Truck drivers are notorious for not paying full attention when out on busy highways as they know they are bigger than most other vehicles. This means you have to pay particular attention if you are driving on a highway frequented by trucks.
These tend to be inter-state highways but there are other places more off the beaten track too like around quarries or coal mines.
If you see a sign warning you of the presence of trucks you should keep your eyes open. You will be quite surprised how often trucks don’t look when arriving at an intersection and all too frequently they cross out into a road and crash into a vehicle causing a serious side-impact crash it.
If you have the misfortune to have been involved in a side-impact crash with a truck and you have been injured, you may need the help of an attorney to file a personal injury compensation claim against the at-fault truck driver.
Drive Cautiously In the Presence Of Trucks
Don’t lose concentration for even a second when sharing the road with trucks. It’s not just you and your passengers that could get seriously injured in a side-impact collision but your auto could be seriously damaged.
The sorts of injuries could include:
- dislocations;
- breakage of bones;
- lacerations;
- internal injuries;
- crushed torso;
Many of these injuries will need a lot of medical treatment and will take a long time to heal completely.
How to Prove Fault in a Side-Impact Accident
Proving fault is never easy, especially when negotiating with a commercial driver who often thinks he never can do anything wrong. Insurers try to side with their clients and not those who are the victims of a side-impact truck accident.
This is why it’s so important to get together the evidence that proves the truck driver’s negligence caused your injuries.
As soon as the accident has happened, you should be looking around for any potential witnesses. Get their names and addresses and check to see if they would be willing to provide a written statement of what they saw. The police will probably be called and they will write a report that can be used to prove who and what caused the accident.
You will need that report. Also you will have to get a medical statement from your physician detailing the nature of your injuries and the likely treatment time. All this should be handed to your personal injury attorney who will file a claim on your behalf.
Why You Need a Personal Injury Attorney
If you try to take on the truck driver and his/her insurer on your own you can’t expect to get as good an outcome as hiring a personal injury attorney. Attorneys know how stubborn insurers are and they have the experience and persuasiveness to file a successful and more favorable claim than you will ever be able to do on your own.