What To Do After Being Involved In A Truck Accident
Every accident is a harrowing experience. A truck accident more often than not affects multiple motorists and/or pedestrians. This means that if one is not on the lookout, you may end up being held liable for several crimes, injuries or deaths. The first thing that you should do if you are involved in a trucking accident is to ensure that all people are out of harm's way. Most companies will send attorneys to the scene upon learning about an accident if the truck was a commercial truck. However, these lawyers will be looking out for the company and not for you. You should therefore call your own attorney after the crash if possible.
Ensure that you get checked up by a certified medical practitioner. Also ensure that all the other people get medical checkups by calling an ambulance or 911 when the accident occurs. Then, the police will also appear if you called 911. If not, inform them about the accident as soon as possible. You should then seek to find as much information as possible about the accident if your attorney has not arrived. You may take pictures with your phone, observe the scene as carefully as possible, note as many details as possible and ensure that you don not forget these details. Your freedom and liability may be dependent on these details and therefore the need to be accurate.
If you are called forward to give an account of what happened, you should be as precise and truthful as you can. You can also record this statement if your lawyer is not present. You should also ensure that you do not implicate yourself in the course of giving your statement. If you are not sure about what may or may not implicate you, ask for an attorney before you can give your statement. If possible, take the names and addresses of the other parties involved in the accident. This may be helpful later on. You may also try to find an truck accident injury attorneys in St. Louis in case you have extensive injuries. He or she will help you make insurance claims or if the other party was liable, he or she will help you in seeking compensation for your injuries.
If you do not have a lawyer by your side, be wary of people who wish to exploit you. Do not sign any documents whatsoever especially when you do not understand its content, its applicability or why you should sign it. You may implicate yourself easily and it may be difficult to get yourself out of such a predicament. Keep in mind that you should not accept liability after a trucking accident, you can ask for the police report and when making your statement, do not give personal opinions or speculations as to what transpired. Always stick to giving the facts of the crash.
Ensure that you get checked up by a certified medical practitioner. Also ensure that all the other people get medical checkups by calling an ambulance or 911 when the accident occurs. Then, the police will also appear if you called 911. If not, inform them about the accident as soon as possible. You should then seek to find as much information as possible about the accident if your attorney has not arrived. You may take pictures with your phone, observe the scene as carefully as possible, note as many details as possible and ensure that you don not forget these details. Your freedom and liability may be dependent on these details and therefore the need to be accurate.
If you are called forward to give an account of what happened, you should be as precise and truthful as you can. You can also record this statement if your lawyer is not present. You should also ensure that you do not implicate yourself in the course of giving your statement. If you are not sure about what may or may not implicate you, ask for an attorney before you can give your statement. If possible, take the names and addresses of the other parties involved in the accident. This may be helpful later on. You may also try to find an truck accident injury attorneys in St. Louis in case you have extensive injuries. He or she will help you make insurance claims or if the other party was liable, he or she will help you in seeking compensation for your injuries.
If you do not have a lawyer by your side, be wary of people who wish to exploit you. Do not sign any documents whatsoever especially when you do not understand its content, its applicability or why you should sign it. You may implicate yourself easily and it may be difficult to get yourself out of such a predicament. Keep in mind that you should not accept liability after a trucking accident, you can ask for the police report and when making your statement, do not give personal opinions or speculations as to what transpired. Always stick to giving the facts of the crash.