What to Do After a Truck Accident

Accidents involving commercial vehicles tend to have serious consequences for everyone on the road. Sometimes a truck driver walks away entirely unscathed, even after multiple innocent bystanders have suffered catastrophic injuries. You may be wondering what to do after a truck accident in East Tennessee. Among other things, it is important to gather as much evidence as possible from the scene of the crash. Knoxville truck accident lawyer Mark Hartsoe has an accident reconstruction team on standby 24/7 that will be able to investigate promptly after a crash.

Immediately after a truck accident that causes injuries, you should call the police. A police report may have an impact on liability. For example, if the police find that a truck driver violated one or more safety laws, such as those promulgated by the FMCSA or the state, negligence per se may apply. Negligence per se means that the defendant violated a safety law, the violation was the cause of an accident, and the plaintiff's injuries were of the type that the law was designed to forestall. When negligence per se applies, it is more likely that the focus of the lawsuit will be the extent of the damages, rather than whether the truck driver or others were at fault.

However, a truck driver's insurer and their employer's insurer are likely to send someone out to the scene immediately to look for ways in which a victim was at fault for the accident. Tennessee follows a rule of modified comparative negligence, and accident victims who are found 50% or more at fault usually will be barred from recovering any damages. You should retain Mark Hartsoe immediately to gather as much evidence as possible.

If your injuries permit, you should obtain information like the name of the truck driver, their commercial license number, the name of their trucking company, any Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers on the truck and the trailer, and the names of any party for which the truck may have been delivering cargo. You should also take pictures of the scene of the accident, including skid marks, damage to vehicles, and injuries. This may help establish liability as well as damages later. If you are not able to gather this information yourself because of your injuries, but a passenger in your car can, the passenger should gather the information.

After a truck accident in which you suspect that you may be injured, you should get immediate medical attention. This may involve emergency room care. You should also follow your doctor's instructions about how to care for your injuries. In Tennessee, someone who is injured by another party’s negligent actions has a legal duty to make reasonable efforts to minimize the harm to the extent possible.

You may be worried about what to do after a truck accident. To improve your chances of recovering full compensation from a truck driver or their employer, you should retain Knoxville truck accident attorney Mark Hartsoe right away. In some cases, trucking companies hide or destroy evidence, or they may lose it in the course of business. It is important to investigate the cause of the accident and hold the driver and trucking company accountable. Call the Hartsoe Law Firm at 865-804-1011 or contact us via our online form for a free consultation. Motor vehicle collision lawyer Mark Hartsoe represents victims throughout East Tennessee, including in Knox, Blount, Monroe, Loudon, Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke, Campbell, Hamblen, Greene, Anderson, Cumberland, and Fentress Counties.