In the blink of an eye, a semi-truck can make an erratic movement that takes you by surprise. If you end up involved in a truck accident, the ramifications can be devastating. Your injuries might leave you with limited mobility and a significant amount of pain, your medical expenses and rehabilitation costs can put you in a tight financial spot at a time when you’re unable to work, and the emotional toll of it all can leave you blanketed with uncertainty and anxiety.
Although dealing with those newfound realities can be tough, you might be able to find relief by pursuing a truck accident personal injury claim. Your case might seem easy to build, but the truth is that these cases often end up being more complicated than you think. And success can be jeopardized if you make certain mistakes. That’s why in this post we want to look at some of the more commonly made mistakes in truck accident cases. That way you’ll know what you need to avoid and what you need to do to build a persuasive and effective truck accident personal injury case.
The biggest mistakes made in truck accident personal injury cases
There are a lot of ways that your truck accident case can go wrong. Here are some errors that you definitely want to avoid making:
- Not following through on medical treatment: To further your recovery, seek immediate medical attention after your accident. Also, be sure to follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations. If you don’t, then you might cut your recovery short, but you’ll also prevent yourself from building a record of your damages. This, in turn, will cut your financial recovery short.
- Failing to gather evidence at the accident scene: Proving causation might be difficult in your truck accident case. By taking photos of the accident scene, though, you might have enough evidence on hand to demonstrate that the trucker was responsible for your wreck. Be sure to capture vehicle resting positions, traffic signals and signs, vehicle damage, tire marks, and weather conditions. If you’re unable to gather this evidence, have a family member or friend capture as much as they can as quickly as they can.
- Overlooking witnesses: Witnesses to the accident can be crucial to your case. If you don’t gather their contact information, then you might not ever hear from them again. This can reduce the persuasiveness of your case, perhaps even putting your claim in jeopardy.
- Posting on social media: Although social media can be an outlet for your emotions, it can also jeopardize your claim. It might give the perception that your injuries are less severe than you claim them to be, or it might give the defense evidence that you were partially to blame for the accident. So, try to stay off social media until after your case is resolved.
- Talking to the insurance company: The insurance company might seem friendly enough, as if they’re looking out for your best interests, but the truth is that they’re looking for ways to reduce or deny your claim. Therefore, you should refrain from talking to an insurance company until advised to do so by your attorney. If you absolutely have to communicate with them, then remain factual in your statements and try to say as little as possible.
Fight to recover what you deserve from your truck accident case
You need and deserve compensation for the injuries that have been unfairly thrust upon you. But you’re not going to recover those resources unless you avoid costly mistakes and properly advocate for your best interests. That might be nerve-wracking to think about, but you can find support throughout the process that’ll hopefully help position you for a successful outcome.