Some of the most catastrophic road accidents occur in crashes involving large commercial trucks. The size and weight of tractor-trailers, semis and other 18-wheelers make the impact of any collision with an automobile extremely dangerous. While truck drivers often walk away from collisions with few injuries, others on the road, including the occupants of passenger vehicles, motorcycle riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians, are often not so fortunate.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, approximately 7,000 large truck accidents occur in Wisconsin every year, resulting in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries.
Truck accidents usually cause more serious injuries than car accidents. Unlike a car accident, a truck accident usually involves multiple parties, such as the trucking company, the truck owner, the truck manufacturer, the cargo loaders, and insurance companies representing each one. If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your losses, such as for medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering. Because of the potential for numerous liable parties and the involvement of multiple insurance companies, it’s important to have an experienced Wisconsin truck accident attorney help you.
The experienced Milwaukee truck accident attorneys at Gruber Law Offices, LLC can help you seek full and fair compensation for your injuries. Our skilled truck accident lawyers can investigate your accident, calculate the recoverable compensation and fight the trucking company and their insurer for maximum compensation for you. We can be reached 24/7 at (877) 276-4878. Call now to schedule a free case evaluation.
Truck Accident Aftermath Checklist
If you have been the victim of a truck accident, it’s important that you take the following steps:
- Call the Police
The first thing that you should do after a truck accident is contact state or local law enforcement. It is critical that the police come to the scene of the truck accident. This will ensure that there is an investigation into the cause of the accident and that there is a police report filed, documenting the details of the accident. Reporting the accident to police is important in case you need to file an injury claim.
- Seek Medical Treatment
Seek medical attention after a truck accident, even if you think your injuries are minor. Your adrenaline could be pumping, preventing you from noticing an injury or from feeling much pain. If you do not receive medical treatment at the accident scene or are not brought to the hospital, see a doctor as soon as you can after the accident. Let a doctor examine you and determine if you need further medical care. Not seeking medical attention or having a doctor’s report describing your injuries could interfere with your ability to recover compensation for your injuries.
- Exchange Information with Others Involved in the Truck Crash
While at the scene of an 18-wheeler accident, it is important that you exchange information with the truck driver and others involved, if you are able. Collect the names and contact information of witnesses. Once everyone leaves the scene of the accident, it may be difficult to track down witnesses. Getting everyone’s contact information will make things easier if you need to file a claim and seek compensation for your injuries.
Make sure you collect the following:
- Driver’s name, address, phone number
- Driver’s insurance company and policy information
- Driver’s license number for the truck driver
- Contact information for the truck driver’s employer
- Take Photos
Taking photos at the scene of the crash provides an opportunity to gather evidence to help prove that another party cause an accident that led to your injuries. Use your phone or camera to take pictures of the angle of impact, the damage to the vehicles involved, the intersection, skid marks, and any other details that show what happened. Taking a video of these details may be even better than photos. Take photos of your injuries.
- Document the Crash
Try to document the accident as best you can. The more evidence you have, the better off you will be if you need to make a claim for injuries or property damage. In addition to the police report and photos, other forms of truck accident evidence include witness statements and medical documents and records.
- Contact a Truck Accident Attorney
After you have taken care of those steps, contact an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as you can. A lawyer can help you get the compensation and justice you deserve. The lawyers at Gruber Law Offices, LLC are committed to helping victims of truck accidents get the compensation they deserve. If you are suffering from an injury, you already have enough on your mind. Call or contact us online today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. We can explain all your legal options. At Gruber Law Offices, our goal is to help you recover physically, mentally, and financially from your accident.
For a free legal consultation, call 414-276-6666
Mistakes That Could Affect Your Truck Accident Claim
If you were injured in an accident caused by a truck driver, you deserve to be compensated for your injuries and missed income. It’s very important that you avoid making mistakes that diminish your claim. Common mistakes to avoid after a truck accident include:
- Not obtaining the police report. Not getting a police report can lead to disputes as to how an accident occurred and even who was involved. Without a police report, you may lose helpful information, such as the determination of the cause of the accident and investigation notes.
- Not reporting the accident to the police. If the police do not respond to the accident, it is important to file a police report online.
- Not collecting contact information. While many truck accident victims know to get contact information from the negligent truck driver, they may not think to gather the contact information of eyewitnesses.
- Not seeking medical treatment. By failing to get medical attention, you jeopardize your health and well-being. It’s important to see a doctor even if you don’t think you were seriously hurt. Some symptoms may not be immediately obvious. With some injuries, it may take weeks before the symptoms emerge. The trucking company’s insurer may argue that your injuries were not caused by the truck accident or that you were not injured as severely as you claim. Failing to follow up with medical care can result in similar disputes when negotiating the settlement of your claim.
- Failing to preserve evidence. If you do not contact an attorney promptly after a truck accident, you may lose important evidence and information. You will want to take photos of the scene of the accident, the truck, the damaged vehicles, and your injuries and locate all witnesses before they leave the scene. An experienced attorney can find any security camera video of the accident and secure it before it is taped over.
- Agreeing to give a recorded statement. Never agree to give a recorded statement to the insurance company representing the truck driver or trucking company. The statements may be used against you in court. Insurance adjusters are known to use tricky tactics during these statements, and you may accidentally say something that hurts the value of your claim.
- Settling too quickly. Never accept the first offer the insurance company makes because the initial settlement offer will likely be far less than what your claim is worth. Before making any decisions regarding settling your claim, you should consult with a skilled and experienced lawyer at Gruber Law Offices. An experienced attorney can advise you about whether a settlement offer is reasonable based on the specific facts of your case.
- Not hiring a lawyer. You will want to hire an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. A lawyer will investigate your truck accident. At Gruber Law Offices, LLC, our Wisconsin truck accident attorneys have extensive experience collecting and preserving evidence. The evidence we gather in a truck accident may include:
- Truck driver’s logbook
- GPS data
- Blackbox data
- Inspection reports
- Maintenance records
- Driver’s background check
- Reports of substance use
- Police and witness reports
With the help of a Wisconsin truck accident attorney, you can have confidence that the evidence required to support your claim is properly collected and preserved.
A skilled lawyer will seek to negotiate a fair settlement for you, and, if necessary, file a lawsuit on your behalf and demand justice in court. Our attorneys are successful in settling most truck accident claims without going to trial.
Contact an Experienced Milwaukee Truck Accident Attorney
If you have been injured in an accident involving an 18-wheeler in Milwaukee, the truck accident attorneys of Gruber Law Offices, LLC are ready to put our legal skills to work for you.
Our attorneys handle truck accident injury claims on a contingency fee basis. That means we don’t charge any legal fee unless we win your case. Speak with one of our skilled and compassionate Wisconsin truck accident attorneys today by calling (877) 276-4878 for a free initial consultation. We can meet you where it is most convenient for you, such as your home, hospital room, workplace, or in our downtown Milwaukee office.
Call or text 414-276-6666 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
