Due to the sheer size and force of the vehicles involved, trucking accidents tend to be devastating. They are more likely than passenger car accidents to result in loss of life and trucking accidents also tend to cause serious personal injuries – including permanent spinal cord injuries, amputations, burn injuries, and other injuries – as well as significant property damage.
After a trucking accident, it is common for insurance companies to be very reassuring. The insurance providers covering trucking companies, in particular, often seem helpful, offering instant contracts to sign to ensure that compensation is doled out quickly. While it may be tempting to deal with only the trucking company’s insurance provider, if you have been in a serious trucking accidents and have lost a loved one or have suffered severe injuries, it is vital to seek professional help independently.
The first type of professional help you will want to seek is professional health care. Visit the best doctor, hospital, clinic, or specialists you can. Even if you don’t think you have been seriously injured, keep in mind that seemingly small and innocuous injuries and mishaps can have life-long permanent effects. That twinge in the back after an accident may become a life-long disability as well as a recurring source of pain. A bump on the head may be an asymptomatic brain injury. Without a thorough medical examination, there is just no way to know. Err on the side of caution and visit a qualified doctor of your choosing first. Keep a journal and take photos of any injuries and make sure that you retain copies of all medical records.
The second professional you should consult after a serious trucking accident is a personal injury attorney. A good Florida attorney can negotiate with insurance providers on your behalf, so that you are assured of getting a fairer offer and settlement. An attorney can also reconstruct the accident, determine responsibility, and calculate the total costs to you of an accident. With an attorney’s help, you can protect your rights after an accident and seek all the compensation you are entitled to under the law.
Professional help is also often needed to restructure your life after an accident. If you have sustained a serious head injury or spinal cord injury, for example, you may need a professional occupational therapist in order to help recapture some of the mobility and some of the activities you enjoyed before the accident. Professional therapists may be needed if you – like many truck accident victims – feel depressed or anxious after the accident. Again, a qualified personal injury attorney can help ensure that you have the resources for all this help.
Seeking professional help after an accident helps not only you, but other possible victims as well. If your accident was caused by product defects or negligence, a thorough investigation can find this out and can hold those responsible liable. This can help encourage change, which can ensure that others are not hurt in the same way.