Steps to Take After a Truck Accident in Phoenix

It can be devastating to be involved in a traffic accident of any kind, but truck accidents are often especially harmful. Many people may be catastrophically or even fatally injured. It is important to know how to react and which steps to take after a truck accident in Arizona. You may be flustered and worried, in addition to being injured, but it is important to stay cognizant of what is happening to the extent possible. You should try to take certain measures that may make it easier to recover compensation from the responsible parties. At the Saavedra Law Firm, Phoenix truck accident lawyer Freddy Saavedra may be able to represent you in a lawsuit.

Steps to Take After a Truck Accident

If you or someone else is injured in an accident, it is important to obtain the medical attention that is needed. This should be done first; acting quickly to call for help can save lives and reduce the impact of certain kinds of injuries.

When an injury is sustained in a truck accident, you should also call 911 to provide details so that the police can come to the scene and gather evidence. This matters because sometimes the cause of an accident is unclear or ambiguous, and over time, evidence at the scene that is important for establishing causation may disappear or be destroyed.

It is also important for people to stay at the scene of the accident if their injuries are not serious. The police and responders will let you know when it is safe to vacate the scene. You should get out of the way of traffic and move to a place that is safe and away from moving traffic or the vehicles that were damaged.

After the police arrive, they will note the parties’ vital information and file a police report. The report may have important information in it for establishing liability. Even so, you should note the contact information for all parties involved in the truck accident, particularly the truck driver. You should also obtain driver’s license and license plate number information from the truck driver, in addition to his or her employer’s name. It can be important to get the trucking company’s insurance policy number, as well as the truck serial number from the United States Department of Transportation.

One of the other steps to take after a truck accident involves photographing the vehicles involved in the truck accident. Photographs of your injuries and the injuries of others, as well as vehicle damage, debris, and skid marks, also can be important for accident reconstruction. Sometimes there are multiple claimants, and it is crucial to get a full picture of the accident to be sure to make claims for compensation with all appropriate parties.

Establishing Liability

In most cases, your attorney will need to prove liability to recover damages. To establish a truck driver’s liability for a truck accident, you will need to show that the driver owed you a duty of care, but the driver caused the accident by breaching the duty. The evidence that you gather at the scene may be used to establish that there was a breach and that there was causation. For example, if you smell alcohol on the breath of the truck driver, this is something that you should mention to the police and document for yourself since drunk driving may have been the cause of the accident. For another example, the way in which the debris is scattered across the road, the damage to your vehicle and the truck, and the skid marks can show that a truck driver was speeding or following too closely and that this caused the accident. Evidence gathered at the scene may also be used to show the extent of the damages. For example, photographs of your vehicle may help show how serious your injuries are.

There are situations in which a trucking company may be held vicariously liable for the truck driver’s negligence in the course and scope of employment. The trucking company may also bear liability for its own negligence in hiring, training, or supervising the truck driver.

Seek Assistance from a Phoenix Attorney Following a Truck Accident

If you are dealing with the aftermath of a serious truck accident, you should consult injury lawyer Freddy Saavedra. He represents accident victims in Phoenix and throughout Maricopa County. Call us at (602) 878-6625 or contact us via our online form.

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