Physics tells us that the impact from an 18 wheeler wreck has 22 times more the force than your average car accident between two average weight passenger vehicles. That’s one scary collision.
If you or a loved one been involved in an 18 wheeler accident, contact our team of experienced attorneys and staff today!
An 18 Wheeler, otherwise known as a Tractor Trailer or Semi-Truck, on average, weighs about 30,000 pounds empty, or up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded. Fully loaded, that’s the equivalent to 1,600 bags of Redi-Mix concrete, 80 grand pianos, or about 19 normal sized cars. Imagine 1,600 bags of concrete, 80 grand pianos or 19 cars barreling towards you at 65 mph.
Do a little math, that you swore you would never use again, [Force = Mass x Velocity² ÷ (2 x Distance)] and physics tells us that the impact from an 18 wheeler wreck has 22 times more the force than your average car accident between two average weight passenger vehicles. That’s one scary collision.
We at Walton Law Firm, P.C. have successfully handled countless numbers of 18 Wheeler Wrecks, recovering millions for our clients. Furthermore, Attorney Trip Walton is considered one of the premier 18 wheeler wreck Lawyers in the country and has spoken at dozens of conferences across the United States. In this blog, we will share with you our knowledge on what you should do next if you, or a loved one, has been involved in an 18 wheeler, Semi-Truck or Tractor Trailer wreck.
Get Medical Treatment
As always, your safety and quality of health are the most important thing. Make sure yourself, or your loved one gets the care they need in order to get them back as healthy and mobile as they can be. If you are concerned about not being able to get the treatment you need due to lack of health insurance, contact a qualified personal injury law firm, like Walton Law Firm, P.C., and their team may be able to get you in contact with a doctor or facility that will help you with your medical treatment.
Get a Lawyer
Of course as lawyers we will always suggest getting quality representation. But on an 18 Wheeler Wreck case, we cannot stress enough the importance of getting a qualified attorney who is familiar with handling 18 wheeler wrecks, and while there are many reasons why, here are the top 4:
- More than likely, before your vehicle or the 18 wheeler involved in the accident have been towed from the scene, a representative for the 18 wheeler’s insurance company has already been to the scene to evaluate, take pictures and is already trying to figure out how they can make you or your loved one at fault or contribute to the wreck.
- You need someone to communicate with not only the insurance company, but also the owner or company of the 18 wheeler. Usually, a “Preservation Letter” is sent out as soon as possible so the insurance company or 18 wheeler company cannot attempt to destroy potential evidence that could harm their client or company. This letter is sent requesting that the company preserve and save certain items. These items could be any items directly relating to the collision, any previous driver complaints, mechanical service records of the 18 wheeler, on board computer data, Department of Transportation enforcement reports and about 70 or more other specific items that the company would need to keep, save and preserve.
- The laws regulating 18 Wheelers and their drivers can be complex and are constantly changing. It is important that you have an attorney who is familiar with both the State Regulations and the Federal Regulations regarding 18 Wheelers, Semi-trucks or Tractor Trailers.
- The severity of injury in 18 wheeler wrecks is usually much more damaging than those of passenger car wrecks. Many times medical bills for treatment in an 18 wheeler wreck can reach well over half a million or a million dollars, easy. You want to make sure you have a qualified legal representative to be able to negotiate with your health insurance company and health care providers, such as hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, doctors’ offices and others.
Document Everything
They say pictures are worth a thousand words, and they are correct. Any photographs you have of the damage to the vehicles, the scene of the incident, and photographs of your injuries will always be needed. Pictures are worth a thousand words, video is worth a million. If you have what is called dash camera footage of the collision happening, it could be extremely valuable in proving your case. Furthermore, take video of you or your loved ones recovery process, documenting dates, times, etc.
A timeline of treatment, or even a daily journal or diary about you or your loved ones recovery journey can be a huge help when it comes time to either mediate your case or go to trial. Many times during the process of recovery, we can get overwhelmed or forget all of the daily struggles that we go through. It is important to document them, no matter how small or insignificant you may think they are.
Ready to discuss your case? Contact our experienced team of 18 Wheeler Wreck Attorney’s for a free initial case consultation*
In Short.
18 Wheeler Wrecks, Semi-Truck Wrecks, or Tractor Trailer Wrecks can cause serious life- long debilitating injuries, such as paralysis or traumatic brain injury that could require professional medical care for the rest of your life. In even worse case scenarios, a wreck with an 18 wheeler may cause death. It is so important to understand that 18 wheeler wrecks are not just your run of the mill car accident.
Insurance companies and the Transportation companies who own the large trucks are not here to help you or your loved one. They are there to try and prove their client, their driver or their company did no wrong in an effort to get out of paying any monies or as a little money as possible. Make no mistake, they are masters at accomplishing this. They have investigators and teams of lawyers just waiting on stand-by to attempt to belittle your claim down to nothing using every tactic possible. You need a Law Firm that does not back down to the big insurance companies and trucking companies, and will fight for what you or your loved one deserve.
You need a qualified, knowledgeable Attorney and Law Firm, like Attorney Trip Walton and his team at Walton Law Firm, who have successfully handled countless 18 wheeler wrecks in the past. You or your loved one will need a competent law firm to help guide you through what may be the most difficult process of your life. Knowing you have a team of proficient, qualified and knowledgeable attorneys fighting for you, will allow you to focus your energy on what matters most; getting you or your loved ones to the best place you can physically and mentally. Or without qualified representation, you could be instead fielding hundreds of calls, avoiding intimidating questions from insurance companies or investigators or big trucking corporations who will be pulling out all of the stops and utilizing every tactic in their arsenal to get one over on you or to get you to make a mistake.
