What Happens After a Trucking Accident and More

What happens if you’re driving with the normal flow of traffic one day on a road you’re used to, when all of a sudden, you are sideswiped by a commercial vehicle and involved in a terrible accident? The effects you may experience can be life changing to say the least. These accidents involve commercial trucks that are much larger than your average motor vehicle and can lead to very serious injuries or even death. So where do you turn if you are involved in one?

What Generally Causes These Accidents?

Driver Error: Driver error can happen because of many things including fatigue or drowsiness, distractions, inattention, intoxication, illness, aggressive driving, lack of experience, and more. Because of fatigue and drowsiness being such large contributors to these accidents, the Federal Carrier Safety Administration requires trucking companies to comply with rules that prevent that. Some of these rules include not driving more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, or driving more than 60 hours over a period of seven consecutive days.
Equipment Failure: Equipment tends to malfunction when maintenance is not performed in a timely and proper manner. This could lead to accidents. Accelerators, brakes, chassis, hitches, tires, and wheels can all be components that lead to an accident when faulty.
Road Conditions: Poor weather, road construction, or debris on a road can all be hazards causing trucking accidents. Sometimes a victim will be able to file a claim against a government entity if they have acted negligently.
Road Design: Flawed road design may lead to collisions. Some contributing factors are traffic control devices, merging lanes, and poorly designed intersections.

What Should You Do if a Trucking Accident Occurs?
Trucking accidents can be scary. Along with that, they can also make you feel like you have to act quickly. However, you should always remember some basic steps to take when a trucking accident has occurred and you or a driver has fallen victim. Here are some steps to remember at all times:

Always remember to stop when a trucking accident has occurred and you were either involved or a witness. If you do not stop, you could face criminal and civil charges in a hit-and-run.
Report the accident by calling 911 and giving details of the truck accident. They will be able to officially document the accident.
Do not make statements that give away that you may have been at fault for the truck accident.
Note the license plate numbers of all vehicles involved in the trucking accident and take down all vehicle identification numbers.
Try to take pictures of the damaged vehicles at the accident site.
If you have sustained injuries, always see a doctor. Truck accidents can be a huge and serious deal and injuries may not show symptoms until much later down the road – so it’s a good idea to get checked out!
Once you have completed these requirements, it may be in your best interest to speak to an attorney that you can trust. At MDL, we have the experience you need if you have been involved in a trucking accident. We have been involved in several cases with trucking accidents, earning recovery for those rightfully fighting for compensation. Call us today for a consultation so we can speak with you.