Understanding what to do after a truck accident in Houston is crucial for ensuring your safety and protecting your legal rights and financial interests. Each year, accidents involving large commercial vehicles, such as semi-trucks, lead to significant injuries and deaths.
This guide will walk you through the essential steps you should take after a Houston truck accident—from ensuring your immediate safety at the accident scene to pursuing a claim against the responsible parties.
What to Do After a Truck Accident in Houston
Immediately following a semi-truck accident, your priority should be your safety. So, the first thing you should do is determine whether anyone is hurt. If it’s safe to do so, move to a safer location away from busy traffic to avoid further incidents. Turning on your vehicle’s hazard lights is crucial to alert other drivers of the accident.
Contact Authorities
Without delay, dial 911. You want the police and emergency medical personnel to respond to the scene. Getting a police report is essential as it can help substantiate the sequence of events and corroborate your version of how the accident occurred.
Even if you don’t think your injuries are severe, having medical responders check you out is always recommended. Your body is in shock after an accident, and adrenaline levels are running high. You might not even realize that your injuries are more severe.
Exchange Information with All Parties
While waiting for the authorities, exchange information with the truck driver and any other involved vehicles. Obtain their names, contact details, insurance information, and license plate numbers. Be sure to get the trucking company’s information, too. If there are witnesses, get their contact information; their accounts could prove invaluable later if there’s a dispute in liability.
Document the Scene
If you can do so safely, use your cell phone or camera to take photos of the accident scene. Take pictures of all vehicles, visible damages, and your injuries. Also, include photos of other relevant details, such as debris, skid marks, etc. Note environmental conditions like weather and road conditions, which can be essential details in your personal injury claim.
Seek Medical Attention
Even if emergency medical responders examined you, you should still follow up with a doctor after the accident. You need to rule out any serious injuries, like internal bleeding or a concussion. Sometimes, injuries may not present symptoms immediately following the accident.
Documentation of your medical evaluation will also be important for insurance claims and potential litigation. Make sure you follow all your doctor’s orders and treatment plans. Failure to adhere to their recommendations can be used against you by the trucking company’s insurance.
Report the Accident to Your Insurance Company
As soon as feasible, report the accident to your insurance company. Provide them with all the detailed information collected from the scene, including the truck driver’s details and any witness statements. This initial report is a critical first step in the insurance process.
Contact the Trucking Company
Notifying the trucking company of the accident is essential, especially if you plan to pursue a personal injury claim. Provide them with the basic accident facts. Some companies might handle claims internally, while others will have commercial insurance carriers that handle any claims.
Consider Hiring a Houston Truck Accident Lawyer
Consulting a lawyer for a truck accident can be crucial in cases involving significant damage or injuries. At Kolodny Law Firm, our skilled team can guide you in pursuing compensation for your injuries.
Get a free initial consultation today by calling our office in Houston, or you can fill out our online contact form.
Filing a Truck Accident Claim in Houston
The claims process for a semi-truck accident in Texas can be complicated. Trucking companies have extensive resources and will do whatever is necessary to reduce their potential payout. You need to present solid evidence, such as the police report, witness statements, photos from the accident scene, medical records, repair estimates, etc.
How a Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help
An attorney can provide invaluable assistance. You need someone who can protect your rights and negotiate on your behalf. Your attorney also works with experts who can testify in court, such as accident reconstructionists and forensic accountants.
An accident reconstructionist can prepare a report detailing the most likely way an accident occurred. A forensic accountant can be critical to evaluating the potential value of a case involving catastrophic injuries.
When a lawyer represents you, the other side’s attorneys and adjusters cannot speak to you directly. That means your attorney also handles settlement negotiations on your behalf. If your Houston trucking accident lawyer cannot settle on your behalf, they will represent you in court during litigation.
Understanding the Potential Value of Your Truck Accident Settlement
Compensation in these cases should cover both tangible and intangible losses. Tangible losses include:
- Medical expenses—Covering costs for immediate and ongoing medical treatment;
- Lost wages—Compensation for lost earnings if you’re unable to work due to your injuries; and
- Vehicle repairs—Payments to cover the repair or replacement of your vehicle.
Tangible losses are typically evidenced in documents such as medical bills or vehicle repair estimates. Intangible losses, such as pain and suffering, are subjective and rely on testimony.
Calculating damages involves assessing the total impact of the accident on your life. This includes the severity of your injuries, the expected recovery time, any long-term disabilities incurred, how these injuries have affected your ability to earn a living, and your quality of life.
The best truck accident lawyers in Houston at Kolodny Law Firm, can help you understand how much compensation you might expect based on the specifics of your case.
Get a free initial consultation today by calling our office in Houston, or you can fill out our online contact form.
Were You in a Houston Truck Accident? Contact Kolodny Law Firm
Knowing what to do after a truck accident in Houston is crucial to your subsequent personal injury claim. You need to understand the immediate steps to take, how insurance claims work, and the importance of hiring an attorney to protect your rights.
If you or someone you love suffered injuries in a Houston truck accident, the experienced team at Kolodny Law Firm is here to help. Following the above steps can help you better manage the situation and protect your rights and financial interests.
If you are overwhelmed by the claims process or the insurance offers seem inadequate, don’t hesitate to consult a Houston truck accident lawyer. Our team has decades of combined experience handling semi-truck accidents in Texas. Contact us online or call us at (713) 532-4474 to schedule a consultation to learn how we can help.
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Alan Kolodny is committed to representing injured clients in Texas and throughout the United States. Alan earned his B.A. from Rice University and his J.D. from Southern Methodist University.
He focuses his practice on representing plaintiffs in personal injury cases involving the following matters: maritime and offshore accidents, including those under the Jones Act; automobile and 18-wheeler truck accidents; and industrial site accidents, work-related accidents, and claims for injured railroad workers under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act.
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