When a consumer vehicle and a commercial truck collide, the results are usually catastrophic. Considering the scale of the damage possible to every party in the accident, these accident scenes can grow tense quickly. Not only must the parties in the accident deal with the aftermath, the company hiring the truck driver may have setbacks in its operations, especially if the cargo itself suffers in the collision.
The entire situation can sour easily, making it difficult for parties to receive the proper attention they need to recover from possible injuries and protect their rights.
If you experience a commercial truck accident, it is wise to consider calling an attorney out to the scene of the accident, to help you understand your rights and avoid incriminating yourself or inviting undue responsibility for the accident itself.
Professional legal counsel ensures that you can focus on your own needs and the needs of other passengers in your vehicle without worrying about missing important evidence for use in a potential personal injury claim.
Protecting your legal liability
After just about any accident, it is wise to watch what you say to other drivers or to the police. Even something as simple as an apology can shift liability, and in accidents of this scale, that is usually a very costly mistake.
While it is understandable that you might apologize to another party in the accident, especially if they sustained injuries, it is wise to consult with your attorney before doing so. This allows you to convey your sincere sentiments without endangering your legal rights or potential claims.
Gathering evidence for a personal injury claim
Even in ideal circumstances where you are not disoriented by the accident, gathering evidence at the scene is not always simple, especially if you do not know where to look or what evidence is most useful in a personal injury claim.
An attorney familiar with complex personal injury claims understands not only what evidence is often useful to a claim, he or she understands how to collect it. This may include interviewing witnesses and the other drivers and passengers in the accident, speaking with law enforcement, collecting an accident report, taking pictures or video footage of the accident scene, and inspecting the driving logs of the driver.
Begin building your claim and focus on your recovery
Even if you only suffered relatively minor injuries, which is unlikely in these accidents, you deserve to focus on your recovery rather than your claim. An attorney can help you assess your experience and find any strong grounds you have for a claim.
