Truck accidents considerably affect victims in Crown Heights, often causing injuries that require compensatory damages.
Small details about a truck accident, like its date, location, and time, matter, so do your best to collect such information at a crash site. When you call 911, police officers will also collect this information and note the weather and road conditions during the collision. You should ask for the commercial truck driver’s insurance and employer information, and police officers can also help with this step. Assess property damage to your vehicle and photograph it. Do the same for any physical injuries you sustain. Let paramedics who arrive on the scene assess your injuries and take you to the hospital for further medical treatment. While you do this, our lawyers can focus on preserving evidence that could benefit your case, like surveillance footage and witness statements.
Call (718) 841-0083 to have the Brooklyn, NY truck accident lawyers of The Carrion Law Firm review your case for free.
Your Checklist for After a Truck Accident in Crown Heights
Right after truck accidents, victims should note the date, location, and time, as well as the weather and road conditions, since these details could affect their claims. Be sure to get the truck driver’s information, as well as their employer’s. Before leaving the scene, document property damage and ask eyewitnesses for their contact information. Then, turn your attention toward getting medical care and initiating your compensation claim.
Note the Accident’s Date, Location, and Time
Note the specific location, date, and time of the accident. The police report will contain this information, so make sure you call 911. There are several popular attractions in and around Crown Heights, like the Prospect Park Zoo and the Brooklyn Museum, as well as other businesses and commercial properties that might have surveillance systems in place. By confirming the accident’s exact location, we can determine if nearby security cameras may have filmed it and promptly contact the owners to secure the footage.
Note the Road and Weather Conditions
Take note of the weather and road conditions as well. Though trucks are much larger than passenger cars, they are also vulnerable to large potholes or other road defects. If a truck driver lost control of their vehicle because of poor road or weather conditions, that could affect your case. You can photograph the road where the accident happened, including any tire marks or debris left from the collision.
When police officers survey the accident site, they may also note the road and weather conditions and cite them as potential contributing causes to the accident in the report. Our car accident lawyers can help victims obtain and review collision reports from law enforcement to gauge the possible effects of environmental factors on their claims.
Get the Truck Driver’s Information
Victims should get a truck driver’s insurance information after a truck crash. These accidents typically involve commercial truck drivers operating their employers’ vehicles. Because of this, the driver’s employer might be involved in your claim and liable for your injuries. So, in addition to getting the truck driver’s name and other details, be sure to get their employer’s information. For many victims, this is difficult, as serious injuries prevent them from having discussions with negligent drivers. This is one of the many reasons why calling law enforcement is important, as police officers can collect the necessary information from negligent drivers while victims get immediate care from paramedics.
Assess Property Damage to Your Vehicle
Assess the property damage to your vehicle at the scene. While you may not know the full extent of the damage, photograph it. Pictures of property damage can aid accident reconstruction experts, whose findings and testimony can help prove an accident’s cause. Take pictures of any damage to the negligent driver’s truck as well.
Obtain Eyewitnesses’ Contact Information
Eyewitnesses can offer firsthand accounts of an accident, solidifying victims’ claims. If anyone stops to provide aid or you notice others who witnessed the accident, request their contact information. This way, our truck accident lawyers can quickly contact them to set up interviews. Though traumatic accidents often leave lasting impressions on eyewitnesses, their memories might become less reliable as time goes on. We appreciate this risk, which is why we aim to identify and speak to eyewitnesses as soon as possible. By doing this, we can preserve their statements and use them as evidence in your compensation claim.
Document Your Physical Injuries
Do not wait to document your physical injuries, as this could make it harder to connect them to the accident. Victims may photograph injuries at the scene to illustrate their initial severity. Truck accidents at any speed might cause debilitating head, neck, or back injuries that necessitate treatment at the scene. When you call 911, ask for paramedics to come to the crash location. Let them give you the on-site medical care and accept transport to the emergency room. The severity of victims’ injuries dictates whether or not they can file car accident lawsuits in New York, and our attorneys can compare your diagnosis to the serious injury threshold to determine if you can file an auto accident lawsuit.
Initiate Your Case
Preparing truck accident claims often takes time, particularly when they involve negligent trucking companies. The deadline to file truck accident lawsuits in New York is three years, according to C.V.P. Law § 214(5), and delaying claims could lead to challenging hurdles for victims. We can initiate your case right away and identify evidence at risk of being lost or destroyed, like surveillance footage. While organizing evidence of negligence, we can also monitor your losses from the crash to inform our calculations of your deserved economic and non-economic damages.
Call Our Attorneys to Review Your Case in Crown Heights
Get help with your case from The Carrion Law Firm by calling our truck accident lawyers at (718) 841-0083.