5 steps to protect yourself if you are involved in a truck accident
TRANSCRIPT
The 5 Steps toProtect Yourself
Truck AccidentLaw
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The vast majority of collisions involving semi trucks or
other large commercial vehicles are going to either block
off traffic completely or at least seriously impact the flow of
traffic. On top of this, there may be injuries to yourself or
passengers. The eventual police report (usually titled short
form or long form “Crash Report”) can prove a very critical
piece of evidence in your case, as it should include the
following information:
The personal and contact information of the semi truck or
other commercial vehicle driver, although you should make
sure the police also get contact information for any trucking
company or other employer
The name and contact details of the driver and owner of
each vehicle involved in the accident
The names of the insurance companies that cover the
commercial vehicle driver and his employer
An accident scene diagram
Names and individual contact information of passengers
and other witnesses
The weather conditions at the time
Notations of any applicable tickets or citations that the
truck driver or others receive
Step 1: Call local law enforcement
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If you're like most people, then you have a
smartphone with a camera. Use it to capture images
of the scene of the accident. Include photos of both
the car and the truck. Make sure you photograph
the actual point of impact specifically. Look out for
skid marks too. Try to get photographs of the truck
driver, witnesses, and all injuries. Also keep an eye
out for signs that were damaged or any other
collision evidence.
Step 2: Take photos and snap images
Step 3: Jot down notes
If you have a memo pad or paper, write things
down. Alternatively, type what you can into your
phone. Make observations of the scene. Note
specific admissions the truck driver might state,
such as "I did not see you" or "I'm sorry." You also
need to note witnesses that might have heard such
admissions from the driver. Transfer any notations
into a journal as soon as you can.
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Note the location of surveillance cameras that are
close to the scene of the accident. Most of the time,
you'll see that they are attached to schools,
businesses, or governmentowned light poles where
they can record intersections and railroad crossings.
If you are able to identify and find the video owners,
see if you can get a copy. If they are unwilling, let
your attorney subpoena the records as part of
building your case/lawsuit.
Step 4: Look around for surveillance cameras
Step 5 : Go back to the scene of the accident
If you are healthy enough to do it, go back to the
scene the following day. If you are unable to do it,
enlist the help of a family member or friend. You
should take pictures and make measurements of
skid marks and photograph signs or solid objects
that might have been moved since the day the
accident took place.
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