Long hours leading to poor driver focus and bad weather are the typical causes behind trucking accidents, besides others like recklessness. California was adjudged the second-most dangerous state in 2010 due to the number of truck crashes. Many of these accidents led to terrible outcomes due to the sheer weight of the vehicle and the momentum it usually carries. Occupants of passenger vehicles are most affected, with fatalities being common.
You need to get medical attention as soon as you can if you ever happen to get into one. Once that’s been sorted and you’re capable, you must call a personal injury attorney. A local attorney will serve you best, as they will be familiar with the local laws regarding trucking accident-related personal injuries and can give you the legal support you deserve.
Claiming Compensations Correctly In California
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A trucking accident is no small matter, and California’s laws approach it so. Besides near-certain complete vehicle damage, personal injuries of all types and magnitudes will be present. Filing claims for those legally is a complex process; it requires a personal injury attorney’s involvement. They will guide you through the steps involved and help those claims come to fruition.
Note Down Your Situation
You need to take account of your situation immediately after the accident. Record all details that will be relevant to you like time, place, type of collision, number of passengers in your vehicle, types of damages and injuries suffered, etc. They will come in handy for your lawyer while filing claims. Evidence like dashcam footage and sensor logs will also help if you can get them. Even if you have a copy of the police report, these notes can help build a stronger case.
Don’t Settle Your Medical Bill
Your doctors will diagnose your and fellow passengers’ health conditions and provide the necessary treatment. Sometimes, injuries may take prolonged physical therapy to correct. In other cases, the injuries may result in a loss of activity in the limb or loss of limbs themselves.
The other party may intervene and try to pay for your hospital bills right there. Your medical insurance may try to settle the costs early on too. Don’t accept either.
Wait for the final bill and the final medical report detailing all injuries sustained by everyone involved. Let your attorney use that to file for compensation per California’s pain and suffering damages laws.
File Within the Statute of Limitations Period
California has a statute of limitations clause that mentions a deadline within which claims can get filed for various personal losses. For personal injury, the period is two years. You must file your claims within that deadline if you want to get compensated.
Certain exceptions may be allowed for those whose medical condition will only become unambiguous after that period. Your lawyer should gather all the evidence in your favor, create a report, and file the claims within the deadline.
Trucking may keep life going in the country but can also ruin some in the process. Your personal injury attorney can help get you some respite after you’ve experienced one by making the right claim at the right time.