Truck accidents can have devastating consequences. Trucks are bigger and heavier than cars, which increases the force of impact when a crash occurs. That’s especially true of collisions involving commercial trucks, delivery vans, and tractor-trailers loaded with freight. Collisions between trucks and lighter passenger vehicles tend to cause some of the most catastrophic and serious injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and fractures. Fatalities are unfortunately common when trucks crash into small cars, bicycles, motorcycles, or pedestrians.
It's important to know what to do if you’ve been involved in a truck accident. Our team of Sault Ste. Marie motor vehicle accident lawyers prepared this list of steps to take to protect yourself and your legal rights. For customized advice and help navigating the personal injury claims process in the aftermath of a truck collision, reach out to our law office today.
Sault Ste. Marie Lawyers Discuss the Steps to Take After a Truck Accident
Step # 1: Assess the Situation
Safety and well-being are the top priorities immediately after the collision. Get yourself to a place of safety away from traffic and other hazards but leave the vehicles where they came to rest if possible. Assess yourself for injuries and assess the medical condition of anyone else involved in the accident.
Step # 2: Call for Help and Report the Accident
Notify the police so they can attend to gather evidence, document the scene of the crash, and prepare an accident report. If anyone appears to be hurt, call 911 to get an ambulance to respond to medical needs right away.
If you were seriously injured in the crash, don’t worry about the remaining steps in this list—just focus on getting immediate medical attention and reach out to one of our Sault Ste. Marie car accident lawyers as soon as you’re able. We can assist with gathering evidence after the fact, including documenting and analyzing the scene of the accident and tracking down/interviewing eyewitnesses.
Step # 3: Collect Evidence
Assuming you’re physically able and not too injured, gather as much evidence as possible, including the name, contact information, and insurance information of the person or people involved in the accident, and the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses.
Take photographs or videos of the scene with your cell phone showing the point of impact, where the vehicles came to rest, damage to the vehicles, visible injuries, and any features that may have played a role in the accident (e.g. road conditions, weather/lighting conditions, missing signage, broken traffic lights).
Step # 4: Get Medical Attention
If you didn’t call for an ambulance or get checked out at the scene, get medical attention as soon as possible after the accident. Go to an emergency room, a walk-in clinic, or your doctor’s office—even if your injuries seem minor or you think you weren’t hurt at all. You are likely in shock, and it can sometimes take hours or days for adrenaline to wear off and pain/stiffness to settle in.
Prompt medical attention is critical to identifying injuries and ensuring proper treatment. It also establishes a causal link between the truck accident and your injuries.
Step # 5: Report the Accident to Insurers
You’re legally required to report a motor vehicle accident to your insurance company within 7 days. Failing to report may result in your personal injury claim not being honoured. While time is of the essence and unreasonable delay can be fatal to your right to claim compensation, we strongly urge our clients to not give a statement to their own insurance company or the insurance company representing the at-fault truck driver without first consulting with a personal injury lawyer.
Step # 6: Get Legal Advice
The sooner you contact a personal injury lawyer, the sooner you have someone on your side to protect your legal rights, collect evidence to strengthen your case, and guide you through the personal injury claims process. Your lawyer can explain the types of compensation available to you and help you navigate the paperwork to make your no-fault accident benefits claim and/or start your personal injury lawsuit.
Truck accident claims can be highly complex. Property damage is typically substantial. Injuries tend to be serious and life-altering. Fault is often hotly disputed and there are often multiple at-fault parties to be tracked down (e.g., the truck driver, the trucking company/employer, the owner of the tractor-trailer). Complicated insurance issues can arise if the truck or other liable parties are from another province or state. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a truck accident, you don’t have to go through this alone—one of our experienced truck accident lawyers is ready to step in so you can focus on your health and your family.
Step # 7: Keep Seeing Your Doctor and Getting Medical Treatment
Continue to get medical attention in the days, weeks, and months following the truck accident. Take prescribed medications and follow all reasonable treatment recommendations (e.g., physiotherapy, massage therapy, counselling, surgery, injections). Doing so will advance your rehabilitation and promote maximum recovery from your injuries.
Ongoing medical care is also important from a legal perspective, as the medical records and treatment notes will provide evidence to prove your losses and damages, thereby strengthening your personal injury claim.
SPEAK WITH A SAULT STE. MARIE CATASTROPHIC INJURY LAWYER
Sault Ste. Marie motor vehicle accident lawyers at Feifel Gualazzi are here to assist if you or a loved one has been seriously hurt or killed in a truck collision. We specialize in personal injury claims and are committed to providing personalized support so you get the compensation you deserve.
We welcome you to contact our Sault Ste. Marie motor vehicle accident lawyers today for a free consultation to see whether you have a case. We proudly provide legal services to residents throughout the Algoma District, including but not limited to Sault Ste. Marie, Elliot Lake, Blind River, Thessalon, Huron Shores, Wawa and all surrounding areas in Northern Ontario.