What Happens When a Truck Driver Has an Accident?

If you or a loved one is currently suffering the consequences of a serious and preventable truck accident, a truck accident lawyer working at Morgan & Morgan may be able to help you recover the compensation you need and deserve for your damages. Such an experienced lawyer can further help you to understand what happens when a truck driver has an accident, including all of the subsequent legal details.

When a truck driver has an accident, this can trigger many different possible actions, and all of this may culminate in the filing of a personal injury lawsuit.

Many truck accidents are the responsibility of the individual truck driver or the employer of that driver. These professionals have many responsibilities to minimize the potential risks of operating large trucks with heavy loads on the road. Because of the substantial size and weight of a traditional commercial truck, this can lead to devastating injuries or even fatalities.

There are many different state and federal laws in place designed to minimize or prevent truck accidents, but unfortunately, truck accidents are some of the most common accidents that happen on the road today. In 2020, nearly 5,000 people died in large truck crashes. These carry significant consequences regardless of the size and type of truck, but those carrying hazardous materials can increase the chances of a multiple-car pile-up or further chemical components in the accident, such as explosions or burns.

As a truck accident lawyer can tell you, understanding what to do immediately after an accident has happened can help you minimize safety risks, get the treatment that you may require, and take any necessary steps required if a lawsuit is likely.

Someone who is seriously hurt in a truck accident may not be able to go back to work, may not be able to live their life normally, and may face substantial medical expenses and other problems. If you have been injured in a truck accident due to no fault of your own, you shouldn't have to bear the brunt of these expenses, injuries, and other problems. Contact Morgan & Morgan for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to learn how you can recover the compensation you deserve.

Causes of Truck Accidents

Each truck accident may be unique, but plenty of these crashes share similar elements. At Morgan & Morgan, we've investigated many different truck accidents across the country. In many situations, this involves negligence on the part of the driver, the manufacturer of a defective part on a vehicle or truck, or the employer or supervisor of the truck driver. Only a full investigation of the accident will reveal which of these elements is at play, but it is often the case that human error plays a substantial role in the common causes of trucking accidents.

Some of the most common contributing factors for negligence and trucking accidents include drowsy driving, improper training, failure to maintain the truck, drunk driving, distracted driving, or aggressive driving. At Morgan & Morgan, our teams are fully experienced in gathering evidence from the scene of the accident and reviewing all details to determine what may have caused the crash to begin with. We can then leverage this information to pursue maximum compensation on your behalf.

What to Do Immediately After an Accident Happens?

Although you hope to never end up on the side of the road suffering from injuries in a serious truck accident, you may find yourself coping with these consequences and may have questions about your legal rights. The truck accident lawyers at Morgan & Morgan know just how hard it can be for you to gather evidence during this time, especially if you have been substantially injured and may be suffering major and long-lasting injuries. You may be removed from the scene of the accident immediately and taken to the hospital or other medical facility, giving you little to no opportunity to understand what even happened in the accident, much less to gather the necessary evidence.

It is always recommended that you communicate with the authorities when you're involved in a serious truck accident. This dispatches people to the scene who can help ensure that you do not have more devastating financial injuries and can assist with the filing of basic materials, such as a police report. This information may become important down the road, and therefore, it is strongly recommended that you contact the police, even if you are not yet sure if your vehicle has suffered substantial damage or if you have severe injuries. The sooner you can gather this information and report it, the easier it will be for you to turn back to it when you need to file an insurance claim or open a truck accident lawsuit. A truck accident lawyer at Morgan & Morgan will later be able to use this information in the gathering of evidence and possibly in the reconstruction of the accident scene.

Getting medical attention is important because many of the most severe injuries linked to a truck accident may not yield symptoms immediately at the scene. This includes things such as internal bleeding, whiplash, and concussions. Being evaluated by a medical professional gives you the best chance for diagnostic tools to reveal some of the issues you may be facing and to minimize the possibility of devastating health complications.

Hiring a qualified truck accident lawyer may not be the first thing you attempt to do after getting hurt, as getting medical attention is far more important. However, contacting a truck accident lawyer, like those working at Morgan & Morgan, should be a priority for you after you've been seen for your medical conditions.

What Do Truck Drivers Do After an Accident Happens?

One of the most common concerns about what happens when a truck driver has an accident is that truck drivers and the companies who employ them are very familiar with the high risk of accidents with commercial trucks. Many of them have their own dedicated insurance companies, legal teams, and accident response teams at the ready. The primary purpose of these teams is to help minimize the liability facing the truck accident company. This means that experts may be dispatched to the scene to gather evidence, take photos, or take videos, all of which may be used to minimize or deny liability on the part of the trucking company.

This can have devastating consequences for you as a victim who needs the responsible parties to be accountable for the accident that they caused. You may not have access to the same resources or may be suffering from such severe injuries that you were taken away from the scene without a chance to gather your own evidence. The truck accident lawyers at Morgan & Morgan recognize this and often use their own accident reconstruction teams to make sure that the information told about how the accident happened is accurate. You can count on anyone representing the truck driver, truck carrier insurance company, or the trucking company to do everything possible to minimize their liability, including potentially even blaming you for the accident itself.

What to Tell Your Insurance Company?

You need to inform your insurance company as soon as possible that you have been involved in an accident. This is especially true if you have vehicle damage and severe personal injuries. You may have substantial medical costs that continue to affect you for years to come, and your insurance carrier needs to know about this to open their own investigation.

If you live in a state with personal injury protection, you will first need to turn to your PIP coverage. However, PIP coverage is there to support your medical expenses up to a certain point, but most people who have suffered in devastating truck crashes have serious enough injuries that they can easily exceed the limits of their PIP coverage.

For that reason, you may need to also consult with a truck accident attorney. At Morgan & Morgan, we frequently take on cases in which people have been so substantially injured that they have difficulties returning to work, have amassed substantial medical bills for treatments, medications, surgeries, and rehabilitation, and those who may never be able to live a normal life again because of their involvement in this accident.

Hiring a Lawyer

After you've spoken with your insurance company, do not sign any paperwork or agree to any recorded statements until you've had the opportunity to talk to your personal injury lawyer. A truck accident lawyer at Morgan & Morgan will handle every legal aspect of your case, reducing your stress and ensuring that your needs are properly handled. The support of an experienced and qualified truck accident lawyer can make a world of difference in recovering compensation and in giving you peace of mind about your claim.

Knowing that you're not alone during this challenging time is extremely helpful. Our lawyers at Morgan & Morgan know how hard it can be to navigate this complex system and are here to help you. You can remain focused on your medical care and getting the treatment that you need while knowing that all paperwork and other deadlines are being addressed appropriately. Our knowledgeable truck accident lawyers have been in this position many times before.

At Morgan & Morgan, we take truck accident cases seriously. We know that your life was probably dramatically changed in just a matter of moments, and if it is the responsibility of the truck driver or any other accountable entity, you may be able to hold them liable in a lawsuit.

We will begin gathering information to start preparing your case as soon as possible, and it is in your best interest to communicate with our qualified legal teams immediately. You don’t want to wait too long to file a truck accident lawsuit, as you could miss your state's statute of limitations. If the statute of limitations passes you may be unable to recover compensation even if you otherwise had strong evidence against the liable party.

So don’t wait. What happens when a truck driver has an accident shouldn’t be your problem to deal with. Contact Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to learn more about how you can recover the compensation that you need and deserve.