Commercial trucks come in a range of shapes and sizes. By the same token, a whole range of factors could work to create a situation in which a commercial truck collided with your own vehicle. Understand that there exists a set way to deal with such a situation.
Steps to take at the scene of the collision:
• Remain calm. Check on the condition of any passengers.
• If necessary, call 911.
• Take pictures of the damage or of any evidence, such a tire marks.
• Get statements from witnesses.
• Get the name of the truck’s driver; get the driver’s license number and the number on the truck’s license plate.
• Get the name of the company that has been paid to insure the commercial truck. Write down the type of cargo being carried by the same transport vehicle.
• Call the police.
Steps to take as soon as possible:
• Arrange for a physician to exam you and check for injuries.
• Arrange with your family doctor to ensure documentation of any new or worsening injuries.
• Contact your insurance company. Do not suggest that you were at fault for the accident. Do not agree to sign any papers until you have spoken with an injury lawyer.
However, here are some steps to take in combination with an injury lawyer in Brampton. You need to prepare for the time when you will get contacted by the adjuster in the company that has insured the commercial truck. You can offer any information you have that would suggest who is responsible for the collision. It will become your lawyer’s job to check on the veracity of that same information.
Discuss with your lawyer the various people or businesses that could be held responsible for the fact that the truck collided with your vehicle. The truck’s driver might not be the person or business that should be held accountable for your losses.
Who else could be held accountable? It could be the company that has leased the truck. It could be the company that recently carried out repairs on that particular transport vehicle. Another possibility should not be ruled out. It could be that the manufacturer, the company that made the product being transported on the highway must bear at least part of the responsibility. The manufacturer might be held accountable, if someone working for the manufacturer had been asked to load the empty transport vehicle.
If a truck does not get loaded properly, before it starts traveling down the road, the driver has trouble controlling that large set-of-wheels. That lack of control can cause the driver to make a mistake and to increase the chances for a collision. For that reason, your injury lawyer will need to discover who was in charge of loading the truck that collided with your vehicle.
