If you suffered an injury in a motor vehicle accident and it was the fault of another driver, you are entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover monetary damages. You are also permitted to file a lawsuit if the vehicle that hit your car, motorcycle, or person was a commercial truck. Our Arlington, TX truck accident attorney from The Queenan Law Firm, P.C. looks at what you need to do to start building your injury claim if you were in an accident with a semi truck.
How to Begin Preparing Your Semi Truck Lawsuit After an Accident in Texas
After any motor vehicle accident, your first priority should be the health and safety of you and any passengers you might have. If you require immediate medical care, then the following advice can wait until you take care of your welfare. Even if you suffered minor injuries, you should still seek medical treatment as soon as possible. In many cases, the severity of an injury is not readily apparent. Additionally, any delay in seeking medical attention could jeopardize your potential settlement or personal injury claim.
If you are in an accident with a semi truck in Texas, you should not leave the scene unless you are being taken away for medical treatment. You should also not move your vehicle because it could provide vital evidence to determine how the accident occurred.
Be sure to contact our experienced Houston truck accident attorney as soon as possible. If you want to maximize your potential compensation, it is crucial to start building your case immediately.
Gather Evidence From the Semi Truck Accident Scene for Your Texas Lawsuit
Photographs are worth a thousand words. Video could be worth more. You should take pictures of the entire crash scene, including the damage to the vehicles, their relative position to one another, debris in the roadway, and the surrounding area. Take more pictures than you think might be necessary. Do not forget to document any injuries you received. Every photo could help your lawsuit against a semi truck driver or a trucking company.
Your memory will fade, so make a video of yourself describing precisely what happened. If there are any witnesses, be sure to gather their contact information and ask permission to video their testimony. The photographs and recordings could be crucial in helping our Dallas truck accident lawyer determine liability.
You should exchange information with anyone involved in the accident – especially the truck driver. Be sure to get the names, email addresses, phone numbers, and driver’s license numbers of each person. Sometimes they might let you take a picture of their documents. Do not forget to get the truck driver’s insurance information and the contact information of their trucking company.
Insurance Companies and Semi Truck Accident Lawsuits in Texas
It is never a good idea to give too much information to anyone after an accident. You should just stick to the basic facts and do not add any opinions. This advice applies to the police or medical teams at the scene of the accident. More importantly, it also applies to any conversations with an insurance company.
The insurance company for a semi truck driver or trucking company will have investigators out to the scene of the accident as soon as possible. Their job is to limit the amount the insurance provider will have to pay on a claim. When an insurance adjuster talks to an accident victim, they look for information and any reason to lower or deny a settlement. A simple statement such as “I feel fine” could be used as evidence that the injuries you suffered were not severe as you claim. It is crucial to speak with our Houston semi truck wreck claim lawyer before talking with an insurance company. In many situations, our office will handle all correspondence with an insurance carrier. You should also never agree to a settlement amount before our office has had time to value your claim.
Who Should You Sue After a Semi Truck Accident in Texas?
It should be clear that if you were injured in an accident caused by a semi truck, you have the right to sue to seek compensation for your damages. The next question is, “Whom do you sue?” That answer is not always straightforward. It also might include more than one party.
Determining fault and liability in a semi truck accident is often complicated. Trucks are massive machines and accidents happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is evident that a truck driver was reckless and caused an accident. In other cases, another car could have caused a truck driver to lose control of their rig. Sometimes the trucking company could be held liable for an accident involving one of their employees. In situations when a truck malfunctions or a defect part results in an accident, such as brakes failing, the truck manufacture could be held accountable for any injuries. It is critical to have our Texas semi truck accident attorney investigating your case to determine how the accident occurred and what parties are appropriate to sue.
Call Our Texas Semi Truck Accident Attorney to Review Your Case
Trucks are the largest vehicles on the road and when a semi truck is involved in an accident with a much smaller car, the damage and injuries are often devastating. A truck accident victim could be facing years of expensive and intensive medical treatment. This care could include multiple surgeries, physical therapy, and live-in healthcare. Additionally, a severely injured person could lose months, years, or a lifetime of income. Our Texas personal injury attorneys are committed to holding the responsible parties liable for the harm they caused. Call The Queenan Law Firm, P.C. at (817) 476-1797 to schedule a free consultation and review your case.