Every year, accidents involving oversized commercial vehicles, like tractor-trailers, cause thousands of fatalities and injuries. Knowing what steps to take after a Houston truck accident is vital to protecting your financial interests, your rights, and ensuring your well-being.
This blog explains the basic steps victims should take following Houston truck accidents, from ensuring their safety at the scene to working with a Houston truck accident lawyer to pursue legal action against the at-fault parties.
What is Houston’s Energy Corridor?
A centrally-located, premier business center, Houston’s Energy Corridor District is home to many of the world’s biggest businesses, thousands of acres of open space and parks, diverse retail establishments, and excellent schools.
Since its formation in 2001, the Corridor has hosted numerous major energy companies along with small and medium tech and engineering start-up firms, earning it the nickname “Energy Capital of the World”.
What Steps Should I Take After a Houston Truck Accident?
After being involved in a Houston truck accident, your immediate focus should be on your safety. So, the first step to take is to determine whether or not anyone is injured. To avoid a secondary accident, move everyone to a safe location away from the flow of traffic and turn on your hazard lights.
Contact Local Law Enforcement
In order for you to obtain a police report, the police must respond to the accident scene. This report is vital and could potentially serve as an important piece of evidence that backs up your version of events.
Even if you feel that your injuries are minor, you should still be medically evaluated by first responders. After a traffic accident, your adrenaline is pumping, and you may be in shock, which can temporarily mask the severity of your injuries.
Exchange Contact Details
While you wait for law enforcement to arrive, exchange contact details with the truck operator, along with anyone else involved in the crash. Be sure to get the contact information for the trucking company as well. Write down everyone’s first and last names, current addresses, emails, and telephone numbers, license plate numbers, vehicle registration numbers, and insurance information. If anyone witnesses the incident, get their contact details too, since their accounts could potentially resolve any future liability disputes.
Document the Accident Scene
If you can safely do so, use a camera or your mobile to take videos or pictures of the scene. Include photos of the damage to the vehicles and any visible injuries. Take pictures of other pertinent details, such as skid marks, oil slicks, debris in the roadway, etc. Document any road conditions, like construction zones, and environmental conditions caused by inclement weather, such as standing water, as these details could prove important to your financial recovery.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Even after being examined by responding paramedics, you still need to follow up with a doctor after your accident to ensure that any serious injuries, such as a concussion or internal bleeding, have been ruled out. As previously mentioned, not every injury shows symptoms immediately after an accident.
Proof of your evaluation will also be necessary for your insurance claim and any potential litigation. Follow all your physician’s advice and stick to your treatment plan, as failing to do so could be used against you by the truck company’s insurer.
Report the Accident
Report the incident to your insurance carrier as soon as possible. This initial call is the first step in the insurance claims process. Give the insurer all the information you documented at the scene, including any eyewitness statements and the truck operator’s details.
Contact the Freight Company
Informing the freight company of the collision is important, particularly if you plan on pursuing a Houston truck accident claim. Answer their questions honestly and stick to the facts. Do not speculate or offer conjecture. Some freight companies handle accident claims internally, whereas others have commercial insurance companies that handle their claims.
Hire a Houston Truck Accident Attorney
Consulting a skilled attorney is crucial in many truck accident cases, especially those that involve serious injuries and considerable damages. At Parks Law, PLLC, our skilled Houston truck accident lawyers can advise you on the best way to pursue financial compensation for your losses.
How Can a Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Help My Case?
Our knowledgeable Houston truck accident attorneys can offer insightful advice, safeguard your rights, and negotiate effectively on your behalf. Our firm also has a strong rapport with local professionals able to testify in court, including forensic accountants who can accurately evaluate the value of cases involving catastrophic injuries or accident reconstructionists who can determine exactly how an accident happened.
Once you sign with our firm, the other party’s legal counsel and insurance adjusters will not be allowed to address you directly, which means your attorney will also handle any settlement negotiations. If your Houston truck accident attorney cannot reach a fair settlement agreement, they will represent you in front of a judge.
Do You Have Questions About a Houston Truck Accident Claim?
Taking the right steps after a Houston truck accident is as essential to a personal injury claim as understanding how insurance claims work and the importance of working with a skilled lawyer to protect your right to compensation.
If you received an inadequate settlement offer or are finding yourself overwhelmed by the claims process, don’t hesitate to consult a Houston truck accident lawyer from Parks Law, PLLC. If you were seriously injured in a truck accident in Houston’s energy corridor, contact us at (713) 979-3500 or fill out our quick contact form to schedule your free consultation. Put our decades of industry knowledge and legal experience to work for you.