Motor vehicle accidents can be stressful, traumatic, hectic or all of the above! When you’ve just suffered this traumatic experience, it can be hard to keep a clear mind and take the right steps following the accident.
Car accidents and semi-truck accidents are very different claims and you may be unsure how to proceed.
Make Them Pay
These 5 steps will help you if you’ve been in a trucking accident:
Step 1: Call the Police
Contact the local police immediately following accident! A police report will be beneficial to have when setting up your accident claim with the insurance companies and the trucking company. If there is no police report, there is a possibility it will affect your claim down the road if the driver at fault changes their story.
Step 2: Seek Medical Attention
Often times it can take a few hours to a few days to notice any injury. An accident is a traumatic experience to your body and mental state; it could take a few days before you begin to recognize the physical pain from the accident. Seek medical attention immediately and follow up with your primary doctor or any specialists. If you wait too long for treatment, the insurance company may deny liability for your injuries!
Step 3: Set Up Your Insurance Claim
Make sure you let your insurance company know you’ve just been in an accident and you are receiving medical treatment. You don’t need to go into the details of your accident but you will need to set up a claim with the insurance company.
Step 4: Get Estimates
Getting the estimates for your property damage can often move the process along quicker. You can do this by having your insurance company’s adjuster come out to look at the vehicle, the other party’s insurance company adjuster, or by taking it to a local body shop.
Step 5: Seek Out Legal Counsel
You will want an experienced attorney that can work directly with the insurance companies and trucking company so you don’t have to. Trucking accidents compared to passenger vehicle accidents are extremely different; there are multiple parties that can be held liable for an accident including the trucking company, the insurance company, and the truck driver.
You will need an attorney that understands the complexity of a trucking accident. Call me today if you’ve been made a victim in a semi-truck accident.
As your Ohio trucking accident attorney, I’ll be there for you. My life’s passion is to seek fair compensation, and Make Them Pay.
Author: Tim Misny | For over four decades, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving “Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus, Dayton and neighboring communities.” You can reach Tim by email at misnylaw.com/ask-tim-a-question/ or call at 1 (800) 556-4769.