5 Steps to Take After Getting Hurt in a Truck Accident

Even if you’re the safest driver in the world, you have no control over what other motorists do on the road. As such, there’s always a chance you might find yourself in the crosshairs of an out-of-control truck. Accidents involving these giant carriers can be devastating, with victims often suffering catastrophic injuries, incurring thousands of dollars in medical bills, and finding every aspect of their lives fundamentally altered.

If you were hurt in a wreck involving a truck, you may be wondering what you should do next. In this article, we share a few steps you should take in the wake of an accident:

1. Seek Medical Treatment

If you weren’t treated at the accident scene or transported to hospital via ambulance, you should schedule a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible. While you might feel fine, it’s possible that adrenaline is masking the warning signs of a serious injury. For instance, some deadly impact injuries may not show any symptoms for hours even days after the accident.

Visiting the doctor to undergo a comprehensive medical assessment will ensure you receive care promptly. Additionally, you’ll have access to a paper trail of evidence documenting your injuries and the steps you took to mitigate further damages.

2. Preserve Evidence from the Truck Accident Scene

If you were able to take photos at the accident scene, speak to eyewitnesses, or obtain copies of surveillance camera recordings, you should make sure to save any evidence you’ve gathered after the wreck in a safe place. Such proof could play a crucial role in helping you prove liability, so it’s likely your attorney will want to see it during the initial consultation.

3. Start a Personal Injury Journal

Intangible losses such as pain and suffering or emotional distress can have a detrimental effect on your quality of life. However, because there are no invoices or receipts to help quantify the impact they’ve had, such damages can be challenging to prove. Fortunately, there are some ways you can build a case for these losses—namely keeping detailed journal entries of your post-accident life. In your entries, make sure to describe the challenges you are facing because of your injuries and the symptoms, sensations, and pain you’re experiencing.

4. Track Your Expenses Carefully

To recover compensation you will have to provide proof of the damages you’ve incurred, so it’s crucial that you are diligent about filing away any associated bills, invoices, receipts, and other important financial documents. Once you’ve hired an attorney, your legal team will usually oversee this task on your behalf.

5. Ramp up Your Privacy Settings on Social Media

The insurance company may go to great lengths to find any evidence that could be used to challenge your case. Their efforts might lead them to your social media profiles where your comments, “check ins”, and pictures could be leveraged to launch disputes. Thankfully, you can limit who can view and interact with your posts by tweaking your privacy settings so that only approved friends and/or followers will have access to your feeds.

Discuss Your Case with a Texas Truck Accident Attorney

If your life was derailed by a negligent truck driver, turn to the legal team at Hilliard Law to discuss your options. Not only can we help guide you through the weeks ahead, but we can also provide tenacious representation at every stage of proceedings. Contact us today at 1-800-334-3298 or visit our contact page HERE to lock in a free case review with a Texas truck accident attorney.