Five Steps for Victims of a Truck Accident

Victims of a truck accident must first take care of their own medical issues. Finding a good truck accident attorney shortly after dealing with these issues can help protect one's legal rights. Accidents involving trucks are exceedingly common in Pennsylvania and the U.S. at large. There are roughly 500,000 of these wrecks every year nationwide, and of those, one in every eight is fatal. If you've been involved in such an accident, follow these steps.

Worry First About Your Health

The first step in any accident situation is to make sure that you get all the medical attention you need. Some people begin to worry about their cases before they focus on their recovery. If you don't get the right medical attention, then your legal claim won't matter much at the end of the day. While you're seeking that medical attention, be sure to get as much documentation as possible. Have family members get information about the ambulance if one was involved. Try to keep records of your medical costs. The more information you have on how you've been harmed, the easier it will be for your Allentown truck accident lawyer at the conclusion of the process. While you shouldn't be worrying about these things during your recovery, you should have an eye toward documentation when you're on the mend.

Contact a Truck Accident Attorney as Soon as You're Healed

There's some upside to getting the process started as quickly as possible. Truck wrecks can be very complex, and they can be very fact-intensive, too. Unlike with a simple car accident, truck accidents can require the collection of important facts in order to prove not only who was at fault but also the amount of harm. As mentioned before, truck wrecks tend to cause more damage, so the stakes are higher. When you contact an Allentown truck accident lawyer early on in the process, he or she can get the ball rolling with collecting evidence for your case. This will help you as the process moves along because you'll have more evidence to bolster your case. Having a good lawyer early in the process can also help you work through some of the difficulties associated with a truck wreck case. Whenever you're in a car accident or any kind of personal injury situation, it can be difficult to know what to do next. While a lawyer's primary role is to help make legal decisions, he or she will also advocate on your behalf. You'll feel much better knowing that you have someone in your corner when you're the victim of one of these accidents.

Avoid Making Statements Without the Assistance of Your Attorney

One of the biggest issues with these cases is that people have no idea how to deal with an insurance company or adverse party that may inquire about their case. After all, what does it matter if you just happen to answer a couple of questions from the nice insurance adjuster on the other end of the phone? In reality, you should learn during the early part of the process to direct all questions to your attorney. As your attorney is working hard to figure out the right path to take in your case, you can do great damage by making statements that contradict his or her strategy or provide the other side with compelling evidence. There are many issues that your lawyer will have to work through as he or she prepares your case. One of those has to do with the division of fault in the case. Were you responsible at all for your own injuries? Was the other party completely responsible for what took place? In most cases, proving fault will be the most important element to ensure recovery. If you happen to say the wrong thing to the wrong person, you can make it much harder for your lawyer to prove that you weren't at fault.

Work Closely With Your Attorney to Determine Responsible Parties

While lawyers do the critical legal legwork to ensure that rights are protected, they rely on engaged clients to help collect the relevant facts. In truck cases, one of the most important issues is figuring out which parties might be sued. You may have a claim against the driver, the trucking company that hired him or her, and even the manufacturer of the truck, depending on how the accident happened. You'll work closely with your lawyer to not only provide information about what happened but also to collect information on the parties involved. This might mean having to bring documentation to help your lawyer identify the parties involved. It may also mean securing your consent to get insurance records, police reports, and even medical records. Clients who choose the right lawyer, let that lawyer do his or her job, and then provide the necessary assistance to aid in their own case have a better chance of getting a positive outcome.

Decide What You Want to Get Out of the Case

Good lawyers don't supplant their judgment for that of the client. Because you're the victim and recovery is yours, you get to make the decisions on what to seek. You'll need to talk with your family and figure out whether you want to take the case to trial or settle out of court. Luckily for you, your lawyer will provide an opinion on what the best course of action happens to be. Many clients will benefit from going to trial and seeking a big judgment. Others will benefit from a hasty settlement. With your lawyer's advice and the counsel of your family, you'll need to make a determination on which way to proceed with your case.

Call Us

If you've been the victim of a trucking accident, you should reach out to Metzger and Kleiner. An Allentown truck accident lawyer will be there to help when you've been hurt. Call us today at (610) 435-7400.