What Should I Do if I’m in a Commercial Truck Accident?
June 1, 2019 | Truck Accidents
Commercial truck accidents are often severe and can cause slow-healing or permanent injuries such as chronic back pain, internal bleeding, PTSD, and in some truck accidents, fatalities. If you have been injured in a truck accident, you are likely to have difficulty figuring out the best way to proceed with your case against the negligent truck driver. The best way to figure out what to do if you are in a commercial truck accident is to immediately consult a lawyer about the situation and create a plan to recover the most compensation for your injuries and financial damages caused in the crash.
Common Types of Negligence Involved in Commercial Truck Accidents
When a commercial truck accident involves a passenger vehicle, typically, if someone is injured in the crash, the victim is most often the occupant of the passenger vehicle. In 2017 4,102 people died in truck accidents – while an estimated 17% of these deaths were truck occupants, approximately 68% were passenger vehicle occupants. There are many ways that a commercial truck accident can happen, but most truck crashes are attributed to driver negligence. Some of the more common types of negligence involved in commercial truck accidents include:
- Driver fatigue – truck drivers are required to take regular periods of rest under federal truck regulations, and cannot drive for more than 10-14 consecutive hours without taking a rest break. However, according to a study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in a survey of 18,000 truck accidents, 13% of these crashes involved truck driver fatigue
- Speeding – 23% of truck crashes involved speeding
- Driving under the influence – 1% of commercial vehicle accidents are caused by driving under the influence
- Texting while driving – texting while driving is a leading cause of accidents in the U.S – according to the FMCSA, truck drivers are 23.2 times more likely to get into an accident while texting and driving than passenger vehicle occupants
- Improper loading – the average commercial vehicle weighs 20 times or more than a standard passenger vehicle. Improper loading of the truck can cause a driver to easily lose control of the vehicle and put themselves and other drivers on the road at risk of harm
If a truck driver is responsible for your injuries, it’s essential to consult an experienced lawyer about your case that can assess your situation, determine the best way to proceed with your case, and offer protection from the truck company’s insurance company and legal defense.
What Should I Do After a Commercial Truck Accident?
The best way to figure out what you should do after a commercial truck accident is to hire a Truck Accident Lawyer to represent your case. Your lawyer’s job is to look out for your case’s best interests and ensure that appropriate steps are taken throughout to recover the most damages for your harm and losses. After a truck accident, your lawyer can help you gather evidence from the scene of the accident, such as photos, witness accounts, and the truck driver’s contact information, as well as offer guidance and support during the following steps that you should take before filing a claim against the negligent truck driver:
- File and obtain a copy of the police report for the accident
- Seek treatment from a doctor, and obtain a copy of the medical report
- Make sure that their employer is aware of the accident
- Get a copy of the truck driver’s hours log to determine if driver fatigue was a contributing factor
In addition to helping you collect evidence from the accident, a Truck Accident Lawyer can determine if you are eligible to file a claim against just the truck driver, or, if the driver was on the clock at the time of the accident, and operating as an employee of a truck company, if you can sue the truck company for your harm and losses caused by the truck driver’s negligence.
Talk to a St. Louis Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, you need an experienced lawyer on your side. A lawyer can offer support every step of the way when filing a claim against the negligent party and has the legal knowledge needed to defend your case against the trucking company’s insurer. Truck companies are often insured by large insurance companies that can be ruthless negotiators, but with a Truck Accident Lawyer by your side, negotiating on behalf of your case, you can rest assured knowing that the best results are produced for your case.
Christopher Dixon and the St. Louis Truck Accident Lawyers at the Dixon Injury Firm are aggressive when defending the cases of personal injury victims, and getting justice for their unnecessary pain and suffering caused by another person’s negligence. Chris Dixon has earned recognition as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” by the National Trial Lawyers Association, a Lifetime Membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and recovered more than $35,000,000 in settlements and recoveries for personal injury victims in St. Louis, and will bring that level of commitment when fighting for your truck accident case.
For more information on how Christopher Dixon and the St. Louis Truck Accident Lawyers at the Dixon Injury Firm can help with your truck accident case, call (314) 208-2808, or contact the Dixon Injury Firm today to schedule a free consultation.