Winter weather makes for treacherous road conditions, for any driver. Large commercial trucks come with heightened challenges for truck divers due to their vast size and weight and can pose challenges for other drivers on the road, as well. You may find yourself coming up suddenly on a slow-moving truck, dealing with visibility issue and spray from the truck, and feeling quite unsure if the driver can see you and what sudden maneuvers they may be forced to make as well as how any loss of control may affect you.
Avoiding a Truck Accident in Winter
Ideally, you will stay home and off the road in dangerous driving weather, but realistically that is not always possible. To avoid a crash when you must get out and drive:
- Drive slowly
- Leave extra distance between your vehicle and large trucks
- Be aware of your surroundings and the behavior of other vehicles
- Keep an eye out as far down the road as possible, so you have plenty of time to react to vehicles ahead losing control, stopping suddenly, and dumping snow and spray
- Keep your own vehicle as free from snow, ice and grime as possible
What to Do After a Winter Truck Accident
If you are involved in a winter truck accident, the first thing to keep in mind is safety. If possible, get your vehicle out of the flow of traffic. Stay inside your vehicle. Do not get out where you may be struck as a pedestrian by other vehicles losing control. Call for help. Once help arrives and you can safely do so:
- Gather evidence at the scene. This includes the name of the truck driver and all identifying information on the truck itself. You may see numbers in multiple places including license plate’s and painted on the tractor and trailer. Write it all down.
- Collect license, registration and insurance information for the truck driver and any other drivers involved.
- Gather names and contract information for witnesses.
- Take photos of everything including damages to all vehicles, all injuries, and anything that may be related to the accident.
- Do not post any of the photos or any other information to social media.
- Seek immediate medical attention. Get checked out even if you do not feel that you are injured.
- Report the accident to your insurance carrier.
- Contact an experienced truck accident attorney.
- Do not discuss the accident with the truck driver’s insurance company without talking to your lawyer first.
- Do not give your insurance company a signed or recorded statement without talking to your attorney first.
To learn more about what to do to protect your right to full compensation after a truck accident, please call or contact us today.