After a truck accident, you could be left with serious injuries, vehicle damage, and bills that you need help with. There are certain steps you should take to collect information after the crash, then additional steps to take to get compensation.
First, at the scene of the accident, you should stop and exchange information with the other drivers involved. You should also collect other information and report the accident to the police. After that, seek medical treatment and call a New York City construction accident lawyer for help understanding your options to file a lawsuit and insurance claim to get compensation.
For help, call our NYC truck accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm today. For a free case review, call us at (718) 841-0083.
Steps to Take After a Truck Accident in NYC
Immediately after the accident, there are some steps you need to take. These steps typically apply to any auto accident, but there are some additional steps that you should take specific to truck accidents. If you think you might have missed any of these steps, call our Brooklyn truck accident lawyers immediately for help catching up on missing information and details about your accident.
Call 911
Right after any car accident involving injury, you should call 911. This includes truck accidents, which are often more likely to leave victims injured because of the massive size difference between the truck that hit you and your car, truck, or SUV. Especially if you were hit while riding a bike or walking, your injuries could be severe and need to be reported.
Calling 911 allows you to call for an ambulance to get your injuries treated. It also allows a police officer to respond to create a police report and investigate any potential crimes such as drunk driving.
Get Medical Treatment
If you are injured and have to leave the scene of the accident to go to the hospital, do so. Delaying medical treatment can be detrimental to your health and to your legal case. Focus on your injuries first before worrying about any other evidence or information at the scene of the accident.
Gather Information
Many drivers are familiar with the rules about what information they need to exchange after an accident. However, some drivers from out of state might be familiar with slightly different rules, and all drivers might not be familiar with the additional information you should collect beyond what the law requires.
After an accident, make sure to gather the following information before leaving the scene of the crash if you are able to:
- The name and contact info for all drivers
- The name and contact info for all passengers and witnesses
- The insurance and vehicle registration info for each driver/vehicle involved
- The make, model, color, and license plate number for each vehicle involved
- The location of the accident, being as specific as you can (e.g., what street, northbound/southbound, nearest cross street, nearest mile marker, etc.)
- Information about lighting, weather, and road conditions
If you can, also take photos of all vehicles, the damage to each vehicle, and any injuries. If someone caught the accident on camera, get a copy of that footage, whether it be dash cam footage, cell phone video, or even security camera footage from a nearby house or business.
Also get the name and contact info of any police officers that responded to the accident.
Get the Trucker’s Employer Info
If a commercial truck driver was involved in the accident, you should also get information about their employer. In many truck accident cases, your Buffalo truck accident attorneys will ultimately file a lawsuit against the trucker’s employer. Knowing who that is and whether they have insurance is important to your claim. Get any insurance info for the trucker’s employer, contact info for their supervisor(s), and the name and other basic info for the company.
If the trucker was an independent contractor or owner-operator, they might be their own boss, and there might be no trucking company to hold responsible.
Getting a Police Report After an NYC Truck Accident
After a crash, the police officer that responded to the accident will create a police report. This report tends to include a lot of the same information that we discussed above. However, the details the police record might include more detail than your information in some cases, and getting the police report can be helpful for your Queens truck accident attorneys. The report may also include information about who the officer thinks was at fault, what citations or tickets were issued, and who was involved.
If you were too injured to stay at the scene of the truck accident and needed to go to the hospital, then you might have missed your chance to collect a lot of info at the crash scene. The police report might be a great substitute if you could not stay to investigate your own accident case.
Getting Medical Treatment After an NYC Truck Accident
You should always seek medical treatment after an accident. EMTs at the scene of the accident might recommend that you go to the hospital immediately or that you see a doctor in the following days. No matter how much medical treatment you need, it is important not to delay medical care and to follow all recommended courses of treatment.
Gaps in treatment may make it harder to claim damages, as the defendant can claim that you made your injuries worse by failing to seek medical care. They could alternatively claim that your injuries must not have been that bad if you delayed or refused treatment. Work with your Rochester truck accident attorneys to oversee your medical care and track expenses.
Filing a Lawsuit and Insurance Claim for an NYC Truck Accident
New York’s no-fault insurance rules often require you to file a claim with your own insurance, but serious injury cases can also be filed against the at-fault driver and their insurance companies. Talk to your Hempstead truck accident lawyer about how to pursue these claims for compensation.
Call Our NYC Truck Accident Lawyers Today
For a free case review, call the Garden City truck accident attorneys at The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083.