Table of Contents
Each year hundreds of Pennsylvania residents experience life-changing injuries in truck crashes.
Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reveals that 7244 truck crashes occurred across the state in 2021. The vehicle’s weight and size make truck crashes more likely to cause serious injuries than any other type of accident. So accident victims are more likely to require long-term medical treatment for their injuries.
If you or a family member are the victims of recklessness or negligence in a truck crash, the crucial steps you take in the aftermath can determine your compensation settlement.
Let’s explore the steps you should take to protect your injury case after a truck accident.
Seek Medical Attention
First, make sure you receive medical care for your injuries. Provide your medical care provider with all the details you remember from your accident so they can document them within their records. After undergoing treatment, ask for copies of the reports written by your care provider.
Report the Accident
In most cases, you generally have five days after an accident to report the crash to your insurance provider.
Failure to document the truck accident with your insurance company may not only harm your following injury case, but may allow the other driver to claim you were responsible and therefore liable for crash-related injuries.
Book a Case Review with a Truck Accident Lawyer
Now you’ve begun treatment for your truck accident injuries and reported the accident to your insurance company and the authorities, take the time to book a case review with an accident lawyer. A local Philadelphia truck accident lawyer can help explain your options and explore whether you have a case for compensation.
During their free case review, the lawyer will discuss with you the following case elements:
-
Your injuries and their extent – are you working and enjoying your normal everyday activities?
-
The costs you’ve incurred as a result of your injuries
-
Potential witnesses to the accident
-
Current evidence and its value to your truck accident case
-
The strategies to pursue a compensation claim against the other driver and their employer
Avoid Speaking to Other Parties Without Your Lawyer Present
One of the ways in which truck accident victims significantly harm their case for compensation is by discussing their accident with the driver or trucking company’s insurance provider.
The insurance provider for the opposing party will try to extract information from you to damage your potential case against their client. If they try to contact you, don’t speak with them unless you have a personal injury lawyer to field their questions.
Your injury lawyer will handle all communications regarding the accident and provide guidance to help you navigate your legal options.
Avoid Social Media
Another mistake truck accident victims make after an injury is to mention the accident on social media. Trucking organizations and insurance firms will hire investigators to analyze your social media and comment history. They’ll try to use any evidence they find against you to deny your accident injury claim. Try to avoid discussing your case and any injuries you sustain.
Speak with your truck accident lawyer about how to safely use social media again while protecting your rights to compensation.
Explore Your Truck Injury Case Options with Jeffrey Penneys
Personal injury lawyer Jeffrey Penneys has over 25 years of experience negotiating compensation claims with trucking companies and their insurance firms on behalf of his clients. His expertise extends to the courtroom, where he fights injury lawsuits tirelessly in cases where companies refuse fair compensation.
Take the best next step for your truck accident compensation claim. Book a free case review at the Law Offices of Jeffrey Penneys and put over two decades of trucking injury litigation experience to work for you.