What should I do at the scene and immediately after a trucking accident?

After a trucking accident, you want to find out as much as you can at the scene. Often, people rely on the police conducting the investigation. However, police reports vary by which agency responds and how significant they think the accident is. It's helpful to have your legal team involved early on to get experts out and preserve and investigate all the evidence.

• Put on your flashers to make your vehicle more visible on the road.
• Check the condition of any passengers in your car, then in other vehicles involved.
• Call the police and ask to have an officer dispatched to the scene. Let the dispatcher know if an ambulance is needed.
• Get contact info, registration, and insurance info from owners, drivers, and passengers in all vehicles.
• Get contact info for any witnesses.
• Take detailed photos of the accident scene and make sure to include all vehicles, the points of impact and damage to vehicles, some geographic marker or street sign that will help identify the location.
• Do not discuss with anyone who was at fault for the accident or how it happened.
• Get medical help if you are feeling any symptoms at all. Keep all follow-up appointments, as your medical records are your means of documenting your injuries.
• Be honest about your injuries. Insurance companies will likely hire an investigator to determine if a victim is suffering from the impairments he/she claims.

When it comes to serious accidents, how you deal with insurance companies can influence the amount of compensation you will receive. Do not permit an insurance company representative to obtain a recorded or written statement from you, do not sign anything for the other driver's insurance company, and do not provide authorizations for medical records unless your lawyer recommends you do so. Call our office and speak to an experienced truck accident lawyer in Elk Grove and Sacramento County before talking to an insurance company representative. Please bring along all the evidence you have and if any insurance adjuster contacts you, refer him/her to us.

For quality legal representation, please contact our personal injury attorneys of the Elk Grove-based O'Brien & Zehnder Law Firm by calling 1-800-722-4176 or send us an email and someone from our office will be in touch with you shortly.

DISCLAIMER: This article is not a substitute for legal advice and in no way constitutes legal advice or gives rise to an attorney-client relationship. Adequate counsel is fact-dependent and requires independent analysis and inquiry specific to your situation and circumstances. This article is simply meant as a guide to explain in general and brief terms certain issues and serves to provide general information. Contact O'Brien & Zehnder Law Firm at 916-714-8200 if you require legal help or wish to seek legal advice for your specific legal issue(s).