Steps To Take After a Trucking Accident

You might exacerbate an already precarious situation if you don’t take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your best interests after a trucking accident. Below are some suggestions on what to do after an accident with a commercial vehicle.

Please note that when you’re severely injured in one of these crashes, you may be unable to follow these steps precisely. And that’s ok. Our law firm handles truck accidents and can help while you focus on healing. For those who are injured but able, these are the most critical steps to take after a semi-truck accident:

1. Assess the Situation

Your safety is priority number one, so your first step should be assessing the situation to determine whether you’re in a dangerous location, in immediate harm, or if it is possible to move to safety. Power on your vehicle hazard lights to alert other drivers and prevent additional collisions.

Check yourself and other passengers for injuries—assess carefully, as a concussion or internal bleeding may not be immediately apparent but will require medical assistance.

2. Report the Accident

This is an essential step after any trucking accident, and in South Carolina, reporting injurious collisions involving commercial vehicles is very important for documentation purposes. Call 911 and be prepared to provide the location, including a mile marker or intersection. The dispatcher will also request injury and crash details to route the appropriate authorities and responders your way. A police officer will arrive at the scene to investigate and complete an accident report. This official record of the crash can be used to help you, should you decide to file a lawsuit.

Though you may be shaken up and in shock, it is important that you provide the dispatcher (and responding authorities) only the information necessary to secure the scene or obtain medical help. South Carolina allows 911 calls to be used as evidence in certain cases, so be mindful of making in-the-moment admittances and voicing your gut reactions while reporting the accident.

3. Collect Evidence

As long as you’re safe, your next steps after a truck accident should focus on collecting evidence and documenting the scene. The crash site will remain undisturbed only temporarily—skid marks fade, vehicles are moved, and guardrails are replaced. Crash site photos preserve this vital evidence of your trucking accident and offer supporting details you may not remember later. If there are witnesses, ask them for a statement and their contact information. Other proof, such as trucking company records or the commercial vehicle’s ‘black box,’ can be collected during the more in-depth investigative steps after a truck accident.

4. Exchange Information

It’s essential to exchange information with the truck driver and get the trucking company’s name and the truck’s license plate number (the trailer, too, if it is separate). You can also ask for the driver’s Department of Transportation number, which they must possess if they haul interstate cargo, passengers, or hazardous materials. If other drivers were involved in the accident, exchange contact details and request their insurance information as well.

5. Seek Medical Attention

Delaying a medical evaluation allows the trucking company to argue that you weren’t injured, to try to void your claim. Your records can be used as evidence to support your case. But this step is important for more than legal reasons alone: You also may be hurt in ways you don’t realize. Some injuries are not detectable without medical assistance, and adrenaline can mask pain. A doctor can check for internal bleeding, a brain injury or concussion, or another serious injury that may not be immediately apparent.

6. Get Legal Help

The moments after a truck accident are critical, and if you aren’t sure what to do, you could jeopardize any potential claim. Nor will the freight company make handling a trucking accident easy. Obtaining an attorney to advocate for you after a truck accident can make this catastrophic time a little less so. Bell Legal Group understands what to do when a trucking company denies accident claims, hides evidence of wrongdoing, or provides an unfair offer for your damages.

The sooner you call for legal help after a semi-truck accident, the sooner Bell Legal Group can begin advocating on your behalf. We’ll take care of the details of your claim while you focus on recovering.