How Do Holidays Increase the Risk of Semi Accidents?
The holiday season is fast approaching, with just under a hundred days before Christmas. During holidays, more people hit the road to visit friends and relatives around the country. Based on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there is more than ninety-one percent of long-distance travel done by the use of personal vehicles like cars, that’s why roadways can often become crowded during a holiday season.
The holiday shopping season can also lead to a significant rise in commercial shipping as retailers prepare for increased volume. And because of this, it is unusual to see more commercial trucks transporting goods from place to place.
There are always dangers of serious or semi accidents when trucks and passenger vehicles drive close to one another. And in most cases, passengers of small cars are the ones who get severe injuries in these types of accidents.
What the victims need to do if they got involved in a crash
There are some particular steps for the victims to do after a vehicle accident to make sure that they protect their legal rights.
- Writing down all the information regarding the collision – One of the most crucial things to take after an accident is to write down as much data and information as possible about the situations surrounding the crash. It is necessary to take note of the names of the drivers involved, any logos or the name of the company of the truck or other vehicles involved, contact numbers of any witnesses, and the weather conditions during the accident.
- Seeking for medical help – Accident victims must undergo a thorough medical evaluation even if they think that they are not seriously injured or hurt in the incident. Some injuries, like whiplash, might seem less critical than they truly are. Seeking medical attention might result in an official record that might be necessary for establishing damages.
- Contacting a lawyer – The accident victims must contact an automobile accident legal defense as soon as they can. Any delay might result in loss or destruction of evidence which is critical to their cases.
What can holiday accident victims recover as compensation?
People who got injured in accidents involving large trucks can receive compensations for the losses they experience. The types of damages after a semi accident include the following:
- Medical expenses – the medical costs that severely injured accident victims can incur might increase well into hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars. The State law frequently allows victims to recover for the expenses associated with their past, current and future medical treatment.
- Damage to property – Truck accidents can leave vehicles with thousands of dollars in repair expenses.
- Lost income and future earnings – Many victims are unable to work for months or even years after a collision occurs. It can lead to a loss of a significant amount of income over a period because the victim is unable to work.
- Physical and emotional suffering and pain – Individuals and victims who got involved in accidents sometimes experience significant physical and emotional suffering and pain, which the law recognizes as a compensable loss.
Takeaway
The holiday season should be a time for family and friends, not recovering in a hospital bed because of the negligence and carelessness of a truck driver or a trucking company. People who got injured in accidents should always know their legal options to get well compensated.
Contributor Credits
Jenn puts the compassion, kindness and work ethic she learned growing up in the Midwest to work for you.
Jenn was born and raised in the small farming community of St. Johns, Michigan. After law school, she craved a change and moved to Los Angeles, where she has practiced law for the past twenty years. Jenn knew from growing up with two brothers that life isn’t always fair: sometimes you get outnumbered, but that doesn’t mean you get out-smarted. It is with that mentality that she has made it her mission to be the most prepared person in the room – maximizing her ability to zealously represent her clients regardless of who she is up against.