll be in good hands if you trust us with your case.
Schedule a free consultation today and receive a comprehensive case evaluation to determine how much money you may be owed.
