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Commercial trucking accidents can be very serious for the driver as well as any other parties who were involved, but you need to keep a level head after any accident and follow this guide to make sure that you don’t hurt your case by saying or doing the wrong things. If you were involved in a truck accident, the company you drive for, the insurance company and the other drivers involved are all going to be looking for ways to put you at fault so that they don’t have to pay for the damages. Don’t let that happen to you, contact a semi-truck accident lawyer in Colorado Springs, CO right away to help you avoid making any costly mistakes.
Immediately following the accident you need to get yourself out of harm’s way to avoid any further injuries or damages. Pull your vehicle over to a safe area if you are able to and if not, carefully walk away from your vehicle to an area that is safe for you until police arrive and can help direct traffic away from the accident. Every accident is different so you will have to make the best decision in terms of your safety because remember, other drivers on the same road might not see you on the side of the road which can turn for the worst very quickly so always use caution when stopped on roads or highways. You should also be aware of the dangers of driving a semi-truck in strong winds so you can avoid rollovers in high wind prone areas.
After an accident your adrenaline will be pumping, you will most likely be shaky and distraught. Take this time to calm down and check yourself for any injuries, but be careful as you might have twisted your neck or back and any sudden movements could be very painful. Internal injuries will not be easy to acknowledge right away so be sure to identify any pain or sore areas to bring up to the paramedics when they arrive. Your long term health is the most important thing at risk here so take extra time to make sure you don’t cause yourself any further injuries by moving around too much if you are hurt.
It is very common for drivers to get all worked up after an accident and say things that hurt their case so take a deep breath and think about the fact that what you say to the other drivers, witnesses and police can and will be used against you if the other parties can use it to shift fault onto you for the accident. Don’t say you’re sorry, don’t say it was your fault or anything that can incriminate yourself. Think before you speak and only communicate about necessary information such as exchanging insurance and contact details with other parties to avoid any verbal slips. It’s also important to note that posting pictures or any captions about your accident on social media or online platforms can be used against you so keep the accident to yourself, this is not a good time to be updating your status.
Now it’s time to call the police and request medical services if needed. Contact the police and give them the address, crossroads or any identifying information they may need to easily find the scene of the accident. If you are on a highway, the nearest exits and/or mile markers as well as the direction you were travelling are very helpful so the officers can plan their routes accordingly. If you or anyone else is in need of medical attention, make sure to let the police know while you are on the phone so they can dispatch an ambulance right away. Once the police arrive, they will assess the scene of the accident and ask each person involved to give their version of what happened. From there, they will ask for each person’s written statement of the accident. During all of this, remember not to incriminate yourself or admit guilt in any way or the police may determine that it was all or partially your fault.
When the paramedics arrive, make sure to have them thoroughly check out any injuries, soreness, pain or aches that you may have. It is always best to be extra safe that all of your injuries are documented because if you realize you have injuries later that you can’t prove came from this accident, you could end up covering those bills yourself which can get extremely expensive in some situations like neck, back and spine injuries. Be open and honest with the paramedics and they will help to identify any injuries you may not be aware of. Make sure that any medical bills you receive for treatments, you save in a safe place so your attorney can use them in your economic damages compensation.
Take pictures of every vehicle that was involved in the accident as well as their license plates and any damages on their vehicles. Make sure to take pictures of your vehicle damage as well because your insurance company will want to see those asap to see the extent of the damages. Feel free to take a video of the entire accident scene as it can be useful for your attorney to use at a later date to get a better idea of exactly what happened and the road conditions that may have played a part in causing the accident. This can help a lot when it comes time to prove fault for the semi-truck accident.
Swap information such as name, phone number, address, vehicle model, year and their insurance policy information. If you can, get a picture of their drivers license so your insurance company can easily track them down if they give out any false contact information which unfortunately happens a lot, especially with uninsured drivers. Make sure to get their license plate numbers as well and the contact information from any other witnesses or passengers that were also involved. These witnesses can be very helpful to your attorney when other drivers are not giving correct accounts of the accident and trying to push the fault onto you.
Before you leave, contact a Colorado truck accident attorney to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Call Rector Stuzynski LLC at (719) 578-1106 for a free consultation and we would be happy to go over everything to make sure you have the documentation you need for us to be able to successfully defend your accident claim in court. It’s easy to forget the small details so you are much better off consulting with us before leaving the scene of the accident.
Insurance companies are always looking for ways to not pay out on a claim so they will try to push the blame onto the other drivers if they can or they will use what you said about the accident against you if you were admitting fault so be very careful not to use any verbiage that could be taken the wrong way. Report the accident and let the insurance company know you will be getting your own estimates on repairs for the semi-truck as well as the estimates that their insurance adjuster provides when they come out to inspect the damages.
Make sure you get third party repair estimates from multiple repair shops to ensure that the insurance adjuster isn’t giving you an unreasonable amount that won’t cover the actual cost of repairs. Insurance companies will only pay to fix damages that they can actually see so sometimes getting the vehicle into a repair shop and having them take off the bumper can reveal a lot of hidden damage. Always have the vehicle fully checked otherwise you could be left with extensive damages that aren’t covered by your claim if they aren’t brought up during the initial claims process.
Commercial trucking accidents can often be very serious and cause catastrophic injuries, so we want you to know that we are here for you in the event that you are involved in a semi-truck accident. Our law firm has decades of experience dealing with motor vehicle accident claims so you can be sure that your legal representation is as solid as it gets. When you need a top rated attorney that puts in the work to get maximum compensation, call Rector Stuzynski LLC today for a free consultation on your truck accident case.
We serve clients injured anywhere throughout the state of Colorado, but we focus on residents of these areas: Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Fountain, Briargate, Monument, Black Forest, Pueblo, Canon City, Larkspur, Security-Widefield, Peyton, Castle Rock, Teller County, El Paso County, Elbert County, Park County, Douglas County and beyond.
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