Truck drivers work long hours under constant pressure to keep the wheels on their vehicles rolling. They do need to make money, but they also need to be safe. However, this is not always possible, and accidents happen all the time. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, you might wonder how to claim your rights. This article can help guide you.
Hire A Lawyer If Possible
It is important to hire a lawyer if you’ve been injured in a truck accident and to do this as soon as possible. Insurance companies will work hard to deny your claim even though they know many Common truck injuries are valid.
This means they’ll take their time about investigating the facts of what occurred so that they can find some reason to deny coverage for your injuries.
If you have a lawyer working for you already within the first few weeks after the incident, it becomes much harder for them to pull such tactics on you. You should also hire a personal injury attorney who specializes in truck accidents instead of just hiring any personal injury attorney.
Gather Evidence
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, it is crucial to gather any evidence you can in order to support your claim. Important wants to gather are:
- Police Report – A police report will give you the facts of what occurred from an outsider’s perspective.
- Medication Records – If you’ve been given medication for your injuries, be sure to keep the receipts as well as any prescriptions that have been filled out. You’ll need them as evidence.
- Photographs – Take pictures of the damage to your car and property as well as any visible injuries on your body. Be sure to take photos of everything before you clean up or alter anything in order to demonstrate how it occurred originally.
- Truck Driver’s Logs – When a truck accident occurs, sometimes there is a log documenting whether or not a driver went over their hours for that day or week. If this is available, it can help document whether or not the driver was legally on the road at the time of the incident.
- Witness statements – If you can get any witnesses to talk to you, all their information will be helpful in documenting the facts of the case.
Prepare For A Deposition
A deposition is basically when both sides in a case put representatives of theirs on the stand and ask them questions about their testimony and evidence which will be used throughout the trial. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident and especially if you’ve hired a lawyer to represent your claim, make sure to contact them as soon as possible so that they can prepare you for what is going to happen during the deposition.
Here are tips for the deposition:
- Dress professionally and be on your best behavior. Don’t wear anything that might distract the person questioning you such as flashy or revealing clothes, tattoos, piercings, etc.
- Show up with all your evidence in order to show how serious your claim is. This includes any photographs and police reports that can help document what occurred during the accident.
- Don’t speak unless spoken to by the other party’s representative and then mostly answer with a “yes” or “no.” Give one-word answers whenever possible since this will make it harder for them to twist your words or misconstrue what you meant. Whenever it is appropriate, indicate that you will provide written documentation of an answer rather than providing one verbally.
- Speak slowly and clearly so that your testimony can be easily documented.
- Don’t tell anybody anything about the case unless they are directly involved in it. If somebody talks to you who isn’t supposed to, just pass along the information to your lawyer without saying much of anything yourself.
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Be Aware Of Any Time Limits And Follow Them Carefully
It is very important to know what any time limits are for filing your claim. If you fail to meet a deadline or lose track of them, it can give the other party’s lawyer an excuse to get your case thrown out which would mean that you don’t receive compensation for your injuries.
Claims must be filed within one year after the collision occurs in most states. However, they can vary so make sure you follow the deadlines as closely as possible.
In conclusion, if you’ve been injured in a truck accident, there are many things to keep track of and evidence to gather. For the best possible outcome, it is important that you document everything carefully and follow any instructions your lawyer gives you closely.
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