There you are minding your own business while driving along. The stoplight up ahead turns yellow, then red. You’re able to come to a complete stop with ease. You glance up to your rearview mirror only to see a semi-tractor trailer about to smash into your rear bumper.
The force of the impact sends you and your vehicle into the middle of the intersection. Thankfully, the driver who was just given the green light anticipated you’re being hit and doesn’t pull out into the intersection.
“What just happened?” you ask yourself.
Get Treatment for your Injuries
Obviously, you want to be treated by a physician as soon after the accident is possible — even if you don’t feel any pain immediately following the accident. It could be that your adrenaline is working overtime to block the sensation of pain from the injuries you could’ve sustained. Don’t try to tough it out because you may have internal injuries that may be life-threatening.
Car Accidents and Truck Accidents Treated Differently Under the Law
You are the victim of a truck accident, not a car accident. If you have never been in a car accident, you might think the only difference between a car accident and a truck accident is that the truck is bigger and can cause more damage. In which case, you would only be partially correct.
When it comes to truck accidents, the law is quite specific about how truck accidents are handled versus car accidents.
The “Blackbox”
Commercial vehicles such as semi’s have something similar to an airplane’s “blackbox” which records multiple data points. Data such as speed, frequency and pressure of breaking, and logged hours are just a few of the critical data points collected by the truck’s “blackbox”. Information collected from the “blackbox” can help determine whether or not the driver was at fault for the accident.
Because the truck has recorded specific data leading up to the accident, it’s important for you, as the victim, to have a lawyer act on your behalf to ensure the data is preserved for when it comes time for you to file a claim against the trucking company, the truck driver, the truck manufacturer, or whatever party that may have responsibility in failing to maintain the safety standards for the truck or trailer.
Don’t Talk about Your Truck Accident Case
Do not, under any circumstances, speak with anyone but your personal injury lawyer about your truck accident case after you have spoken with the police.
Insurance companies covering commercial vehicles will go to great lengths to prove their client is not at fault or the injuries you sustained aren’t as bad as what they seem. What may seem as an innocent encounter with a person concerned with your well-being after the accident, it might be a stealth attempt to mitigate the trucking company’s responsibility regarding the accident.
After all, they have an interest to protect their client’s reputation the same way your lawyer has an interest to protect your rights.
Keep that in mind if you or someone you know has been involved in a truck accident.
Tim G. wrote this article for Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer Morris Anderson Law.