4 Things to Do After a Truck Accident Injury in Columbus

Injured after being involved in a Columbus truck accident?

As if being in an accident isn’t bad enough, being in a truck accident adds extra complication. Trucking accidents often result in much more serious injuries and damages due to the sheer mass of these commercial vehicles. Then there’s the complicated issue of figuring out who’s at fault (truck drivers, manufacturers, service companies, and the trucking company could all be at-fault).

Therefore, you should know what you need to do as soon as possible after the accident. There are a lot of things that need to be done following truck accidents, but these four are the most important after a truck accident injury in Columbus.

Not doing everything correctly could lower your chances of getting fair compensation for your injuries. That’s why enlisting the help of an experienced Columbus truck accident attorney is crucial.

Immediately After Truck Accidents

Although you have a lot on your mind, several things must happen immediately after a trucking accident.

Some of the most important steps you can take are going to include doing what you can to ensure a good outcome for yourself.

1. Ensure Everyone’s Safety and Call Law Enforcement

If you are uninjured, stop your vehicle in a safe place if possible. Blocking a busy road could lead to other accidents. Once you are certain you are safely out of the way, you should then contact the Columbus Police Department at (614) 645-4545 or by dialing 911 to ensure that help arrives on the scene quickly.

It’s crucial to get law enforcement involved in your truck or tractor-trailer accident, as having a police report on file will help to bolster truck accident claims.

2. Collect Contact Information and Evidence

If no serious injuries seem to have occurred, you should get the other driver’s information.

This should include:

• The Name of their employer
• Their name, address, email address, phone number, driver’s license number/cdl numbers, etc.
• Their insurance company

In truck accidents, it’s also beneficial to get a photo or copy of the truck driver’s driving log. This shows how many hours they’ve worked, safety checks on the truck, and sometimes even truck maintenance information.
If you can, collect evidence at the accident scene.

This includes:

• Securing the police report. Your insurance company will probably get this on their own, but for your records, get a copy for yourself.
• Taking photographs of the scene. Even though the vehicles are no longer there, you can still take photographs of the scene. These photos should show skid marks, potholes, obscured signs, and other things that can prove what was happening at the scene. Do not take photographs of the scene if there is a risk to your safety or the safety of others.
• Photographing damages to your vehicle. Although the police will likely have this information already, being able to show the damage location on your vehicle for yourself may prove helpful. Often, in an accident, the location of the damages can prove fault.
• Taking photographs of your injuries. Document your injuries. As time goes on, you will want to create a journal that talks about your recovery.

This may also be a good time to locate potential witnesses who have stopped to help. They may provide valid information about the accident if they talk to the police about what they saw. This can provide you with a more effective personal injury case when you attempt to seek compensation.

In short, to ensure you get compensation to help you after an accident, you must prove that the other party was at fault in some way. This can be done by proving negligence or carelessness with the use of evidence.

3. Seek Medical Assistance

If you or anyone else that is involved in the accident is injured, medical care should be your priority. Unless the injured person is in immediate danger, avoid moving them until the ambulance arrives.

This part is exceptionally important because getting medical help immediately after an accident is the only way for truck accident victims to document their injuries after an accident. Common truck accident injuries include spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries, sometimes not evident until days or weeks after the accident.

Even if the injuries do not warrant a trip to the hospital, visit your primary care physician as soon as possible after the accident.

The Days After Your Columbus Truck Accident

While the vehicles were removed from the scene, there are still things you may need to do. Mostly, these tasks will revolve around trying to protect yourself from shouldering the cost burden if you were not at fault for the accident.

4. Contact Your Insurance Company

Reach out to your insurance provider immediately after the accident. It will allow them to process the paperwork to help you in the long run. You may also get a call from the trucking company’s insurance company.

However, it’s best to let your truck accident attorney handle any communications with the other driver’s insurance provider.

5. Avoid Self-Incrimination

Above all, you will want to do your part to ensure that you do or say nothing that may be taken as an admission of guilt, especially if you were involved in a truck crash.

One of the main reasons for this is that Ohio is an “At Fault” state. If you make statements to the truck driver, the insurance adjuster, or law enforcement that place fault on you, it will hurt your truck accident claim.

When to Ask for Help From Truck Accident Attorneys

In 2020, there were 145 fatal accidents involving trucks in Ohio alone. This is not counting the many accidents that did not cause a fatality. Trucking companies will have insurance that protects them in the event of an accident. You must know how to protect yourself.

If you are unsure of what to do next, a Columbus truck accident lawyer will help you. At The Jones Firm, we help you establish a “cause” after a truck accident in Columbus.

Therefore, we know what to look for, including:

• Driver Errors
• Poor Weather
• Distracted Driving
• Truck Driver Inexperience
• Vehicle/Mechanical Failures
• Improper Load Distribution or Overweight
• Road Conditions
• Was the truck driver following the safety rules that are set by the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)?

Establishing these facts will be the only way for you to take the truck driver to civil court to seek compensation for your medical bills, vehicle, and lost wages after the accident.

Contact the Experienced Truck Accident Lawyers at The Jones Law Firm

Life after a truck accident can be painful, stressful, and chaotic. For advice on what to do after a truck accident injury, contact The Jones Law Firm. We offer free case reviews to ensure that you fully understand what your truck accident case will involve.