What to Do After a Truck Accident in Houston - Stewart J. Guss, Attorney At Law

count

elies on big-

ig t

ucks to tnspo

t goods

oss st

te lines

nd delive

oducts to thei

destin

tion..

hile the t

ucking indust

y is

n impo

nt p

t of ou

economy, these lge vehicles m

y pose d

nge

s to othe

s tveling on the

ith them.

mple, in 2017, the Fede

l Moto

fety

dministtion<

ef="https:

.fmcs

.dot.gov/s

fety

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tistics/l

ge-t

uck-

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nk”

el="noopene

efee

“>

epo

ted > th

t the

e 4,889 f

ccidents on U.S.

ys involving comme

l vehicles. This

esents

49 pe

cent inc

se f

om the numbe

of f

ccidents involving lge comme

l t

ucks o

buses just

yes befo

e, in 2009.

Tex

hich

outinely le

ds the n

tion in the p

lence of this type of

ccident, s

tot

l of<

ef=”http://ftp.dot.st

te.tx.us

pub/txdot-info/t

sh_st

tistics

2017/30.pdf” t

get=”_bl

nk"

el=”noopene

efe

"> mo

e th

n 35,000

ccidents > involving comme

l moto

vehicles in 2017, including 513 th

t involved f

lities

nothe

1,221 th

t involved se

ious inju

ies. So

t should you do if you e involved in

ccident

ith

comme

l t

uck? To le

n <

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

vices

houston-t

uck-

ccident-l

“>mo

bout t

uck

ccident help >

d on to find out.

St
y
he
e You

e
nd Get Help<
h2>
s
ith
ny moto
vehicle
ccident, don’t le
ve the scene,
s doing so m
y subject you to pen
lties
nd fines. Fo
ex
mple, in Tex
s, le
ving the scene of
n
ccident
ithout exch
nging info
m
tion
ith the othe
d
ive
m
y c
use you to f
ce
Cl
ss B misdeme
no
chge
nd fines in excess of $200.

hile you must st
y
t the scene, you e encouged to move you
vehicle to the side of the
o
d

y if possible,
nd you
p
ssenge
s should
em
in belted
nd inside the c. If you h
ve fl

es o
cones to pl
ce in the
o
d to
n
pp
o
ching t

ffic of the
ccident, you should do so. You should
lso h
ve checked to see if
nyone

s inju
ed in you
c

,
s
ell
s in
ny othe
c involved in the
ccident.
s t
uck
ccident inju
ies

e often quite seve
e
nd t
uck
ccidents often involve multiple vehicles, you should be p
eped to c
ll 911 to get immedi
te medic
l
ssist
nce fo

nyone
ho needs it,
s
ell
s police se
vices to m
ke

epo
t.

Exch
nge Cont
ct Info
m
tion
ith Othe
D
ive
s<
h2>
Exch
nge cont
ct info
m
tion
ith
ll othe
d
ive
s involved in the
ccident befo
e they le
ve the scene,
s it
ill be much h

de
to tck them do
n l
te
. The info
m
tion you need to g
the
, if possible, includes:

The d
ive
’s full n
me
nd
dd
ess

The d
ive
’s phone numbe

nd em
il
dd
ess<
li>

If the comme
ci
l t
uck d
ive
is
o
king fo comp
ny, the n
me of th
t comp
ny
s
ell
s the comp
ny’s cont
ct info
m
tion

The d
ive
‘s license numbe
fo
the comme
ci
l t
uck<
li>

Insu

nce comp
ny
nd policy numbe
<
li>

Collect
itness Info
m
tion
nd Photog

phic Evidence

If the

itnesses to youccident, you should get thei

mes

nd cont

ct info

tion

ell. If possible, use you

phone to t

ke photos of

ll vie

s of e

ch of the vehicles involved in the

ccident.

ddition

lly, you should photogph

spects of the

ccident scene th

t m

y h

ve cont

ibuted to the c

sh, such

n object obst

ucting the vie

of d

ive

n inte

section. Othe

photog

phic evidence th

t you should collect includes the ex

ct loc

tion

e the

ccident occu

nd the

the

conditions th

e p

esent

t the time of the

ccident.

Seek Medic
l T
e
tment (Even if You Feel Uninju
ed)

You should seek

medic

l ev

tion, even if you don’t feel hu

t o

you don’t feel

s though you

inju

ies e se

ious.

s p

eviously st

ted,

ccidents involving

comme

l t

uck often p

oduce se

ious inju

ies, but not

ll se

ious inju

ies p

esent immedi

te symptoms.

ddition

lly, you

line in the initi

l moments

nd hou

s follo

ing the

ccident m

y m

sk the p

in o

esence of physic

l inju

ies. Some inju

ies th

t one might suffe

ccident involving

comme

l t

uck th

t could p

esent

ithout symptoms include:

ong>Concussion<
st
ong>. Concussions e often the mildest fo
m of t

um
tic bin inju
y,
nd they come
ith symptoms such
s diso
ient
tion, he
d
che, eduction in
esponsiveness, sensitivity to light
nd sound, o
ch
nges in sleeping p
tte
ns. Often these symptoms en’t p
esent immedi
tely,
hich m
y c
use
del
y in di
gnosis.<
li>
ong>Soft tissue d
m
ge<
st
ong>. This type of inju
y m
y include
hipl
sh, spins, o
st

ined muscles. It c
n t
ke seve

l d
ys fo
the full extent of soft tissue d
m
ge to p
esent itself.<
li>
ong>B
ck o
neck inju
ies ong>. Inju
ies to the b
ck m
y include f

ctu
es to the ve
teb

e
s
ell
s d
m
ge to the spin
l co
d,
hile neck inju
ies include
hipl
sh.
hile these inju
ies m
y p
esent
ith immedi
te p
in, numbness, dizziness, loss of

nge of motion,
e
kness in the
ffected e
, difficulties
ith b
e
thing o
b
l
ncing, o
p
in in the uppe
b
ck, neck, o
shoulde
, p
in c
n often be m
sked by youd
en
line in the hou
s follo
ing the
ccident.
ong>Inte
n
l bleeding<
st
ong>. Inte
n
l d
m
ge c
used by the body st
iking pt of the c o
othe
objects in
n
ccident m
y p
oduce bleeding inside th
t is not visible. P
in f
om these inju
ies m
y not p
esent itself immedi
tely,
nd you m
y sh
ug it off
s not se
ious enough fo
t
e
tment. Ho
eve
, bleeding in bodily o
g
ns, such
s the kidney, spleen, o
live
,
ill continue to c
use d
m
ge until the condition is detected
nd t
e
ted.
ong>Emotion
l o
ment
l dist
ess<
st
ong>. Being in
moto
vehicle
ccident is te

ifying, p

ticul

ly if it involved
tcto
-t

ile
.
hen the shock
es off, m
ny t
uck
ccident victims find themselves de
ling
ith post-t

um
tic st
ess diso
de
(PTSD) due to the fe

of losing thei
lives in the
ccident o

itnessing the seve
e inju
y o
de
th of
nothe
occup
nt in thei
vehicle o
in othe
vehicles involved. Symptoms of PTSD follo
ing
n
ccident include
nxiety,
eckless beh
vio
, mood s
ings, ext
eme fe o
une
siness
hen t

veling in
vehicle, ch
nges in e
ting o
sleeping h
bits,
nd even fl
shb
cks
bout the
ccident.

The othe

son to seek immedi

te medic

l t

tment follo

ing

ccident is bec

use it’s the best y to offici

lly document

ny inju

ies th

t you m

y h

ve if you

ish to file

son

l inju

y l

suit l

to obt

in compens

tion fo

you

inju

ies.

ithout offici

l medic

l document

tion th

t you sust

ined inju

ies, you

ill be hd-p

essed to est

blish d

ges th

t you suffe

ed in the

ccident.

ddition

lly, if you put off medic

l t

tment fo

you

inju

ies

nd complic

tions

esult, you

son

l inju

y cl

im m

y not cove

those inju

ies since you m

de no

ttempt to

elieve d

ges.

void M
king St
tements, Both
t the Scene
nd
fte
<
h2>
Insu

nce comp
nies
ill often use
pe
son’s o
n
o
ds
g
inst them to
void h
ving to compens
te
ccident victims.
hen the police spe
k to you
bout you

ccident,
ns
e

ll questions
s honestly
nd
ccutely
s possible. Ho
eve
,
void discussing the det
ils of the
ccident,
dmitting f
ult,
pologizing, o
pl
cing bl
me
hen t
lking to othe
s
t the scene.
fte
you’ve left the
ccident scene,
void m
king
ny st
tements to the othe
pty’s insunce comp
ny.

P
oceed
ith c
ution
hen posting on soci
l mediften
ccident. Not only c
n youo
ds be used
g
inst you to deny you
cl
im if you suggest

ongdoing on you
pt in you
posts, but insu

nce comp
nies
ill
lso be looking fo
posts th
t contdict the se
iousness of you
inju
ies. Fo
ex
mple, if you’
e cl
iming th
t you
b
ck inju
y h
s h
d
signific
nt imp
ct on you
life, but you
posts sho
you jogging on the be
ch
hile on v
c
tion, you
un the
isk of
n insunce comp
ny finding
nd using th
t post
s e
son to deny o

educe you
cl
im.

Spe
k to
n
tto
ney

One of the most impo

nt steps you c

n t

fte t

uck

ccident to m

ximize you

compens

tion is to spe

k to

n <

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

vices

houston-t

uck-

ccident-l

“>expe

ienced t

uck

ccident

tto

ney<>.

tto

neys

ho p

ctice in this

of the l kno

t nume

ous fede

egul

tions gove

n comme

l t

uck d

ive

ill investig

te the det

ils of you

se to see if the t

uck d

ive

in youccident viol

ted

ny of those

egul

tions. Some of the

egul

tions th

t m

pply include:

<
h
ef=”https://
.fmcs
.dot.gov/
egul
tions/hou
s-se
vice/summ

y-hou
s-se
vice-
egul
tions” t

get=”_bl
nk"
el=”noopene
no
efe

e
">Hou
s of se
vice
egul
tions<>,
hich dict
te ho
long
t
uck d
ive
c
n d
ive befo
e t
king
b
e
k o
t
king off-duty time. Youtto
ney
ill check compli
nce
ith these
egul
tions th
ough the elect
onic logs th
t t
ucke
s must use to
eco
d thei
on-
nd off-duty time.
B
ckg
ound checks th
t m
y h
ve
eve
led d
iving inf

ctions o
c
imin
l
ctivities in the d
ive
’s p
st.<
li>
The
esults of m
nd
to
y d
ug
nd
lcohol sc
eenings.
Medic
l fitness testing.<
li>
T

ining on the p
ope
y to lo
d
nd secu
e cgo.<
li>
egul
nd tho
ough m
inten
nce of the t
uck.

If the comp

ny h

s f

iled to comply

ith the

egul

tions set fo

th by the Fedel Moto

fety

dminist

tion, it m

y f

ce inc

sed li

bility fo

you

ccident. M

ny potenti

lly li

ble pties c

n be involved in t

ucking

ccidents,

nd this is

nothe

spect of you

se th

t you

uck

ccident

tto

ney

ill look

t. E

ch potenti

lly li

ble pty poses

nothe

esou

ce th

t the insu

nce comp

nies c

n use to compens

te you. Othe

entities th

t might be li

ble fo

youccident include:

The b
oke
o
shippe
,
ho is oblig
ted to ensu
e th
t the tnspo
t comp
ny it uses to ship its goods complies
ith fede

l
egul
tions. If the shippe
lo
ded the c

go onto the t
uck, it m
y
lso be li
ble if imp
ope
ly lo
ded cgo s one of the f
cto
s th
t cont
ibuted to the
ccident.
Those t
sked
ith m
int
ining the t
uck. F
ulty b

kes

e
f
equent c
use of t
ucking
ccidents. If the bkes h
ve not been p
ope
ly se
viced, pticully if the t
uck m
inten
nce comp
ny h
s
contct st
ting th
t they
ill p
ovide this se
vice to the t
ucking comp
ny, then the m
inten
nce comp
ny m
y
lso she in li
bility.
The m
nuf
ctu
e
s
nd dist
ibuto
s of f
ulty t
uck pts.<
li>

You

uck

ccident

tto

ney

lso kno

s the common c

uses of t

ucking

ccidents

nd ho

they imp

ct li

bility. Some of the common c

uses of t

uck

ccidents include:

ong>D
ive
e

o
<
st
ong>. Viol
ting common t

ffic l

s c
n
esult in c
t
st
ophe
hen it comes to big-
ig t
ucks. Some d
ive
e

o
s th
t le
d to comme
ci
l t
uck
ccidents include d
o
sy d
iving, speeding, texting,
nd d
iving
hile imp
i
ed by leg
l, illeg
l, p
esc
iption, o
even ove
-the-counte
subst
nces.<
li>
ong>Poo
m
inten
nce ong>. D
ive
s e
equi
ed to inspect thei
t
ucks befo
e e
ch t
ip to ensu
e th
t they

e p
ope
ly m
int
ined. F
ilu
e to do so c
e
tes li
bility fony
ccident th
t the l
ck of m
inten
nce c
uses.<
li>
ong>
e
the
conditions ong>. Inclement
e
the
c
n test the tining
nd expe
ience of t
uck d
ive
s,
equi
ing them to slo
do
n
nd use p
ope
bking techniques to
void j
ckknifing o
sliding.
ong>Cgo issues<
st
ong>. Imp
ope
ly lo
ded c

go o
t
ucks th
t exceed st
te
nd fedel st
nd

ds fo
height, length,
nd
eight
equi
ements.<
li>

son

l inju

tto

ney

ho speci

lizes in t

uck

ccidents

ill p

ovide you

ith leg

l guid

nce

nd help you m

n info

med decision

s to

hethe

ccept

settlement offe

ed by the insunce comp

ny fo

you

inju

ies o

to file

lsuit. Othe

vices th

t you

son

l inju

tto

ney

ill offe

include:

Est
blishing
v
lue to you
c
se b
sed on the inju
ies you’ve suffe
ed, the t
e
tments
equi
ed, the time you’ve missed f
om
o
k,
nd othe
imp
cts th
t you
inju
ies h
ve h
d on you
life.
Negoti
tion skills,
hich

e needed to secu
e the best possible settlement.<
li>
Expe
tise in filing lsuits
ithin the st
tuto
y time limit p
ovided by st
te l
nd
dhe
ing to the leg
l
equi
ements th
t must be met befo
e you
c
se c
n p
oceed.
Investig
tion into youccident to uncovell sou
ces of insu

nce
nd li
bility.
Expe
ienced
ep
esent
tion in the cou
t
oom, should you
c
se go to t
i
l.
Medic
l
nd
ccident expe
ts th
t c
n se
ve
s c
edible voices
eg

ding
ho is
esponsible fo
you
inju
ies
nd the t
e
tments necess

y fo
youeh
bilit
tion.<
li>
ssist
nce in de
ling
ith bill collecto
s
hile you
c
se is p
oceeding.<
li>
ssist
nce in the collection of you
settlement o
d.
ep
esent
tion du
ing
n
ppe
l, should you o
the defend
nt dis
g
ee
ith the outcome of you
pe
son
l inju
y l

suit.

Most pe

son

l inju

y lye

k on

contingency fee b

sis, me

ning they

ill not ch

ge you fo

thei

vices until you h

ve obt

ined

settlement o

d. <

ef="https:

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yvictims.comp-content

uplo

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–

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lignleft

p-im

ge-28041" title="Ste

t J. Guss | T

uck

ccident

tto

ney” s

c="https:

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lt="Ste

t J. Guss”

idth="150" height="148"

> >If you h

ve leg

l questions

bout the t

ucking

ccident th

t c

used you

inju

ies, <

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

cont

ct-us

/”>cont

uck csh lye

> fo

e info

tion

bout your options.

Collect itness Infom tion nd Photog phic Evidence

Seek Medic l Te tment (Even if You Feel Uninjued)

Spe k to n ttoney

Testimonials

Read More

Collect
itness Info
m
tion
nd Photog

phic Evidence

Seek Medic
l T
e
tment (Even if You Feel Uninju
ed)

Spe
k to
n
tto
ney