The sound, the impact, the sudden and violent chaos—a collision with a commercial truck is an experience that changes everything in an instant. In the moments, days, and even weeks that follow, you are likely feeling stressed, disoriented, and in significant pain. Your mind is racing with questions while your body is struggling to heal. You may be worried about your health, your family, your job, and the mountain of medical bills that is already beginning to grow.
Taking specific actions after a truck collision can help protect your health and strengthen your claim for compensation. Ideally, you would have taken steps immediately after the accident, such as calling 911, taking detailed photographs, getting witness information, and exchanging insurance details. But we understand that in the terrifying reality of a crash involving an 80,000-pound semi-truck, this is often impossible. You may have been severely injured and rushed to the hospital. You may have been in shock, unable to think clearly.
Let us be clear: If you were unable to do any of those things at the scene, it is okay. You have not lost your right to seek justice and compensation. The most critical actions are the ones you take from this moment on. An experienced Arlington, TX truck accident lawyer can guide you through every step of the legal process, helping you build a strong claim and fight for the compensation you need to move forward.
Your Most Important Step Now: Prioritizing Your Medical Recovery
Before you worry about insurance claims or legal fights, your number one priority is your health. The steps you take to care for your physical and emotional well-being are not only essential for your recovery but also form the foundation of any future personal injury claim.
Seek Comprehensive Medical Attention Immediately
Even if you were seen by paramedics at the scene or visited an emergency room, it is crucial to follow up with your primary care physician or a specialist. Some of the most serious injuries from truck accidents are not immediately apparent. Adrenaline can mask pain for hours or even days.
Common delayed-onset injuries after a truck accident include:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs): A concussion might seem minor at first, but symptoms like headaches, dizziness, confusion, or memory problems can signal a more serious TBI that requires specialized care.
- Spinal Cord and Neck Injuries: What feels like simple stiffness could be a sign of a herniated disc or whiplash, which can lead to chronic pain and nerve damage if left untreated.
- Internal Bleeding or Organ Damage: This is a life-threatening condition that may present with only subtle symptoms like abdominal pain or deep bruising.
- Psychological Trauma: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression are very real injuries that can be just as debilitating as physical ones.
Seeking prompt medical care accomplishes two vital goals: it ensures you get the treatment you need to heal, and it creates an official, documented record that links your injuries directly to the accident. This medical record is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence you will have.
Follow Your Doctor’s Treatment Plan Meticulously
Once you receive a diagnosis and a treatment plan, follow it to the letter. This means:
- Attending all scheduled doctor’s appointments, physical therapy sessions, and specialist consultations.
- Filling all prescriptions and taking your medication as directed.
- Following any restrictions on your activity, such as not lifting heavy objects or returning to work.
Insurance companies are not on your side. Their goal is to pay out as little as possible. An adjuster for the trucking company will be looking for any excuse to argue that your injuries are not as severe as you claim or that you are not committed to your recovery.
If you skip appointments or ignore your doctor’s advice, they will use this against you to devalue or deny your claim. Following your treatment plan is not just for your health; it’s a critical step in protecting your right to fair compensation.
Keep a Detailed Record of Everything
The legal process can be long, and memories fade. Start a file or a physical or digital notebook to keep track of everything related to the accident and your recovery. This will become an invaluable resource.
Your record should include:
- All Medical Documentation: Keep every bill, receipt, explanation of benefits (EOB) from your health insurance, and prescription receipt.
- Proof of Lost Wages: Collect pay stubs from before and after the accident. If you can, get a letter from your employer detailing the dates you missed work and your rate of pay.
- A Pain and Recovery Journal: This is profoundly important. Every day, take a few minutes to write down how you are feeling. Describe your physical pain on a scale of 1 to 10. Detail your emotional state—are you feeling anxious, depressed, or frustrated? Note the ways the injuries are impacting your daily life. Can you no longer lift your child, walk your dog, enjoy your hobbies, or sleep through the night? This journal provides a powerful, humanizing account of your suffering that medical bills alone cannot convey.
Dealing with Insurance Companies
Shortly after the accident, you will almost certainly be contacted by an insurance adjuster from the trucking company’s insurer. It is essential that you proceed with extreme caution. These adjusters are highly trained negotiators whose loyalty is to their employer’s bottom line, not to you.
Be Extremely Cautious in Your Communications
When an adjuster calls, remember that their goal is to get information they can use to minimize your claim.
- You are not obligated to give a recorded statement. Adjusters will often push for one, claiming it’s a necessary step to process your claim. It is not. These interviews are designed to get you to say something that can be twisted and used against you later. It is perfectly acceptable—and highly advisable—to politely decline until you have sought legal advice. You can say, “I am not prepared to give a recorded statement at this time.”
- Stick to the basic facts. If you do speak with them, only provide your name, contact information, and the date and location of the crash. Do not discuss how the accident happened, who was at fault, or the extent of your injuries.
- Never downplay your injuries. Avoid saying things like “I’m doing okay” or “I’m feeling a little better.” An adjuster will record this and use it to argue that your injuries are minor, even if you are in significant pain. A safe response is, “I am still under a doctor’s care.”
- Do not speculate or apologize. Never say “I’m sorry” or “I might have been able to…” Even a simple, polite apology can be misconstrued as an admission of fault.
Do Not Sign Anything or Accept a Quick Settlement
The trucking company’s insurer may offer you a quick check, sometimes within days of the crash. They know you are vulnerable and worried about bills, and this offer can seem like a lifeline. It is almost always a trap.
These initial offers are a small fraction of what your claim is truly worth. They are designed to cover the immediate, obvious costs, but they will not account for future medical needs, future lost wages, or the full extent of your pain and suffering. If you accept that check and sign their release form, you forfeit your right to seek any further compensation, even if you later discover you need surgery or will be unable to return to your job.
Never sign any documents from an insurance company without having them reviewed by a legal professional who is dedicated to protecting your interests.
Why Truck Accidents in Texas Are So Complex
A crash with a passenger vehicle is complicated enough. A crash involving a commercial truck is in a different league of legal complexity, which is why taking the right steps now is so critical.
Multiple Liable Parties
In a typical car wreck, you are usually dealing with one other driver. In a truck accident, a web of potential parties could be held responsible for your injuries under Texas law. This can include:
- The Truck Driver: Was the driver fatigued, distracted, intoxicated, or speeding?
- The Trucking Company (Motor Carrier): Did the company pressure the driver to violate federal hours-of-service rules? Did they fail to conduct proper background checks, provide adequate training, or maintain their fleet?
- The Cargo Loader: Was the truck’s trailer improperly loaded or overloaded, causing it to become unstable?
- The Maintenance Company: Was the crash caused by a mechanical failure, such as faulty brakes or a tire blowout, due to negligent maintenance?
- The Truck Manufacturer: Was a defective part on the truck itself a contributing factor in the accident?
A thorough investigation is required to identify every party that shares fault, as this maximizes your potential sources of recovery.
Crucial Evidence That Can Disappear
Commercial trucks are required by federal and state regulations to carry a wealth of data. This evidence is often the key to proving negligence, but trucking companies are known to “lose” or destroy it if it is not legally preserved right away. This includes:
- The “Black Box” (Electronic Data Recorder): Records crucial data about the truck’s speed, braking, and other actions in the moments before the crash.
- Driver’s Logs: Electronic or paper logs that show whether the driver was complying with federal Hours of Service regulations designed to prevent fatigued driving.
- Maintenance and Inspection Records: Can reveal a history of mechanical problems or neglected repairs.
- Driver’s Qualification File: Contains information on the driver’s training, experience, and driving history.
Preserving this evidence is not something you can do on your own. It requires sending a formal “spoliation letter” from a legal representative, demanding that all relevant evidence be saved. The sooner this is done, the better.
Understanding Your Potential Compensation Under Texas Law
When you are injured by someone else’s negligence in Texas, you have the right to demand compensation for the full scope of your losses. These are known as “damages,” and they fall into three main categories:
- Economic Damages: These are the tangible, calculable financial losses you have suffered.
- All past and future medical expenses (hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, medication, assistive devices).
- Lost wages from time missed at work.
- Loss of future earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous job or working at all.
- Property damage to your vehicle.
- Non-Economic Damages: These are the intangible but very real human losses that deserve compensation.
- Pain and Suffering: For the physical pain you have endured.
- Mental Anguish: For the emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, and fear caused by the accident.
- Physical Impairment: For the loss of your ability to engage in daily activities and hobbies.
- Disfigurement: For scarring or other permanent changes to your appearance.
- Exemplary (or Punitive) Damages: In cases where the defendant acted with gross negligence or malice—such as a trucking company knowingly putting a dangerous driver on the road or a driver operating under the influence—Texas law allows a jury to award additional damages. These are intended to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct in the future.
How an Arlington Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help
Dealing with this complex maze of medical recovery, insurance negotiations, and legal procedures while trying to heal from a traumatic event can feel impossible. The stress is immense, and the stakes are incredibly high. This is where an experienced legal team becomes your most powerful ally and your staunchest advocate.
At Branch & Dhillon, we understand the physical, emotional, and financial devastation you are experiencing after a serious truck accident in Arlington, Fort Worth, or anywhere in Tarrant County. We see the pain and the worry in our clients’ eyes, and we channel that understanding into a relentless, aggressive fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.
When you trust your case to us, you are not just hiring a lawyer; you are gaining a dedicated partner who will lift the legal burden from your shoulders. We will:
- Launch an Immediate, In-Depth Investigation: We move quickly to send spoliation letters to preserve critical evidence before it can be destroyed.
- Identify All Liable Parties: We dig deep to uncover every person or company whose negligence contributed to your injuries.
- Handle All Communications: We take over all calls, paperwork, and negotiations with the insurance companies, protecting you from their tactics.
- Work with Experts: We consult with accident reconstructionists, medical experts, and financial planners to build the strongest case possible and accurately calculate the full value of your claim.
- Fight for You: We are skilled negotiators who will fight for a maximum settlement, but we are also proven trial lawyers who are never afraid to take your case before a Texas jury if that’s what it takes to get you what you are owed.
You have been through enough. Your focus should be on your health and your family. Let our firm focus on the fight.
If you have been injured in a truck accident on I-20, I-30, US-287, or any other road in Tarrant County or the DFW metroplex, you need a team that combines compassionate support with aggressive representation. Contact the dedicated Arlington, TX personal injury attorneys at Branch & Dhillon today at (817) 533-3430 or through our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation.