What to Do After a Semi-Truck Accident

This video features Josh W. Hopkins, a Personal Injury attorney based in Texas.

Attorney Josh Hopkins | 888-981-1283 | Free Consult

“A trucking company is going to work at the time of the accident to control the case, to control their driver’s liability.”

Who is typically responsible for an 18-wheeler truck accident? Are big rig truck drivers following the law? What about their employers? Do you know what to do after a semi-truck accident?

Josh Hopkins is a personal injury attorney with the law firm Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., which has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley. In this interview, he explains what you should do if you’re injured in an accident involving a tractor-trailer.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-981-1283 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Key Takeaways From Josh Hopkins:

When an accident occurs between a car and an 18-wheeler where the latter is at fault, liability may fall on or be shared between the truck driver and trucking company itself. There are many rules and regulations which exist to protect truck drivers and companies from liability, as well as to protect everyone who shares the road with these tractor-trailers.

Truck drivers are held to a stricter standard of safety than those of standard passenger vehicles.

The federal government has put laws in place to regulate how drivers of large trucks and their companies are required to behave. These laws include maintenance requirements, mandatory rest breaks, and more. The trouble arises when a driver fails to follow these regulations, or is pressured by their employer to ignore these regulations.

Hopkins says that one of the more common issues he sees with truck drivers is a violation of drunk-driving protocol. The blood-alcohol level allowed for truck drivers is .04, just half of what is allowed for drivers of standard vehicles.

Another common violation of trucking regulations is remaining on the road for too long without a break. As a general rule of thumb, if a truck isn’t moving, it isn’t making money. This can lead to a desire for increased profit, resulting in cutting corners and drivers being dishonest or coerced into being dishonest regarding how long they rested between periods of driving.

Truck drivers are instructed by their companies on what to do after an accident.

The first thing on these lists of instructions is generally to call the police and ensure that everyone at the scene is okay. However, the next thing on many of these lists is to contact the trucking company. Large trucking companies have access to their own legal and insurance teams who are experienced at cleaning up the scene of the accident and framing it in a way that reduces liability for their company’s driver.

This is why it is especially important to hire an attorney to represent you in an 18-wheeler case as soon as possible. Truck accident attorneys are well-versed in laws regarding the subject and will be able to identify, obtain, and preserve necessary evidence before it can be naturally dispersed or destroyed. Successful cases against negligent trucking companies may even result in policy changes toward safer practices.

If you are involved in an 18-wheeler accident, it is critical to hire an attorney as soon as possible.

The first thing a person should do after being involved in an accident with a large truck is to call the police and seek medical treatment. Even if an injury is not felt right away, it’s still important to seek medical care; some injuries may not be felt until days or weeks later.

After contacting the police and receiving emergency medical care if necessary, it is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible. The longer a person waits to contact an attorney to represent their case, the more time passes in which relevant evidence may disappear.

If someone is too injured to contact an attorney, a loved one may do so on their behalf. It may help to note that most of these attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay unless and until your attorney wins your case.

To learn more, contact Josh Hopkins directly by calling 888-981-1283 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

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